President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a lavish dinner at the White House on Tuesday evening, just hours after defending him over allegations of involvement in the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The event, though not a state dinner, featured piano music, candlelight, and a black-tie dress code, with guests including Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, and top administration officials.
It was the crown prince's first White House invitation since Khashoggi's death. A 2021 US intelligence assessment concluded that MBS had approved the killing, which he has denied. Earlier in the day, Trump told a reporter that Khashoggi was 'extremely controversial' and that the crown prince 'knew nothing about it,' adding, 'You don't have to embarrass our guests.' MBS described the killing as 'painful' and said Saudi Arabia had 'done all the right things' in its investigation.
During the dinner, Trump announced that the US was designating Saudi Arabia as a 'major non-NATO ally,' a status that allows for benefits in defence trade and security cooperation, including loans of equipment and access to US military stockpiles. The announcement drew an audible gasp from guests, as Trump revealed he had kept it a secret for the occasion. Earlier, the two leaders had signed an agreement to 'fortify deterrence across the Middle East' and deepen economic and defence ties.
The dinner was attended by executives from Apple, Paramount, Nvidia, Chevron, and General Motors. Trump boasted about the 'biggest leaders in the world, business, sports' in the room, and noted that his son Barron, a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, had met the footballer. 'I think he respects his father a little bit more now,' Trump joked.
Democrats criticised the event. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on social media, 'Hope everyone enjoys their nice dinner honoring a man who the CIA says ordered the murder of a journalist.' Senator Patty Murray called it 'a serious disgrace' to host a 'foreign dictator who ordered the killing of a Washington Post journalist.'
