President Donald Trump on 18 November 2025 strongly defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his first visit to the White House in more than seven years, rejecting U.S. intelligence assessments that the prince was involved in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump stated that the crown prince “knew nothing about it” and criticised media questions on the subject as unnecessary and embarrassing for his guest.

The visit featured grand ceremonial honours including an honour guard, a military fly-over and a black-tie dinner, signalling a reboot of U.S.–Saudi relations.

During the meeting Trump described the prince as “one of the most respected people in the world” and praised Saudi human-rights progress without citing specific reforms.

The crown prince said the incident was “painful” and “a huge mistake”, adding that Saudi Arabia had “improved our system” to prevent recurrence.

Beyond optics, the two leaders announced deepening economic and security ties.

Saudi Arabia pledged to raise its investment in the U.S. from an earlier commitment of $600 billion to nearly $1 trillion, focusing on technology, artificial intelligence and rare-earth minerals.

Trump also confirmed plans to sell advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh, a move that shifts the military landscape in the Middle East and raises questions about Israel’s comparative edge.

The U.S. intelligence community remains on record that the crown prince likely approved Khashoggi’s killing, which occurred inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Despite that assessment, Trump’s remarks represent a decisive break with prior U.S. administrations’ posture toward Saudi accountability, effectively signalling that strategic and economic interests now override past human-rights concerns.

The outcome may reshape the future of U.S. foreign policy toward Gulf partners and redefine the balance of power in the region.