The two leaders discussed investment deals, normalization with Israel, the sale of F-35s, and human rights issues.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Nov. 18 for bilateral discussions, marking the Saudi leader’s first visit to the United States since 2018.
The two leaders covered a range of topics, including investment deals, military equipment sales, and security agreements.
Here are four key takeaways from the meeting.
Abraham Accords
The crown prince expressed interest in joining the Abraham Accords—agreements originally established in 2020 to normalize relations between Israel and some Arab states.
“We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians,” bin Salman said. “We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do all of this to reach that date.”
He emphasized the proposed solution that would lead to two separate countries of Israel and Palestine.
“We want to be part of the accord, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” bin Salman said.
Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have already signed the agreement. Sudan signed the general declaration, and Kazakhstan recently announced that it would accede to the accords.
Israel’s government is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump said multiple options are on the table regarding peace negotiations.
“We’ve had a very good talk of the Abraham Accords,” Trump said. “We talked about one state, two state, you know we talked about a lot of things.”
Trillion-Dollar Investment
During the meeting, bin Salman echoed Trump’s praise of the United States as the “hottest country on the planet.”
He unveiled plans to increase investment commitments in the United States from $600 billion to $1 trillion, as part of the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy away from oil.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the crown prince said that the new investments would target what he called “real opportunities” in the areas of emerging technology, artificial intelligence, data centers, and magnets.
Trump appeared surprised by the announcement.
“Now $1 trillion, okay?” Trump said. “I’m glad you got that out there because I didn’t want to be the one to tell them. But that’s great news.”
Trump also stated that his administration is considering approving the sale of some of the advanced U.S. chip technologies to Saudi Arabia.
At the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration is working on the mechanics of export licenses, which will be part of the broader agreement between the two countries.
After taking office in January, Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first state visit, signaling the strategic importance of ties with the oil-rich nation.
During that trip in May, Trump announced a $600 billion economic partnership, including investments in both countries across various sectors such as AI, defense, energy infrastructure, and health care.
At the Oval Office meeting, Trump reiterated his plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and said that the two sides have “pretty much” reached an agreement on the defense pact.
By Travis Gillmore and Emel Akan
