President Donald Trump provided Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with an elaborate White House reception Tuesday, offering a defense agreement including advanced F-35 fighter jets while dismissing concerns about the murder of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, concrete returns for the United States remain unclear.
Ceremonial Reception and Defense Commitments
Trump greeted Mohammed bin Salman with a dozen flag-carrying soldiers on horseback, a Marine Corps band performing from the White House balcony, and an F-35 flyover. The countries signed a loosely worded defense cooperation pact, with Trump designating Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally” during a dinner honoring the 40-year-old leader.
Trump announced Saudi Arabia would purchase “nearly $142 billion worth of American military equipment and services,” though details and payment methods remain unspecified—representing nearly 15 percent of Saudi Arabia’s annual GDP.
Vague Investment Promises
In exchange, Trump received pledges for Saudi investment up to $1 trillion in the United States, increased from a previous $600 billion commitment. Experts question whether these investments will materialize, noting similar pledges from other partners have failed to fully develop.
“I do think it’s lopsided,” said Frederic Wehrey, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The US is surrendering enormous leverage here by giving up so much, so quickly.”
Khashoggi Controversy Dismissed
Trump offered Prince Mohammed significant image rehabilitation regarding Khashoggi’s 2018 killing. A US intelligence report concluded MBS authorized the assassination of the Washington Post columnist, who was dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
“He knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that,” Trump stated, criticizing a journalist questioning the matter as “insubordinate.”
Former President Joe Biden previously called MBS a “pariah,” though he later moderated his stance and initiated defense pact negotiations.
Strategic Gaps Remain
Trump failed to secure Saudi normalization with Israel through the Abraham Accords. Saudi Arabia did not obtain a mutual defense pact similar to Qatar’s arrangement with the United States.
“The fact he was able to come to Washington and to be received at the White House was a win for him,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, Saudi human rights advocate. “But the trip so far has failed on a strategic level.”
The F-35 sale will initiate lengthy negotiations, with deliveries potentially years away. National security officials remain concerned about technology sharing, particularly with China.
