Trump’s Riyadh Speech: Praise for MBS, No Mention of Khashoggi

Post by : Layla Badr

Photo: AFP

During his speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, President Donald Trump made a strange remark while addressing business leaders from around the world. He asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, "Mohammed, do you sleep at night? How do you sleep?" This question came after Trump had praised Saudi Arabia, saying that it had become a major global business hub. The audience gave Trump a standing ovation before he asked the question.

Trump spoke highly of MBS and mentioned their long friendship, but he did not mention Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was murdered in 2018. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey. U.S. intelligence agencies had said that they believed MBS was involved in the killing, although the Crown Prince has denied any responsibility.

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Trump’s speech didn’t touch on the murder, even though Khashoggi’s death was a major international issue. Instead, Trump focused on the business success of Saudi Arabia over the past few years. He said that Saudi Arabia had proven its critics wrong by becoming a key player in the global economy. Trump also made no mention of the serious concerns many have about human rights in Saudi Arabia.

In the same speech, Trump also talked about removing sanctions on Syria at the request of MBS and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He jokingly said, "Oh, what I do for the crown prince." He then went on to call Saudi Arabia the “center of the world,” despite the country’s troubled human rights record.

The event was attended by members of the Saudi royal family, top Arab business leaders, and CEOs from major American companies. Among them were Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI. During his speech, Trump also made fun of Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, while praising Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia. He said, "Tim Cook isn't here, but you are," referring to Huang’s presence at the event.

Despite the controversies surrounding MBS and the murder of Khashoggi, Trump’s speech showed his close relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince and his support for Saudi Arabia’s business ambitions.

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