In a stunning diplomatic exchange that flew in the face of U.S. intelligence assessments, President Donald Trump aggressively defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) over the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, casually dismissing the brutal murder with the phrase, “things happen.”
The President’s remarks came on Tuesday during the Crown Prince’s first visit to the White House in seven years, where Mr. Trump lavished the de facto Saudi leader with praise, calling him a “very good friend” and an “incredible” force for progress, while effectively erasing the central controversy that has overshadowed U.S.-Saudi relations for years.
The Oval Office Confrontation
The controversial comments came in the Oval Office as Mr. Trump and MBS sat together for a meeting meant to showcase the newly fortified alliance. When an ABC News reporter directly asked the Crown Prince why Americans should trust him when U.S. intelligence concluded he approved the killing, the President instantly intervened.
- The Defense: Mr. Trump immediately cut off the reporter, describing the late Washington Post columnist as “extremely controversial” and saying, “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but [Prince Mohammed] knew nothing about it.”
- The Rebuke: The President then turned to the reporter and snapped, “We can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” later calling the query a “horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question.”
The President’s assertion that MBS “knew nothing about it” stands in direct opposition to a declassified 2021 U.S. intelligence report, which concluded that the Crown Prince “approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill” Khashoggi.
A Trillion-Dollar Embrace
The warm welcome and dismissal of the murder were seen by analysts as directly linked to a massive economic package announced during the visit.
- Investment Pledge: The Crown Prince announced that Saudi Arabia would dramatically increase its planned investment in the U.S. to nearly $1 trillion, up from an initial $600 billion, focusing heavily on American infrastructure and technology sectors.
- Military Deals: The visit also included discussions about highly sought-after U.S. defense sales, including the potential sale of F-35 stealth fighters and a framework deal for U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation.
In the Oval Office, Mr. Trump repeatedly praised the Crown Prince for the promised investment, saying, “What really counts is jobs, a lot of jobs, so I just want to thank you.”
MBS, for his part, called Khashoggiโs killing a “huge mistake” and “painful” but insisted that Saudi Arabia had taken all the “right steps” in its investigation and was committed to ensuring “that this doesn’t happen again.”
The President’s decision to downplay the assassination and contradict his own intelligence community’s findings confirms a complete strategic shift, prioritizing an economic and geopolitical partnership with the influential royal over traditional concerns regarding human rights and press freedom.