Donald Trump Downplays Khashoggi Assassination Amid Saudi Prince's White House Meeting
One-time President Trump has largely ignored the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, labeling him an "highly divisive" person who was not well-liked.
White House Discussion alongside Saudi Leader
These comments were delivered throughout a presidential gathering with Prince Mohammed, marking his first visit since Khashoggi's murder in Turkey.
Intelligence officials had previously concluded that the prince authorized the assassination, but the former president insisted that the prince "had no knowledge" regarding it.
Trump's Reply to Journalist's Inquiry
Trump also criticized the journalist who raised the matter, suggesting that the network ought to forfeit its license.
"A lot of individuals disliked that gentleman you're talking about," the former president stated. "Irrespective of personal views, incidents happened, yet he had no idea."
The crown prince replied, "It is distressing and a major error, and we are working hard to stop a recurrence."
Economic Arrangements and Military Transactions
The meeting further emphasized proposed Saudi funding in the United States, first announced as $600 billion, but potentially expanded to one trillion dollars.
The former president stated his aim to sell top-tier F-35 planes to Riyadh, in spite of concerns from the Israeli government as well as American spy agencies.
The two men additionally revealed talks on a potential deal for Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Tel Aviv in return for a two-state solution.
Regional Concerns and Challenges
The proposed sale of F-35s has raised alarm among Israeli officials, that has exclusive access to the advanced plane in the region.
Intelligence officials are apprehensive due to Riyadh's close defense links with Beijing, bringing up apprehensions about intellectual property risks.
Nevertheless, the former president stated that the kingdom should receive comparable top-level planes as Tel Aviv, citing their role as "reliable friends" of the United States.
Additional Arrangements
In addition to weapons sales, American authorities mentioned plans of multibillion-dollar Saudi capital in the United States' AI sector, plus deeper collaboration on civil nuclear power projects.
"We can announce that we are increasing that $600 billion to almost one trillion," Prince Mohammed stated.
Diplomatic Challenges
The Trump team is aiming a nuclear and security arrangement with Saudi Arabia, which the current government had tried but failed to secure.
But, current developments, including the Hamas attack and later Israeli military actions in Palestinian territories, have hindered the prospects of such a deal.
"Following the attacks, I think the price for the kingdom to commit to diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv has gone up significantly," an ex- US Middle East negotiator commented.
Prospective Negotiations
"We want to participate the diplomatic deals, yet we require to secure a concrete plan for Palestinian sovereignty," Prince Mohammed declared.
The former president concurred, noting, "We held a productive discussion on the Abraham Accords. We spoke about potential solutions."
"We covered about a lot quickly. We plan to explore it further," Trump concluded. "But I think you have a very good feeling for the Abraham Accords."
Debate Over Financial Ties
The meeting was also contentious over possible links between the former president's family financial activities with Middle Eastern states.
The former president dismissed any ethical concerns, asserting he has "stepped away from his enterprises" and devoted "full attention" to his role.
"I am not connected to do with the family business," he remarked. "Their business dealings is acceptable. They operate worldwide. They have minimal involvement in the kingdom, truthfully. I believe they have potential. Whatever they have undertaken has been successful."