Trump's Controversial Remarks at US-Saudi Investment Forum
Former President Donald Trump entertained a receptive audience at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, DC on Wednesday, 19th November 2025, with jokes about cultural differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Speaking at the Kennedy Center, Trump laughed heartily as he remarked that Saudi Arabia doesn't have 'transgender' or 'liberal' people, drawing amusement from assembled Saudi business and political leaders.
Praise for MBS and Cultural Commentary
Trump repeatedly praised his Saudi counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, referring to him as the 'most respected man in the room'. He claimed to have used the Crown Prince's name 'hundreds of times' when discussing the achievements of his administration's first year back in office.
During an unscripted segment addressing biological men competing in women's sports, Trump looked at the Saudi attendees and chuckled, suggesting they would be confused by the concept of transitioning. 'A lot of the Saudis are sitting here saying, "What the hell is he talking about transitioning?" They don't do a lot of transitioning,' he stated, before labelling American supporters of such issues as 'crazy'.
He further claimed that the word 'liberal' doesn't exist in the Middle Eastern nation, while criticising Democrats for attempting to appropriate the term 'progressive'.
Artificial Intelligence and 'Woke' Legislation
In a wider-ranging speech, Trump turned his attention to Artificial Intelligence regulation. He argued for a single national approval process for AI legislation, claiming that involving all 50 states would lead to overly 'woke' policies. 'We don't have woke anymore in this country. It's virtually illegal,' Trump boasted to the forum attendees.
Backlash Over Khashoggi Comments
The event followed significant criticism of Trump's meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday. Trump had defended the Saudi leader against questions regarding the brutal 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for which US intelligence agencies concluded bin Salman was responsible.
Trump dismissed the line of questioning as embarrassing and described Khashoggi as an 'extremely controversial' person, while asserting that MBS 'knew nothing about' the killing. He famously remarked that 'things happen' when addressing the murder, which saw Khashoggi strangled and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Notably, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was among the American and Saudi business leaders present at the Kennedy Center event. On Tuesday, Trump had also designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, strengthening the strategic relationship between the two nations.
