Trump Hosts Mohammed bin Salman to Discuss Investment, F-35 Deals

U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, as part of a White House effort to treat Riyadh less like a problematic but important regional player in the Middle East and more like a treasured ally and business partner. But despite Trump’s attempt to focus on the country’s U.S. investment pledges, Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights record and the Trump family’s financial ties to the country have brought heavy scrutiny to the historic visit.

Tuesday was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, the same year that the crown prince is believed to have ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump and the crown prince both deny the latter’s involvement, contradicting U.S. intelligence.

Under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has accelerated its brutal crackdown on dissent, and this year alone, the country has dramatically increased the number of executions that it has carried out. Yet, Trump heralded the Saudi crown prince on Tuesday, saying, “What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”

Trump thanked the crown prince for having previously pledged in May that Saudi Arabia would invest $600 billion in the United States. However, on Tuesday, Mohammed bin Salman suggested that this pledge could be raised to as much as $1 trillion, a number previously floated by Trump that is roughly the size of Saudi Arabia’s entire sovereign wealth fund.

The two leaders will also discuss other potential deals, including greater Saudi investment in U.S. artificial intelligence, a U.S.-Saudi defense agreement, bilateral cooperation on developing a civil nuclear energy program in Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh purchasing 48 F-35s from Lockheed Martin.

Read more in today’s World Brief: Trump, Mohammed bin Salman Dismiss Khashoggi Questions to Focus on Investment.