Key Takeaways From Trump’s Meeting With Saudi Crown Prince

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Nov. 18 for bilateral discussions, marking the Saudi leader’s first visit to the United States since 2018.

The two leaders covered a range of topics, including investment deals, military equipment sales, and security agreements.

Here are four key takeaways from the meeting.

Abraham Accords

The crown prince expressed interest in joining the Abraham Accords—agreements originally established in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and some Arab states.

“We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians,” bin Salman said. “We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do our best to reach a deal.”

He emphasized the proposed solution that would lead to two separate countries of Israel and Palestine.

“We want to be part of the accord, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” bin Salman said.

Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have already signed the agreement. Sudan signed the general declaration, and Kazakhstan recently announced that it would accede to the accords.

Israel’s government is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Trump said multiple options are on the table regarding peace negotiations.

“We’ve had a very good talk of the Abraham Accords,” Trump said. “We talked about one state, two state, you know we talked about a lot of things.”

Trillion-Dollar Investment

During the meeting, bin Salman echoed Trump’s praise of the United States as the “hottest country on the planet.”

He unveiled plans to increase investment commitments in the United States from $600 billion to $1 trillion, as part of the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy away from oil.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the crown prince said that the new investments would target what he called “real opportunities” in the areas of emerging technology, artificial intelligence, data centers, and magnets.

Trump appeared surprised by the announcement.

“Now $1 trillion, okay?” Trump said. “I’m glad you got that out there because I didn’t want to be the one to tell them. But that’s great news.”

Trump also stated that his administration is considering approving the sale of some of the advanced U.S. chip technologies to Saudi Arabia.

At the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration is working on the mechanics of export licenses, which will be part of the broader agreement between the two countries.

After taking office in January, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first state visit, signaling the strategic importance of ties with the oil-rich nation.

During that trip in May, Trump announced a $600 billion economic partnership, including investments in both countries across various sectors such as AI, defense, energy infrastructure, and health care.

Following the meeting, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced three major agreements, according to a White House fact sheet, including the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, advancements in critical minerals cooperation, and an AI Memorandum of Understanding.

Both countries also signed the U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement.

“President Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries,” the fact sheet said.

Warm Welcome Ceremony

Trump greeted the crown prince with a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn that included a flyover of six U.S. fighter jets.

Following the ceremony, the president walked the crown prince along the new “Presidential Walk of Fame” outside of the West Wing.

“We have an extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, and friend of mine for a long time, very good friend of mine,” Trump said as he welcomed the crown prince.

“What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else. And he’s the crown prince, the future king.”

The day began with a warm welcome ceremony, moved into bilateral discussions and lunch, and concluded with a formal dinner in the East Room hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

At the Oval Office meeting, the U.S. president talked about his new ballroom project at the White House. He said he would invite the crown prince again once the ballroom is finished.

“Before I leave office, we’ll have another dinner, because we’ll have it ready long before I leave office,” Trump said.

Jamal Khashoggi

When questioned by a TV reporter about the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, the crown prince said his government investigated the matter thoroughly.

“We did all the right steps of the investigation,” bin Salman said. “And we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that.

“It’s painful, and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”

Trump rejected the inquiry as disrespectful to the Saudi delegation.

“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” the president told the reporter from ABC News who asked the question.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen. But [the crown prince] knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that, you don’t have to embarrass our guest.”

Relations between the two nations were previously strained by revelations from U.S. intelligence agencies that some financing and planning activities for 9/11 took place in Saudi Arabia.

The crown prince suggested the actions and intelligence regarding 9/11 were meant to “destroy the American-Saudi relation,” while noting his intention to strengthen ties between the two nations.

“To build our relation, to continue to open our relation, is critical for the safety of the world,” bin Salman said. “It’s critical against extremism and terrorism.”