During a joint press conference with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Donald Trump addressed questions regarding the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, remarking that “things happen.”
An ABC News journalist queried both Trump and the crown prince about the incident. In response, Trump criticized ABC News as “fake news” and stated that the crown prince was unaware of Khashoggi’s killing.
“In terms of this gentleman, he has done a remarkable job,” Trump commented. “You’re bringing up someone who was quite controversial. Many people had strong opinions about him. Regardless of personal views, things happen.”
He continued, “But the crown prince knew nothing about it, and we should leave it at that. It’s unnecessary to put our guest in an uncomfortable position with such questions.”
The crown prince also addressed the inquiry, expressing, “Regarding the journalist, it is truly distressing to hear of anyone losing their life without cause or through unlawful means. It has been a painful issue for us in Saudi Arabia.”
“About the journalist, it’s really painful to hear, you know, anyone that been losing his life for, you know, no real purpose or not in a legal way, and it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
As – News’s John Hayward noted, the Saudi government said that rogue operatives killed Khashoggi when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. Eleven people were put on trial for Khashoggi’s murder, and several top officials were fired.
The crown prince was cleared of involvement following an investigation.
“We’ve did all the right steps of investigation, etc, in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happen like that, and it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again,” MBS said Tuesday.
Relations between the two countries were strained under former President Joe Biden, who called the crown prince a “pariah,” as Hayward noted:
President Joe Biden campaigned on turning MBS into a global “pariah” for his suspected role in the Khashoggi assassination, but soon changed his tune as the U.S. economy cratered on his watch. Biden wound up pleading with the Saudis to increase oil production, but Riyadh did not seem inclined to forget his “pariah” bluster.
When the Biden administration released an intelligence report on the Khashoggi killing in 2021, it claimed MBS authorized the murder, but stopped short of recommending any action against him. The report also took a light touch with the grisly details of Khashoggi’s killing, such as the inept use of a bone saw to dismember his corpse.
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A “reset” in relations with Saudi Arabia has been in the works since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Trump received an energetic welcome when he visited Saudi Arabia in May, including promises of $600 billion in U.S. investments from MBS.
During the conference, bin Salman raised his investment pledge from $600 billion close to $1 trillion. Trump and the crown prince held a bilateral lunch following the presser.
