WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday capped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s whirlwind two-day trip to Washington by lauding the partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and the billions of dollars the Middle East country has pledged to invest in America while touting his own leadership over the economy at home.
“The partnership between our two nations is among the most consequential in the entire world, and together, the Crown Prince and I are making an alliance stronger and more powerful than it’s ever been before,” Trump declared.
The remarks came at the U.S.-Saudi investment forum held at the Kennedy Center, the cultural institution in Washington that Trump took over and made himself chairman of shortly after retaking office. The event followed a day full of pomp and pageantry at the White House to mark the crown prince’s first visit since U.S. intelligence agencies found he was involved in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Addressing a room full of business leaders, Trump heralded the $1 trillion top-line figure Prince Mohammed said his country was set to spend in the U.S., an increase from his original $600 billion pledge that he suggested in the Oval Office on Tuesday was a result of the new deals the two leaders were notching on his trip. And Trump made clear he’s already urging the de facto Saudi Arabian leader to up the ante again.
“While we were taking the picture, I said, ’Could you make it $1.5 trillion?’” Trump quipped. “He’s got something to think about.”
The president went on to note the two leaders signed “groundbreaking agreements” amid the crown prince’s visit on civil nuclear energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, as the U.S. looks to counter China’s dominance in the rare earth space and seeks to be ahead of the country on the rapidly developing technology of AI. He suggested the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were world “super powers” when it comes to energy.
And Trump left no doubt he intends to follow through with his commitment announced this week to allow the sale of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, even as America has long been careful about maintaining Israel’s military advantage in the region. He told the crown prince he was working on getting it “approved very quickly” before adding that it already was and telling him not to worry.
The forum itself was set to facilitate $270 billion in new deals between companies Wednesday alone, Trump said. Among those in the audience was Tesla, X and SpaceX head and former Trump adviser Elon Musk, whom the president gave a shoutout and who also attended a dinner at the White House in the crown prince’s honor Tuesday night.
Prince Mohammed’s glitzy White House visit Tuesday, which included an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn with a flyover, an Oval Office meeting followed by a lunch as well as the formal dinner attended by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo among others included the U.S. designating Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally.
Trump in his remarks called the move rare and a “sign of trust.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
