President Donald Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday, with the Saudi leader seeking to deepen ties with Washington.
Making his first visit to the White House in over seven years, the Saudi crown prince was welcomed with a grand display of ceremony on the South Lawn, led by President Trump. The elaborate reception included a military honor guard, a cannon salute, and a flyover by US warplanes.
The meeting highlights the strategic relationship between the world’s largest economy and the top oil-exporting nation—an alliance that Trump has prioritized in his second term. This comes as international attention around the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi insider turned critic, has gradually subsided.
US intelligence has concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved Khashoggi’s capture or killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The crown prince has denied directly ordering the operation but has accepted responsibility as the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
The warm welcome for bin Salman in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain caused by Khashoggi’s murder.
Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a warm handshake and a smile on the red carpet, as dozens of military personnel stood at attention around them. The prince’s limousine was escorted along the South Drive by a US Army mounted honor guard. Both leaders paused to watch a flyover of fighter jets roaring overhead before Trump escorted his guest into the White House.
Before sitting down for talks, the two leaders chatted amiably as Trump gave bin Salman a tour of presidential portraits lining the wall outside the Oval Office.
