$1 trillion man: Trump woos Saudi prince at White House dinner
White House gourmet meals for foreign dignitaries are always set over a tablecloth of diplomacy. But for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, there was a lot more simmering at the black-tie dinner than just the pistachio-crusted rack of lamb.
It's not every day that a foreign dignitary gets a gala evening at the White House after a highly publicized murder − especially one in which the royal guest of honor was once named by the CIA as having played a lead role in the killing.
It was a stunning attempt at rehabilitating the image of the prince, whom the CIA concluded had ordered the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
President Donald Trump defended the prince in the Oval Office on Tuesday, saying the prince "knew nothing" about the Saudi journalist's assassination in response to a reporter's question. Throughout the day and into the evening, the pair exchanged big money and big promises.
The president already had secured $600 billion in Saudi investment pledges. On Tuesday, bin Salman told Trump he was raising that investment to $1 trillion.
“We had a big day today, a very big day for both countries,” Trump said. “We've gotten to know each other well over the years and (he) has become a true partner for peace and prosperity for our countries and for the world, and for peace in the Middle East, which was a crowning achievement for both of us.”
The Saudi government initially denied knowing anything about Khashoggi's disappearance. It eventually charged agents linked to bin Salman with the journalist's death in the face of international condemnation while rejecting the crown prince's involvement.
The prince was welcomed by Trump to the White House early Nov. 18 as fighter jets flew overhead in a V formation and a military band played. Black horses bearing American and Saudi flags galloped along on the South Lawn.
A bilateral meeting in the Oval Office was followed by lunch.
In the evening, the de facto Saudi leader returned to a red-carpet welcome at the White House, received by the president, dressed in a black tuxedo and a black bowtie, and first lady Melania Trump wearing a strapless emerald-green gown.
The crown prince was led to the East Room, where a grand candlelit black-tie dinner was being hosted in his honor. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was there – his first visit to the White House since his abrupt departure in May after opposing Trump's signature tax and spending bill.
Trump praised the prince as “a great friend and a man of leadership, vision, courage and strength.” They dined on pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert, according to published reports.
In 2019, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a global “pariah” because of Khashoggi's killing. But Washington ultimately repaired the relationship as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza war changed geopolitical realities. Biden visited Saudi Arabia in 2022 to reset diplomatic relations, address global energy prices and bolster regional security.
When Trump returned to the White House, his first international visit was to Saudi Arabia, as it had been during his first term. Tuesday was the prince's first return to the White House since Khashoggi's death.
Trump announced at dinner that he was designating Saudi Arabia a major “non-NATO ally." It's a designation granted by the United States to countries with close and strategic working relationships with the U.S. military and defense civilians.
“I'm pleased to announce that we are taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them,” the president said. “And I'm just telling you now for the first time because I wanted to keep a little secret for tonight.”
The two also signed agreements on civil nuclear energy and the sale of F-35 American fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
The room was filled with CEOs and even some sports legends.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for the Saudi club Al-Nassr, was in the room. Trump said his youngest son, Barron, is a big fan of Ronaldo's.
“Barron got to meet him,” Trump said. “And I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”
More in Politics
Trump Goon Issues Jaw-Dropping Insult to Value of Human Life
The Daily Beast
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: $1 trillion man: Trump woos Saudi prince at White House dinner
