US President Trump defends Saudi Prince over journalist Khashoggis killing in 2018
Trump gave the Saudi leader an extremely grand welcome, including a parade with soldiers on horseback and a flypast of F-35 jets, which he said the U.S. would soon sell to Saudi Arabia.
PTC News Desk: Donald Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and celebrated a $1 trillion investment promise during the Prince’s visit to the White House on Tuesday (November 18, 2025).
Trump gave the Saudi leader an extremely grand welcome, including a parade with soldiers on horseback and a flypast of F-35 jets, which he said the U.S. would soon sell to Saudi Arabia.
“We can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office.
At the start of their meeting, Trump praised the Prince’s “incredible” human-rights record and played down Khashoggi’s 2018 murder, saying “things happened” and calling the journalist “very controversial.” He also snapped at a reporter for asking questions about the murder, saying she was “embarrassing” the Prince, even though U.S. intelligence has indicated that the killing was approved by him. Trump insisted the Prince knew “nothing about it.”
Prince Mohammed said the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was a “huge mistake,” and claimed it had been fully investigated. The Prince then pleased Trump by increasing a previous investment promise from $600 billion to $1 trillion.
Trump welcomed him on the White House South Lawn with cannon fire, and they watched a loud flypast by U.S. military jets. He then showed MBS a new set of presidential portraits, including one of former President Joe Biden depicted as an autopen — a device Trump claims Biden used to sign pardons illegally.
Trump has focused on strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia, especially as he works to turn the Israel–Hamas ceasefire in Gaza into a more stable regional peace.