From Isolation to a Lavish Reception: Trump Turns the Page on Khashoggi and Welcomes bin Salman in Washingto

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump angrily rejected a question about the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, claiming the Saudi dissident was “an extremely controversial figure” and insisting the subject was only raised to embarrass his guest during his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman .

“You are bringing up someone who was an extremely controversial figure. Many people did not like this person you are talking about. Whether you like it or not, things happen that have unfortunate consequences,” Trump said in the Oval Office while hosting a visit full of ceremonial pomp for Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. Trump affirmed that Prince bin Salman—who the Central Intelligence Agency assessed had ordered the killing—was not involved .

Turning towards the Crown Prince, Trump said, “He didn’t know anything about it, and we can leave it at that.” That moment was the clearest indication yet of the end of the period of diplomatic isolation that Prince bin Salman had suffered following Khashoggi’s murder.

In his first visit to the White House in over seven years, the Crown Prince was received with all the fanfare of a state visit, the most prestigious form of American diplomatic reception. His black Mercedes was escorted to the South Lawn by a procession of prominent figures, while a military band played upon his arrival.

Fighter jets roared overhead, among them F-35s—the same aircraft Trump says he plans to sell to Riyadh. Later, Trump was to host an official dinner in the East Room .

Seated in the Oval Office, Trump praised the Saudi Crown Prince, including what he described as his “incredible” record on human rights. The President promoted new deals for Saudi investments in the United States and confirmed his plans to sell American-made aircraft, even as the Crown Prince refrained from committing to some of Trump’s key priorities .

Rather than merely ignoring the 2018 murder that took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Trump was annoyed that the subject was raised at all during what he intended to be a dazzling display of respect.

Trump told reporter Mary Bruce, a long-time White House correspondent for ABC who had asked him about the murder, “There’s no need to embarrass our guest with a question like that.”

Seated beside Trump, the Crown Prince appeared unperturbed by the discussion of his alleged role in the murder, which was carried out by Saudi agents who later dismembered the body of the U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist .

Defending the subsequent Saudi investigation, Prince bin Salman said, “It is a painful and heinous mistake.”

“Regarding the journalist, it is truly painful to hear that anyone is killed without a real purpose or in an illegal manner, and it was painful for us in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The Crown Prince concluded by stating that Saudi Arabia “took all the right steps in the investigation,” affirming that they “are doing our utmost to ensure it is not repeated.

With this historic visit and controversial statements, both sides sought to turn the page on the Khashoggi crisis, which had sparked an international uproar. While Trump emphasized the priority of strategic and economic interests, bin Salman maintained the official Saudi narrative. The scene of the two leaders meeting in the White House sends a clear message about the priorities of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration, where human rights considerations come second to strategic alliances and commercial interests.