U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, as a part of a White Home effort to deal with Riyadh much less like a problematic however essential regional participant within the Center East and extra like a treasured ally and enterprise accomplice. However regardless of Trump’s try to give attention to the nation’s U.S. funding pledges, Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights file and the Trump household’s monetary ties to the nation have introduced heavy scrutiny to the historic go to.
Tuesday was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, the identical yr that the crown prince is believed to have ordered the killing of Washington Submit columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump and the crown prince each deny the latter’s involvement, contradicting U.S. intelligence.
U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, as a part of a White Home effort to deal with Riyadh much less like a problematic however essential regional participant within the Center East and extra like a treasured ally and enterprise accomplice. However regardless of Trump’s try to give attention to the nation’s U.S. funding pledges, Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights file and the Trump household’s monetary ties to the nation have introduced heavy scrutiny to the historic go to.
Tuesday was Mohammed bin Salman’s first trip to Washington since 2018, the identical yr that the crown prince is believed to have ordered the killing of Washington Submit columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump and the crown prince each deny the latter’s involvement, contradicting U.S. intelligence.
Underneath Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has accelerated its brutal crackdown on dissent, and this yr alone, the nation has dramatically increased the variety of executions that it has carried out. But, Trump heralded the Saudi crown prince on Tuesday, saying, “What he’s achieved is unbelievable by way of human rights and every thing else.”
Trump thanked the crown prince for having beforehand pledged in Could that Saudi Arabia would make investments $600 billion in the USA. Nevertheless, on Tuesday, Mohammed bin Salman suggested that this pledge could possibly be raised to as a lot as $1 trillion, a quantity beforehand floated by Trump that’s roughly the size of Saudi Arabia’s whole sovereign wealth fund.
The 2 leaders will even talk about different potential deals, together with larger Saudi funding in U.S. synthetic intelligence, a U.S.-Saudi defense agreement, bilateral cooperation on growing a civil nuclear power program in Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh buying 48 F-35s from Lockheed Martin.
Learn extra in as we speak’s World Temporary: Trump, Mohammed bin Salman Dismiss Khashoggi Questions to Focus on Investment.
This put up is a part of FP’s ongoing protection of the Trump administration. Observe alongside here.
