WASHINGTON – President Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the white House today, despite ongoing scrutiny surrounding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and concerns over potential technology transfer with the planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. the visit marks a critically important moment in U.S.-Saudi relations, a partnership long defined by oil, security cooperation, and increasingly, controversy.
The meeting occurred as the administration signaled its intention to move forward with a sale of the advanced F-35s,prompting security experts to voice apprehension. “This system…has so many incredible capabilities in terms of its avionics, its targeting, its stealth, its countermeasures, and those are, quite frankly, closely guarded secrets for the United States,” explained Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie endowment for International Peace. “And the concern is whether or not the Saudis will be able to safeguard that technology and prevent it from falling into Chinese hands.” Wehrey further cautioned that China could potentially “borrow this technology, steal it and reverse-engineer it, and then potentially use it against the United States in future military conflicts.”
During a press exchange, President Trump addressed questions about his family’s business interests in Saudi Arabia, where at least four Trump-branded real estate developments are planned. The President stated he has “nothing to do with the family business,” asserting he has delegated daily management to his sons, Eric and Don Jr. However, ethics experts continue to raise concerns about the Trump Association’s expanding presence in the Middle East.
The Crown Prince’s visit comes years after Khashoggi’s 2018 murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. While the U.S. intelligence community assessed with high confidence that the Crown Prince approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death, President Trump has repeatedly dismissed those findings. Today,he again downplayed the intelligence linking the Crown Prince to the killing.
Beyond the F-35 sale and business dealings, analysts also point to the potential impact on regional dynamics. Concerns exist that equipping Saudi Arabia with advanced weaponry like the F-35 could diminish Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. The visit underscores the complex balancing act the U.S. faces in maintaining its strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia while navigating concerns over human rights, security, and potential geopolitical shifts.
