President Donald Trump hosted Mohammad bin Salman for a ritzy dinner at the White House hours after defending the Saudi crown prince’s alleged involvement in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Although it was technically not a state dinner, since bin Salman’s father Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is Saudi Arabia’s head of state, Tuesday evening's affair boasted all of the frills of one. Piano music played as the crown prince — along with soon-to-be trillionaire Elon Musk, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, and top administration officials — poured into the East Room of the White House to attend the candlelit, black-tie dinner.
The dinner marks bin Salman’s first invite to the White House since the 2018 death of Khashoggi. A 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment determined that the crown prince “approved” the journalist’s killing. The crown prince, known as MBS, has vehemently denied any involvement.
In the Oval Office earlier Tuesday, a reporter asked about MBS’s alleged involvement in the murder. Trump came to bin Salman’s defense, calling Khashoggi "extremely controversial” and saying the crown prince “knew nothing about it.” Scolding the reporter, the president added: "You don't have to embarrass our guests."
The crown prince said Saudi Arabia "did all the right things" to investigate Khashoggi's death, which he described as "painful.”
Speaking at the opulent dinner, Trump announced that the U.S. was designating Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally.”
The U.S. State Department states that countries with “Major Non-NATO Ally” status can receive “certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation,” including eligibility for “loans of material, supplies, or equipment for cooperative research, development, testing, or evaluation purposes” and designation as a location for American military stockpiles.
The announcement was met with an audible gasp from his guests. Addressing the Saudis directly, the president said: “I'm just telling you now for the first time, because I wanted to keep a little secret for tonight.”
Earlier in the day, Trump and MBS signed an agreement that “fortifies deterrence across the Middle East,” deepening the U.S.’s economic and defense partnership with Saudi Arabia, according to the White House.
At the head of the table, Trump sat next to First Lady Melania Trump on one side and the crown prince on the other. Executives from Apple, Paramount, Nvidia, Chevron and General Motors also attended the dinner.
At one point, Trump boasted about the bigwigs in attendance: “This room is loaded up with the biggest leaders in the world, business, sports.”
Speaking about the soccer superstar, the president mentioned that his youngest son Barron Trump is a “big fan” and was able to meet him. “I think he respects his father a little bit more now,” he quipped.
The crowd roared with laughter.
But not everyone was thrilled about the dinner. Several Democrats criticized Trump’s decision to hold a lavish event for the crown prince.
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren slammed the White House’s decision to host the luxurious event. “Hope everyone enjoys their nice dinner honoring a man who the CIA says ordered the murder of a journalist,” she wrote in a social media post.
Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray similarly remarked: “It's a serious disgrace to see the President of the United States roll out the red carpet for a foreign dictator who ordered the killing of a Washington Post journalist.”
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