Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, arrived at the White House to an elaborate welcome from US President Donald Trump, marking a moment that underlined the growing closeness between the two countries. The White House rolled the red carpet and gave a full ceremonial reception to the Prince complete with marching bands, flag-bearers on horseback and a military flyover.
Inside the Oval Office, the two leaders took questions from reporters and spoke about business deals, new technologies and hopes for stability in the region. But as they focused on future cooperation, pressing issues such as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza drew little attention during their public remarks.
Trump’s warm welcome for Saudi Prince
Trump and Prince Mohammed appeared in high spirits throughout the visit, trading warm remarks from the moment the crown prince stepped into the White House.
At one point, Trump took the prince’s hand and used the moment to criticise former US president Joe Biden for greeting MBS with only a fist bump during his 2021 trip to Riyadh, when COVID-19 precautions were still in place. Trump said he had no hesitation in offering a full handshake.
“I grabbed that hand. I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been,” Trump said.
He went on to praise the crown prince, calling him “fantastic” and “brilliant”. Trump said that he had long considered him a close friend and that he is proud of the work the prince has done, noting MBS’ progress on “human rights and everything else”.
The mood shifted when a reporter from ABC News asked Prince Mohammed a difficult question. Trump scolded her, saying she had shown disrespect to his guest. Later, when she asked Trump why he would not release government records connected to Jeffrey Epstein, he lashed out again, saying the network should lose its licence. He accused her of starting the exchange with an inappropriate question and suggested she had been encouraged by others at ABC, calling her unprofessional and unfair.
Key takeaways from Trump and Saudi Crown Prince meet
Saudi-US defence deal
Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince signed several agreements on Tuesday covering a wide range of issues, including defence and civil nuclear cooperation.
According to the White House, the deals are meant to strengthen the long-term partnership between the two countries, create well-paid jobs in the US, support key supply chains and add to stability in the region, all while prioritising American workers and security.
Trump has agreed to supply Saudi Arabia with advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets. The White House did not say how many aircraft would be included or which version, but said the jets would be part of a large defence package. Reports have suggested that Saudi Arabia had been hoping to acquire around two dozen F-35s.
The details of overall value of the deal or other equipment involved has not been shared yet.
The two leaders also completed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that lays the groundwork for a long-term partnership on nuclear energy. The White House said the deal confirms that the US and its companies will be Saudi Arabia’s preferred partners in this field and that all cooperation will follow strong nonproliferation rules.
Abraham Accords
Trump has been saying that he wants Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, the framework that opened formal ties between Israel and several Arab nations.
Both Trump and Prince Mohammed, while speaking to the reporters, suggested that some movement was happening on this front, though they offered no clear details or timeline. The crown prince repeated that Saudi Arabia wants any agreement to include firm steps toward creating a Palestinian state.
He told reporters that Riyadh sees value in building good relations across the Middle East and hopes to be part of the Abraham Accords, but also wants a guaranteed path toward a two-state solution. “We want also to be sure that we secure a clear path [to a] two-state solution. And today we have a healthy discussion with Mr President that we’ve got to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible to have that,” the crown prince said.
Saudi leaders have long said Riyadh stands by the Arab Peace Initiative, which links any recognition of Israel to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump, for his part, said he had “good talks” with MBS on the matter and noted that they discussed different possible outcomes, adding that the conversation would continue in the coming weeks.
Trump’s ‘friend’ Mohammed assures investment of $1 trillion
Trump thanked Saudi Arabia for the large investments it plans to make in the United States, saying the amount would reach hundreds of billions of dollars. He joked that, because of their close relationship, the total might even rise to a trillion.
“I want to thank you because you’ve agreed to invest $600bn into the United States. And because he’s my friend, he might make it $1 trillion, but I’m going to have to work on him,” Trump said.
He further added that the funds would help create jobs and support American companies and financial firms.
Agreeing with Trump, Prince Mohammed said Saudi investments in the US could indeed grow to around a trillion dollars. He noted that the agreements being signed, covering areas such as technology, artificial intelligence, rare materials and magnets, would open up many new opportunities.
The crown prince agreed with Trump’s view that the US is currently the most attractive market in the world and said Saudi Arabia hopes to play a key role in the country’s fast-growing tech sectors.
