From $1 trillion spending to F-35s, U.S.-Saudi pledges aren’t done deals yet

U.S. President Donald Trump trumpeted Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion investment pledge in the States and the potential sale of American fighter jets to Riyadh, but experts say there are lingering doubts over whether such deals will materialize.

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Saudi’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrived in Washington on Tuesday for talks ranging from security to civil nuclear energy partnerships. The leaders signed a defense cooperation pact and held discussions about the potential sale of American F-35 fighter jets to the kingdom.

The U.S. visit by Mohammed bin Salman (or MBS, as he’s widely known) was not without controversy as it was the first time he had visited the States since the killing of Saudi critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

U.S. intelligence determined that the crown prince had approved the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, but Riyadh denied any involvement in the murder.

Undeterred by global outrage over the death of Khashoggi, and question marks over Saudi Arabia’s rehabilitation and invitation to the White House, Trump and MBS said they had “finalized a series of landmark agreements that deepen the U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership.”

Among them, the White House said in a statement, was Saudi’s pledge to increase the $600 billion worth of investments in the U.S. that it made in May, to $1 trillion. The White House said the bump reflected “deepening trust and momentum for the United States under President Trump’s leadership.”

No further detail was given as to a time-scale around that trillion-dollar investment, however.