F-35 deal, Abraham Accords push, $1 trillion investment & downplaying Saudi role in journalist’s killing

US President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday, turning the visit into a warm, high-energy display of camaraderie. From handshakes and back pats to lavish ceremonies, Trump praised the Saudi leader’s “statesmanship” and announced massive new Saudi investments in the US, while sidestepping concerns about the kingdom’s human rights record.

The welcome was heavy on spectacle. Fighter jets roared overhead as the two leaders stood on a red carpet, an honor guard rode in on horseback, and the day culminated with a formal dinner in the East Room attended by prominent tech and business figures.

The meeting came seven years after US intelligence linked the crown prince to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi—a topic resurfaced during the Oval Office press interaction where Trump repeatedly berated a foreign media reporter for probing questions.

Defence cooperation back in focus

Trump confirmed the US would move ahead with selling advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, insisting that Israel’s military edge in the Middle East would be protected, as reported by multiple foreign media outlets.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top-of-the-line,” Trump said, referring to Saudi Arabia and Israel. “Israel’s aware and they’re going to be very happy.”

For its part, Riyadh reiterated it is willing to join the Abraham Accords—but only with a clear path to Palestinian statehood.

“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” the crown prince said. “We’re going to work on that… as soon as possible to have that.”

Trump also said the two nations were close to finalising a broader security agreement and confirmed that the US would proceed with a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. The countries signed an agreement for nearly 300 US-made tanks, and Trump later designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a symbolic but significant diplomatic step.

This was MBS’s first White House visit since Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US resident, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Despite the gravity of the case, Trump moved quickly to downplay it.

He called Khashoggi “extremely controversial” and added, “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman… Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”

Prince Mohammad again denied involvement and said Saudi Arabia had taken corrective steps.

“It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We did all the right steps of investigation… and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And it’s painful, and it was a huge mistake.”

Trump praised what he described as Saudi improvements on human rights, though he did not offer specifics. “What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” he said.

Trump greeted the crown prince on the South Lawn with a handshake and an arm around his shoulder, calling him “a friend of mine for a very long time.”

Inside the Oval Office, he pointedly mocked former President Joe Biden’s 2022 fist bump with MBS. “You shake his hand, you don’t give him a fist bump, right? Trump doesn’t give a fist bump. I grab that hand.”

The evening dinner featured an elite guest list—among them Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, golfer Bryson DeChambeau and football star Cristiano Ronaldo. Guests were served pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and a pear mousse dessert.

The crown prince told Trump that Saudi Arabia would raise its US investment commitment from $600 billion, announced in May, to $1 trillion. While details were not disclosed, the funds are expected to be spread across American industries, including artificial intelligence, aviation and advanced manufacturing.