Trump shrugs off Khashoggi murder during Saudi prince’s White House visit | Donald Trump

Donald Trump shrugged off the Saudi regime’s killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, saying the journalist was “highly controversial” and unpopular, dismissing the murder with the observation that “something is going on.”

The US President made the statement at the White House on Tuesday as he welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi officials in Istanbul.

US intelligence agencies later made a formal assessment that the prince had ordered the killing, but Trump insisted on Tuesday he “didn’t know anything about it”.

Trump condemned the ABC News reporter who asked about the murder, suggested ABC should lose its broadcast license and called Khashoggi “highly controversial.”

Referring to the crown prince, Trump said, “A lot of people didn’t like the gentleman you mentioned. Whether you like him or not, some things happen, but he had no knowledge of it.”

Prince Mohammed said: “This was a painful and huge mistake and we are doing everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Trump sought to underline promised Saudi investment in the US economy, which was billed at the beginning of the White House meeting as totaling $600 billion, but which the crown prince said could total $1 trillion at Trump’s direction.

Trump has confirmed that he plans to sell “high-end” F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh, over Israeli objections and concerns from the US intelligence community. And the two men confirmed they discussed a deal under which Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for a commitment to a two-state solution that implies the establishment of Palestine as a sovereign state.

Although the Saudi prince’s visit was billed as a working tour, it had all the theatrical hallmarks of a state visit, with troops on horseback carrying US and Saudi flags and F-16 and F-35 jets parading by.

Trump’s offer to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia has triggered concern in Israel, which is currently the only country in the Middle East with the advanced aircraft. It has also alarmed US intelligence agencies due to Saudi Arabia’s close security ties with China and raised concerns about the theft of F-35 technology.

However, Trump emphasized that he was ready to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, which have the same advanced features as the F-35s that the USA sold to Israel, on the grounds that they are good allies of the USA.

“When you look at the F-35 and you ask me if it’s the same, I think it’s going to be pretty similar,” Trump said. “It’s a great ally, Israel is a great ally. And I know they want you to buy low-caliber aircraft. I don’t think that makes you very happy… From my perspective, I think they’re both at the level where they should be pushing the line to the highest level.”

Besides arms sales, the administration expects a multibillion-dollar Saudi investment in America’s artificial intelligence industry and deeper cooperation on establishing a civilian nuclear energy industry in Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials said.

Sitting next to Trump in the Oval Office, Prince Mohammed said, “We can announce that we will increase this $600 billion for investment to almost $1 trillion.” The President smiled broadly and asked him to confirm the figure. “Absolutely,” the Saudi leader replied.

“What really matters is jobs, lots of jobs, so I want to thank you,” Trump said. “We have been very good friends for a long time. We have always been on the same side on everything.”

He added: “I just want to say it’s an honor to be your friend. And it’s an honor to have you here.”

Trump’s White House is also trying to make a deal with Riyadh that the Joe Biden administration has tried but failed to finalize: nuclear and security cooperation with the United States in exchange for Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords with a normalization agreement with Israel.

But Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023 and subsequent two-year Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in which more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed, have complicated the possibility of such an agreement.

Aaron David Miller, former US Middle East negotiator, told CNN: “I think after October 7, the cost of Saudi Arabia’s participation in normalization with Israel went up a lot.”

“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we also want to make sure that we secure a clear path towards a two-state solution,” Prince Mohammed said on Tuesday. “And we have a healthy conversation today with Mr. President that we’re going to work on this to make sure that you can prepare for the right situation as quickly as possible.”

Trump also agreed with this view and said: “We had a very good conversation about the Abraham Accords. We talked about one state, two states.”

“We talked about a lot of things in a short time. We will discuss this further,” Trump added. “But I think you have a very good feeling about the Abraham Accords.”

The visit is also controversial because of the blurred lines between the Trump family’s private business interests in the Gulf. The president has denied any conflict of interest, claiming he has given up control of his business empire.

“I have nothing to do with the family business, I left and devoted 100% of my energy to it.” [to the presidency]” he said and added: “Whatever my family does is good. They do business everywhere. They actually did very little with Saudi Arabia. I’m sure they can do a lot. And everything they did was very good.”

When Trump took office for a second term, the Trump Organization announced that he was stepping away from day-to-day business management and that his assets would be transferred to a foundation managed by his children. Critics said the president should either quit the business altogether or blindly trust his assets. During his second term, the Trump family business engaged in extensive negotiations regarding multibillion-dollar investments in Saudi Arabia.