🔗 Share this article

One-time President Trump has largely ignored the 2018 murder of columnist Khashoggi, labeling him an "highly divisive" person who was not well-liked.

White House Talks with Saudi Crown Prince

The remarks were made during a White House session alongside the Saudi crown prince, marking his first visit since Khashoggi's murder abroad.

American spy agencies assessed that the Saudi leader authorized the killing, however Trump maintained that the prince "had no knowledge" of the incident.

The Former President's Reply to Journalist's Inquiry

Trump also criticized the news professional who raised the topic, proposing that the media outlet should lose its permit.

"A lot of individuals were not fond of that person you're talking about," the former president remarked. "Whether you like him or not, events unfolded, yet he was unaware."

The crown prince replied, "It's painful and a significant blunder, and we are working hard to stop a recurrence."

Economic Agreements and Defense Transactions

The talks additionally showcased planned Saudi Arabian investment in the US, first announced as $600 billion, but later increased to one trillion dollars.

The former president stated his aim to sell advanced F-35 planes to Riyadh, despite reservations from the Israeli government and American spy agencies.

The pair further acknowledged negotiations on a potential arrangement for the kingdom to formalize relations with the Israeli government in return for a Palestinian state.

Regional Issues and Challenges

The planned F-35 transaction has triggered anxiety in Israel, which is the only operator of the F-35 in the Middle East.

US intelligence are apprehensive due to the kingdom's extensive defense links with China, highlighting fears over technology theft.

Nonetheless, the former president maintained that Riyadh should receive comparable advanced specification jets as the Israelis, noting their role as "good allies" of America.

Additional Arrangements

Besides weapons sales, US officials stated expectations for multibillion-dollar Saudi Arabian capital in the United States' AI sector, along with greater cooperation on civil nuclear power projects.

"We are pleased to state our plan to boost that $600 billion to around a trillion dollars," the crown prince declared.

Diplomatic Issues

The Trump team is aiming a energy and safety partnership deal with the kingdom, which the current government previously pursued without success to achieve.

Yet, recent events, including the 2023 incident and later Israeli military actions in the region, have made difficult the chances of an agreement.

"Post-October 7, I believe the conditions for Riyadh to agree to relations with the Israelis has risen significantly," a one-time US Middle East negotiator stated.

Future Talks

"We want to join the diplomatic deals, but we also want to guarantee a concrete plan for a two-state solution," Prince Mohammed remarked.

The former president echoed, noting, "We held a productive talk regarding normalization. We discussed about various options."

"We discussed about a lot in a short time. We'll be discussing it further," he concluded. "Yet, in my view you have a very good feeling regarding normalization."

Criticism Regarding Business Interests

The meeting further disputed over possible overlap involving Trump's relatives commercial ventures with Gulf nations.

The former president rejected the possibility of impropriety, claiming he had "relinquished control from his business empire" and devoted "full attention" to his role.

"I am not connected with their commercial activities," he remarked. "Their business dealings is fine. They work all over. They have minimal involvement with Riyadh, in fact. I expect they could do a lot. Whatever they have undertaken has been successful."