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 companion. 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 journey to Washington since 2018, the identical 12 months that the crown prince is believed to have ordered the killing of Washington Publish 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 companion. 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 journey to Washington since 2018, the identical 12 months that the crown prince is believed to have ordered the killing of Washington Publish 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 12 months alone, the nation has dramatically elevated the variety of executions that it has carried out. But, Trump heralded the Saudi crown prince on Tuesday, saying, “What he’s carried out is unbelievable by way of human rights and the whole lot else.”
Trump thanked the crown prince for having beforehand pledged in Could that Saudi Arabia would make investments $600 billion in america. Nevertheless, on Tuesday, Mohammed bin Salman prompt that this pledge might be raised to as a lot as $1 trillion, a quantity beforehand floated by Trump that’s roughly the dimensions of Saudi Arabia’s whole sovereign wealth fund.
The 2 leaders may even talk about different potential offers, together with better Saudi funding in U.S. synthetic intelligence, a U.S.-Saudi protection settlement, bilateral cooperation on creating a civil nuclear power program in Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh buying 48 F-35s from Lockheed Martin.
Learn extra in at present’s World Temporary: Trump, Mohammed bin Salman Dismiss Khashoggi Inquiries to Give attention to Funding.
This submit is a part of FP’s ongoing protection of the Trump administration. Observe alongside right here.
