In a charged Oval Office encounter that laid bare the complexities of U.S.-Saudi relations, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) faced pointed questions about the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, only for President Donald Trump to leap to his defense—dismissing the slain Washington Post columnist as an “extremely controversial” figure and insisting “things happen.” The exchange, unfolding amid multibillion-dollar arms deals and investment pledges, drew swift condemnation from human rights advocates and Khashoggi’s family, who decried it as a whitewashing of a brutal assassination.
The bilateral meeting, MBS’s first White House visit since the killing, began on a note of pomp and partnership. Trump welcomed the de facto Saudi ruler with a lavish South Lawn ceremony, complete with a military flyover and Marine band, before the leaders retreated to the Oval Office for talks on fighter jet sales, energy investments, and Middle East diplomacy. MBS, dressed in traditional thobe, pledged to nearly double Saudi Arabia’s U.S. investment commitment to $1 trillion—nearly the kingdom’s annual GDP—focusing on AI, defense, and infrastructure. Trump hailed his guest as a “great ally” and “very good friend,” crediting him with “phenomenal” progress on human rights and regional stability.
But the mood shifted abruptly when ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce posed a two-part question to MBS: Why should Americans trust him given U.S. intelligence findings that he approved Khashoggi’s killing? And how did he respond to fury from 9/11 families over his visit? The room fell silent as MBS, flanked by Trump, began his reply, calling the murder “painful” and a “huge mistake” that Saudi Arabia had addressed through internal investigations and reforms to prevent recurrence.
Before MBS could elaborate, Trump interjected sharply, his face reddening as he turned on the reporter. “You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” he snapped, referring to Khashoggi. “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 he [MBS] knew nothing about it.” Trump went further, contradicting a 2021 declassified CIA report that explicitly linked MBS to approving the operation, and accused ABC of being “fake news” for raising the issue to “embarrass our guest.” He dismissed the controversy as a ploy to derail the visit’s focus on “reality” and mutual benefits, like approving F-35 jet sales to Saudi Arabia.
MBS, appearing composed, pivoted briefly to the 9/11 question, expressing sympathy for victims’ families while blaming Osama bin Laden for straining U.S.-Saudi ties. “We have to focus on reality,” he said, citing CIA documents on bin Laden’s manipulations. On Khashoggi, he reiterated Saudi denials of his personal involvement, emphasizing the kingdom’s prosecution of 11 agents in the case—though critics note no high-level officials were convicted, and sentences were light.
The assassination of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and vocal critic of MBS’s authoritarian crackdowns, remains a flashpoint in bilateral relations. On October 2, 2018, the 59-year-old entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for marriage documents and was never seen alive again. Turkish authorities later revealed audio of his strangulation and dismemberment with a bone saw by a 15-member hit squad, many tied to MBS’s inner circle. The CIA assessment pinned ultimate responsibility on the crown prince, citing his “control of decision-making” and history of silencing dissidents abroad. Saudi Arabia has rejected the findings as baseless, maintaining the killing was a rogue operation.
Trump’s remarks echoed his 2018 stance, when he prioritized Saudi arms deals over accountability, tweeting that Khashoggi’s death should not derail a $110 billion weapons package.
As the leaders concluded with a black-tie dinner and talks on expanding the Abraham Accords—MBS conditioning Saudi-Israeli normalization on a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood—the Khashoggi shadow loomed large. Analysts see the visit as MBS’s full rehabilitation in Washington after years of Biden-era isolation, bolstered by Trump’s return.
