Saudi Crown Prince Welcomed with Full Honors at the White House

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at the White House today to a full honour-guard welcome on the South Lawn, marking one of the most ceremonially significant visits between the two countries in more than seven years. President Donald Trump greeted the Crown Prince personally, praising him as “a friend” and calling the U.S.–Saudi relationship “stronger than ever.” The Crown Prince, in turn, spoke warmly about the President and the renewed direction of the partnership.

The visit comes at a moment of rapidly expanding strategic cooperation between Riyadh and Washington. Saudi Arabia is increasing its overall investment commitment in the United States from roughly $600 billion to more than $1 trillion, with a major slate of new agreements signed today across artificial intelligence, advanced technology, agriculture, defense, energy, and weapons manufacturing. Officials from both delegations described the agreements as “historic in scale” and “transformative for both economies,” with new joint-ventures expected to accelerate development in AI infrastructure, next-generation data systems, aerospace, and agricultural technology.

President Trump, speaking before their closed-door meeting, emphasized that the U.S. was committed to deepening its defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia. He reaffirmed that the U.S. would move forward with providing the Kingdom with F-35 aircraft — a major policy shift and a long-sought objective for Riyadh. Trump also referenced recent U.S. military actions, stating that he “bombed Iran as a favor” because, in his view, Iran “should not be a nuclear state.” The crown prince did not publicly comment on that remark but did note Saudi Arabia’s support for regional stability and opposition to nuclear proliferation.

The meeting, while largely warm, took a tense turn during the press availability when an ABC News journalist directly questioned the Crown Prince about accusations that he orchestrated the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump immediately interjected, calling her “fake news,” telling her she would “never be asked another question again,” and reprimanding her for what he described as an insult toward his guest. The Crown Prince also responded, stating that Saudi Arabia had reformed internal processes and that the Kingdom was moving forward, adding only that the journalist’s question was “misinformed.”

The same reporter then raised a second question regarding Saudi Arabia’s historical connection to Osama bin Laden and whether the Kingdom bore responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. The Crown Prince answered firmly, saying that “what the Bin Laden family did was terrible,” and that extremists “in no way represent the Saudi government, its values, or its people.” He added that attempts to “drive a wedge between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia” ignore the decades-long partnership between the two governments and their shared counterterrorism efforts.

Despite the brief confrontation, the overall tone of the visit remained cordial and forward-looking. Senior U.S. and Saudi officials described the talks as productive, noting that the expanded investment commitments and defense coordination mark a significant realignment of Saudi Arabia more closely toward Washington at a time when the U.S. is seeking to counter growing Chinese influence in the Middle East.

Both leaders emphasized continuity, cooperation, and the importance of the relationship moving into 2026 and beyond. As the delegations concluded the day’s meetings, officials confirmed that additional announcements are expected later this week, with updates planned Monday through Friday.

The arrival of the Crown Prince with full honours and the unprecedented scale of investment agreements underscore a clear message from both capitals: the U.S.–Saudi partnership is entering one of its most consequential phases in recent history.