President Donald Trump praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “good friend” just one day after families of 9/11 victims renewed calls for accountability over the kingdom’s alleged links to the terror attacks.
Trump made the remarks Saturday while appearing with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a visit to the island nation, where reporters pressed him about a recent phone conversation with the Saudi leader, widely known as MBS.
The discussion reportedly centered on the Houthis’ recent gains in Yemen, where the group has seized control of a significant stretch of territory.
“Well, I had a call with MBS,” Trump said. “He’s a good friend of mine, and I can just say everything is gonna work out fine and dandy. It’s gonna be very good.”
The Houthi advance has strengthened the Islamist group’s position near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime chokepoint for global oil shipments and a route often compared in strategic importance to the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Axios, MBS called Trump twice on Thursday to urge U.S. military action against the Houthis, but the president rejected the request.
For Trump, ordering strikes against the Houthis appeared to be a step too far. His comments also came amid renewed scrutiny of his close relationship with Saudi Arabia, a country long criticized over its ties to some of the 9/11 hijackers.
At a nationally televised ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan on Friday, Terry Strada, whose husband Tom Strada was killed in the attacks, drew applause as she accused Saudi Arabia of fueling “anti-American terrorism” and sending agents to assist the hijackers.
Trump referred to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “good friend” one day after 9/11 families urged him to distance himself from the kingdom over its alleged connections to the attacks 25 years ago.
Terry Strada, widow of 9/11 victim Tom Strada, received cheers Friday at the Manhattan memorial after accusing Saudi Arabia of promoting “anti-American terrorism” and dispatching agents to support the hijackers.
U.S.-Saudi relations have strengthened under Trump, who has repeatedly highlighted his close rapport with the 41-year-old crown prince.
“For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families,” Strada said.
US-Saudi ties have flourished under Trump, who has for years touted his warm relationship with the 41-year-old MBS.
The two leaders have rolled out the red carpets for one another on state visits last year, and Trump cut Saudi a $1 trillion deal to exchange military tech, rare earths and nuclear.
MBS’s reported request for help to combat the Houthi forces appears to be a reversal from July, when Saudi officials urged their US counterparts that they could handle the terrorist group on their own.
Central Command (CENTCOM) boss Admiral Brett Cooper flew to Saudi Arabia this week for emergency meetings, Axios reported.
Trump has engaged with Saudi and its leader despite the outcry, though he has not been the singular target of this particular critique.
Friday at the 9/11 memorial, Strada urged the president to ‘tell the Saudis to stop lying’ and make clear they cannot be friends with the USA while denying their role in the attacks.
Though Trump was not present, instead at the Pentagon, Vice President JD Vance and former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden were present in New York to receive the tongue-lashing themselves.
Saudi Armed Forces honor guardsmen stand for the review of the troops by President Donald Trump, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, at the Royal Palace, May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump’s first international visit of his second term was to Saudi Arabia
Oil tanker burns in the Gulf after being targeted by Iran. Officials are concenred the recent Houthi territorial seizures could embolden the group to attack oil vessels
The families are pressing the Trump administration to declassify records including phone logs purportedly belonging to Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national the FBI identified in 2022 documents as an agent of Saudi intelligence.
Their decade-old lawsuit against the kingdom is now moving toward trial.
The White House said last week that Trump’s team is working to identify records responsive to the families’ request.
9/11 survivors and victims’ families have long accused the Saudi government of helping the hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.
Saudi Arabia has denied any role in the attacks and has fought the families’ lawsuit in federal court for years.
