Trump Stands by Saudi Crown Prince Despite Congressional Opposition

Says Saudis are 'a very good ally'

Pressed by reporters on his stance on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, particularly in the face of growing Congressional calls for a rebuke, Trump declined to discuss the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but reiterated his support for the prince.

He’s the leader of Saudi Arabia. They’ve been a very good ally,” Trump insisted. He said that “at this moment,” that means he’s standing behind the prince, again playing up the hundreds of millions of dollars in putative arms deals he’s reached.

Some reporters suggested that Trump and the US could play a role in preventing the crown prince from becoming king. Trump insisted he hadn’t heard that, and believes the price is “very strongly in power.”

On the matter of Khashoggi, Trump would only say that the prince continues to deny playing a role in his murder. Trump said he was open to changes in the war in Yemen, though he said it depended on Iran pulling out first, likely unachievable, since Iran isn’t in Yemen to begin with.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.