WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheerful looks President Donald Trump He had a warm and friendly meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, which included many handshakes and pats on the back. he ignored the question About Saudi Arabia human rights recordpraised the prince’s statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investments in the United States.
The White House is on the move Gorgeous enough for the Saudi royal family On Tuesday, fighter jets were sent in, the two leaders watched from a red carpet, an honor guard paraded on horseback, and congratulatory messages were delivered. Luxurious dinner in the east room.
The sit-in in the Oval Office took place just seven years after Prince Mohammed was implicated in the incident by US intelligence. Murder of journalist Jamal KhashoggiTrump and the crown prince fielded numerous questions from reporters about everything from trade to the sale of the latest F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh, one of whom repeatedly insulted Trump.
Here are some takeaways from the visit.
Movements regarding military cooperation
President Trump previewed the decision to sell the F-35 on Sunday, but formalized it in front of the prince on Tuesday, saying the approval was complete and Israel’s concerns about maintaining its qualitative military superiority in the Middle East were resolved.
Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but the Pentagon and some other government agencies have opposed the sale because of the potential for advanced technology to be shared with China, which also has close ties to Saudi Arabia.
President Trump said of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already has the F-35, “As far as I’m concerned, I think both countries are at a level where they should be at the forefront.” “Israel also recognizes that and will be very happy about it.”
Israeli officials have indicated they would not object to Saudi Arabia acquiring the F-35 as long as Saudi Arabia normalizes. Relationship with Israel based on the Abraham Accords framework.
Saudi Arabia has said it will join the Abraham Accords, but only if there is a credible and guaranteed path to a Palestinian state, a position Prince Mohammed reiterated at the meeting.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we also want to make sure we have a clear path to a two-state solution,” he said. “We’re going to work on that so that we can be ready for that situation as soon as possible.”
President Trump also said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would complete a wide-ranging agreement on military and security issues during the visit, and that the U.S. would move forward with a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which Israel has also expressed concerns about.
The two countries also signed an agreement that calls for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the United States.
At a dinner Tuesday night, President Trump announced he would designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move that gives the foreign partner the benefits of defense, trade and security cooperation.
Khashoggi’s murder ignored
Tuesday’s meeting marked the crown prince’s first White House visit since Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, took office. Killed and dismembered at Saudi Consulate In 2018 in Istanbul, Türkiye.
US intelligence agencies revealed Crown Prince Mohammed likely approved the killing.
In a notable scene in the Oval Office, the prince, known as MBS, faced questions from reporters, unusual for the de facto head of an absolute monarchy where dissent is a crime.
He was asked about the role played by Saudi nationals in Khashoggi’s murder and the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. However, President Trump strongly criticized the reporter’s questions.
President Trump called Khashoggi, the Saudi democracy activist, “very controversial” and said: “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman you’re talking about. Things happen whether you like him or not, and he (the crown prince) didn’t know anything about it. We can leave it at that.”
Prince Mohammed is deny involvement The government responded that it had taken action regarding Khashoggi’s murder.
“It was painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We took all the appropriate steps in Saudi Arabia, including investigations, and improved our systems to ensure that something like that never happens again. And this was painful and a huge mistake.”
Trump also praised the Saudi leader’s progress on human rights issues in the kingdom, although he did not provide specific details, likely referring to reforms on women’s rights. “What he’s done is unbelievable in terms of human rights and everything else,” Trump said.
Lots of glitz and atmosphere
President Trump greeted Prince Mohammed at the South Lawn entrance of the White House, shaking his hand and draping his arm around his shoulder. Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for the Saudi leader, accompanied by a military band and US military planes, before unveiling his finery to the crown prince along the White House colonnade.
Trump opened the meeting by saying, “We have a very respected person in the Oval Office today,” calling the prince “a friend of mine for a very long time.”
President Trump also criticized his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for greeting Prince Mohammed in this way: Fist-pumping during your 2022 visit To Saudi Arabia.
“When you step off a plane and meet the future king and one of the most respected men in the world, you just shake his hand, you don’t bump fists, right?” Trump said. “Trump doesn’t raise his fist. I grab his hand” — and that’s exactly what he did.
At Tuesday night’s dinner, the president and first lady Melania Trump, dressed in tuxedos, welcomed him back to the red carpet, followed by a banquet attended by tech giants. Among them were Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.
They dined on pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and had pear couverture mousse for dessert.
Extensive but ambiguous commercial and economic transactions
Crown Prince Mohammed told President Trump that his country would increase its financial commitments to the United States from the $600 billion announced during his presidency. Travel to Riyadh in Mayto $1 trillion.
Details of those deals were not immediately clear, but they are expected to include investments in various U.S. companies, including in artificial intelligence, as well as purchases of jet engines and other equipment.
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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This article was first published on November 18, 2025. Updated on November 19, 2025 to clarify that Musk is Tesla’s CEO, and although he was not technically present at the company’s founding, he was an early investor and is listed as a co-founder on Tesla’s website.
