WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday in his first call with a foreign leader of his second term, apparently to renew efforts four years earlier to strengthen U.S. ties. with the kingdom.
“The two leaders discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security and combat terrorism,” according to a White House statement released Thursday.
Trump and the crown prince also “discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s international economic ambitions over the next four years, as well as trade and other opportunities to increase the mutual prosperity of the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the readout said.
The readout of the call made by the Saudi government said the kingdom intends to “expand its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, to the tune of $600 billion, and potentially more.”
During his first term as president, Trump’s first trip abroad was to Saudi Arabia. During those four years, the US maintained a close relationship with the Middle Eastern country despite the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Throughout those four years, Trump prioritized Saudi Arabia in his foreign policy mission, vetoing congressional efforts to halt arms sales to the country and end U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen. .
Trump also defended the Saudi government even after the CIA concluded that bin Salman himself ordered the murder of Khashoggi, a staunch critic of his government.
“Our intelligence agencies continue to evaluate all information, but it could well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event. Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said at the time. “That said, we may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
While signing executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump told reporters that Saudi Arabia was his first trip abroad in his first term because, he said, they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of American goods.
When asked where he plans to go next, Trump said that if Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion (or he said more because of inflation), he said, “I think I would probably go there.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News Thursday morning that she is not aware of any current plans for Trump to visit Saudi Arabia.
Katherine Doyle and Tara Prindiville contributed.
