Trump Downplays Jamal Khashoggi Assassination Throughout Saudi Arabian Crown Prince's White House Meeting
Ex-President Donald Trump appeared to shrug off the killing of reporter Jamal Khashoggi, calling him an "extremely controversial" individual that was disliked.
White House Meeting alongside Saudi Arabian Leader
The statements came during a presidential meeting with the Saudi crown prince, representing his first visit since Khashoggi's murder in Istanbul.
American spy agencies assessed that the Saudi leader authorized the operation, yet Trump insisted that the crown prince "had no knowledge" of the incident.
The Former President's Reply to Reporter's Inquiry
Donald Trump further rebuked the news professional who raised the matter, suggesting that the media outlet deserve to lose its broadcasting rights.
"Many people disliked that gentleman you're talking about," Trump stated. "Irrespective of personal views, events unfolded, but he had no idea."
Prince Mohammed stated, "It is distressing and a significant blunder, and we are doing our best to prevent it from happening again."
Economic Deals and Defense Sales
The discussion further emphasized promised Saudi investment in the United States, first announced at six hundred billion dollars, though later increased to $1 trillion.
The former president confirmed his aim to supply top-tier F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia, notwithstanding objections from the Israeli government as well as American spy agencies.
The two men also confirmed discussions on a potential arrangement for Riyadh to establish relations with the Israeli government in exchange for a two-state solution.
Regional Concerns and Challenges
The proposed F-35 transaction has raised anxiety within Israel, which is the only operator of the stealth fighter locally.
US intelligence are apprehensive given Riyadh's close defense links with the Chinese, highlighting apprehensions regarding security breaches.
Nonetheless, the former president insisted that Riyadh should receive comparable top-level planes as the Israelis, noting their status as "reliable friends" of America.
Broader Deals
Besides arms deals, administration representatives noted plans for multibillion-dollar Saudi Arabian capital in the US AI industry, along with enhanced cooperation in civil nuclear power development.
"We can announce that we are increasing the proposed investment to almost one trillion," the Saudi leader announced.
Political Challenges
The former president's team is additionally pursuing a nuclear and security partnership deal with Saudi Arabia, that the Biden administration previously attempted without success to secure.
However, the ongoing situation, including the Hamas attack followed by subsequent operations in Palestinian territories, have hindered the chances of an agreement.
"Post-October 7, in my view the price for Riyadh to sign up to diplomatic ties with Israel has gone up considerably," an ex- American diplomat commented.
Prospective Negotiations
"We wish to be part the Abraham Accords, yet we also want to secure a definite route for Palestinian sovereignty," the Saudi leader stated.
Trump agreed, noting, "We held a productive discussion regarding normalization. We discussed about one state, two state."
"We discussed about many topics briefly. We plan to explore more details," Trump concluded. "Yet, in my view you hold a very good feeling of the agreements."
Debate Over Financial Ties
The visit additionally controversial due to possible overlap involving the Trump family's commercial ventures with Middle Eastern nations.
Trump denied the possibility of conflict of interest, asserting he has "stepped away from his enterprises" and dedicated "100% of his energy" to the presidency.
"I am not connected with the family business," he remarked. "Their business dealings is fine. They do business globally. They've done very little with Saudi Arabia, in fact. I'm sure they could do a lot. Any dealings they've had has been very good."