🔗 Share this article Trump Minimizes Khashoggi Murder Amid Saudi Arabian Crown Prince's Presidential Encounter One-time President Trump seemed to dismiss the 2018 murder of columnist Khashoggi, describing him as an "highly divisive" person who was not well-liked. White House Talks with Saudi Crown Prince The remarks came during a presidential meeting alongside Prince Mohammed, marking his first visit since the columnist's killing in Turkey. American spy agencies determined that Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the operation, but the former president stated that the prince "was unaware" of the incident. Trump's Reaction to Reporter's Inquiry Donald Trump also criticized the journalist who asked about the topic, suggesting that the media outlet should lose its broadcasting rights. "Numerous folks did not like that man you're talking about," the former president remarked. "Irrespective of personal views, events unfolded, yet he had no idea." The Saudi leader replied, "It is distressing and it's a huge mistake, and we are working hard to prevent such incidents in future." Economic Arrangements and Military Transactions The discussion further emphasized proposed Saudi Arabian investment in the US, first announced at six hundred billion dollars, though potentially expanded to $1 trillion. Trump announced his intention to supply top-tier F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, in spite of objections from the Israeli government as well as US intelligence. The pair also confirmed discussions on a potential arrangement for Riyadh to formalize relations with Israel in return for a Palestinian state. Regional Tensions and Challenges The proposed F-35 transaction has sparked anxiety in Israel, which has exclusive access to the stealth fighter locally. US intelligence have expressed concern given Riyadh's strong defense links with Beijing, bringing up fears regarding technology theft. Nevertheless, the former president insisted that Saudi Arabia is entitled to the same high-grade jets as Israel, pointing to their role as "strong partners" of America. Broader Arrangements Alongside weapons sales, administration representatives noted plans of multi-billion Saudi investment in the US AI sector, as well as enhanced collaboration on civil nuclear power projects. "We are pleased to state that we will raise the proposed investment to almost one trillion," the Saudi leader announced. Diplomatic Issues The Trump government is additionally pursuing a nuclear and security partnership deal with Saudi Arabia, which the Biden administration previously pursued without success to finalize. But, the ongoing situation, including the Hamas attack and subsequent bombardment in Gaza, have complicated the prospects of normalization. "Following the attacks, in my view the cost for Saudi to agree to diplomatic ties with Israel has increased considerably," an ex- peace envoy stated. Prospective Discussions "We want to join the normalization agreements, however we additionally seek to ensure a definite route toward Palestinian statehood," Prince Mohammed declared. Trump echoed, stating, "We've had a productive discussion about diplomatic ties. We talked about potential solutions." "We discussed about many topics in a short time. We'll be discussing it further," Trump added. "However, I believe you hold a very good feeling for the Abraham Accords." Debate Over Business Interests The meeting additionally contentious due to alleged links between Trump's relatives commercial ventures and Gulf nations. Trump dismissed any conflict of interest, claiming he has "relinquished control from his companies" and committed "100% of his energy" to the presidency. "I have no involvement regarding their commercial activities," he remarked. "Their business dealings is acceptable. They work globally. Their activities are limited in the kingdom, in fact. I expect they could do a lot. Whatever they have undertaken has been successful."