“Things Happen:” Trump Defends Saudi Leader Accused of Ordering Murder Of Journalist
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) takes the hand of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting the crown prince for meetings aimed at strengthening economic and defense ties, including the U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Image courtesy of Georgia Public Broadcasting
By Patrick D. Lewis
President Trump, at a recent Oval Office press conference, refused to condemn the killing of a Washington Post journalist. The comments, made alongside Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, came during a productive visit for the Middle Eastern leader.
Trump was responding to a reporter about Salman’s role in the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi national. Saudi Arabian agents, who the CIA believes were acting on the orders of Salman, kidnapped Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey and dismembered him while he was still alive in a back room.
Salman made a state visit to Washington this week, during which he inked a deal with Trump to buy F-35 Lightning fighter jets, some of America’s most advanced warplanes. Saudi Arabia was also designated as a “major non-NATO ally” by the Trump Administration, a title that places Saudi Arabia alongside allies like Japan and Israel.
The most controversial part of the visit, though, came at a press gaggle in the Oval Office on Tuesday. A reporter asked Salman about Khashoggi, at which point Trump interrupted, saying, “you’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. 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, but he [Salman] knew nothing about it.”
Trump went on to call Salman “a very good friend of mine” and said he has “done a phenomenal job.” He also accused the reporter of trying to “embarrass our guests by asking a question like that.”
Salman then said that it was “really painful to hear anyone that’s been losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way, and it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia.” Salman claimed that his government investigated the murder and made improvements to the country’s “system.” “We’re doing our best so that this doesn’t happen again,” he added.
The comments spurred intense backlash, especially from the world of journalism. The editorial board of The Washington Post published an editorial expressing concern about the remarks.
