Hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Trump brushed off the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, saying, “Things happen.” Fighter jets and investment deals were on the leaders’ agenda today.

President Trump brushed aside a reporter’s question about the role Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, played in the death and dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist in 2018, praising the kingdom’s de facto ruler in a joint Oval Office appearance that was heavy on flattery.

Mr. Trump strongly defended Prince Mohammed, who U.S. intelligence has said ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by Saudi agents. Prince Mohammed has denied involvement.
President Trump brushed aside a reporter’s question about the role Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, played in the death and dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist in 2018, praising the kingdom’s de facto ruler in a joint Oval Office appearance that was heavy on flattery.

Mr. Trump strongly defended Prince Mohammed, who U.S. intelligence has said ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by Saudi agents. Prince Mohammed has denied involvement.“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about, whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Mr. Khashoggi.

Mr. Khashoggi, a frequent critic of the Saudi government, disappeared on Oct. 2, 2018, after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had hoped to obtain a visa for his Turkish fiancée. Saudi officials eventually admitted that he had been killed there after what they claimed was a botched mission to bring him back to Saudi Arabia. A recording obtained by Turkish intelligence captured Mr. Khashoggi’s struggle against Saudi agents, his killing and the sounds of a bone saw being used on his body.

Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia “did all the right steps” to investigate Mr. Khashoggi’s death. “It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” he said. Eight people were eventually imprisoned in connection with the killing.

The visit to the White House was a striking diplomatic turnabout for the crown prince, who had not been on U.S. soil since Mr. Khashoggi was killed. During the Biden administration, U.S. intelligence officials released a report determining that the crown prince had ordered the killing, but the White House declined to take direct action against him.

When a reporter asked Prince Mohammed about that finding in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Mr. Trump interjected. “He knew nothing about it,” the president said. “You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking something like that.”

The prince arrived at the White House with some of his objectives already accomplished: Mr. Trump said on Monday that he intended to sell the kingdom F-35 fighters despite concerns raised by the Pentagon about the risks involved with selling the technology to an ally that has a security partnership with China.

The arrival ceremony exceeded the typical pomp for a visiting foreign leader: A Marine band played as officers on horseback carried the Saudi and American flags, and advanced fighter jets flew over the White House in a V formation.

Before the visit, a host of other U.S.-Saudi agreements were in process, including one on artificial intelligence, a mutual defense pact and an agreement that would eventually offer Saudi Arabia access to the United States’ nuclear technology.