The BareStory
President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) at the White House for a state-level visit, during which the United States designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally. The status is intended to expedite arms sales and enhance military cooperation. The two nations announced new defense and investment agreements, with a White House statement noting the deals strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base.
The agreements include a Strategic Defense Agreement for the sale of F-35 fighter jets, with one summary of the visit also mentioning the sale of approximately 300 Abrams tanks and new missile defense systems. In a separate economic initiative, MBS pledged nearly $1 trillion in new Saudi investments in American industries, including infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and clean energy. According to administration officials, these initiatives are expected to create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.
The visit brought renewed focus to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump stated that the crown prince “knew nothing about” the killing. MBS called the death a “huge mistake” and “painful,” adding that Saudi Arabia had improved its systems to prevent a recurrence. A 2021 U.S. intelligence report assessed that the crown prince had approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi. During the visit, Representative Eugene Vindman, appearing with Khashoggi’s widow, demanded the release of a 2019 call transcript between Trump and MBS, claiming the president “sidelined his own intelligence community.”
The crown prince’s visit also resurfaced allegations concerning Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks. At the White House, MBS claimed that Osama bin Laden used Saudi nationals in the 2001 attacks to “destroy the American-Saudi relationship.” The comment drew a rebuke from 9/11 Justice, a group representing victims' families. The group’s president cited an August 2025 court ruling which, he said, determined that Saudi Arabia must stand trial over its alleged role in the attacks, based on evidence of officials allegedly providing logistical support to the hijackers. Saudi Arabia has previously denied any role, calling the allegations “categorically false.”
How it may affect me
As a U.S. reader:
• Pledged Saudi investments of nearly $1 trillion in U.S. infrastructure and energy are expected by officials to create tens of thousands of American jobs.
• New defense agreements to sell fighter jets and tanks are meant to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base, potentially affecting employment in that manufacturing sector.
• The alliance renews focus on a court ruling that Saudi Arabia must stand trial over its alleged role in the 9/11 attacks, affecting victims' families.
• The administration’s position on the Khashoggi murder contradicts a U.S. intelligence report, which may raise public questions about the basis for foreign policy decisions.
