*Note from the editors: All opinions expressed in the following piece are those belonging to the writer and not those necessarily held by the publication or by GRHS.
On November 18th, President Donald Trump welcomed the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for an official state visit. This visit sparked controversy, as the Crown Prince hasn’t visited the U.S. since he admitted to the murder of a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
On October 2nd, 2018, Khashoggi was found dead and dismembered at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey. According to the CIA, the hit on him was personally approved by the Crown Prince, who even said that he took “full responsibility” for the hit. However, when Trump was questioned about Khashoggi during the visit, he said,
He also said he was proud of the crown prince in “terms of human rights and everything.”
This could mean any combination of these three things: Trump simply didn’t do his research, he didn’t listen to his advisors about the Crown Prince, or Trump doesn’t care about the egregious human rights violations committed by Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Salman.
Under Salman, they have employed not only the use of corporal punishment and the death penalty, but also the extensive use of torture to suppress free speech, protests, and other dissenters. A terrifying example of this is Khashoggi; not only was he assassinated, but he was brutally dismembered, all because he spoke out against the Saudi government.
Just before their visit, Trump agreed to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets, which previously had only been sold to major allies, to Saudi Arabia. This sparked controversy because of the kingdom’s terrible human rights record and non-democratic government, leading many people to not want the U.S. to further their military ties with the kingdom. However, Trump has labeled them as a “Major Non-NATO Ally” and he wants to take their military ties to “even greater heights.” Right before announcing this, he said,
During the visit, the kingdom pledged nearly a trillion dollars in U.S. investments. In return, the kingdom would receive fighter jets, as well as a likely large real estate deal from the Trump Organization.
This deal has also raised concern, as Trump has often struggled to separate his personal business from national policies. He also has a history of going against U.S. policy for personal gain, such as the 400-million-dollar plane he accepted from the Qatari government. It’s very frowned upon to accept gifts or own business as president. Famously, Jimmy Carter sold his family’s peanut farm to avoid any conflict of interest as president.
In direct comparison, Trump has made over an estimated 880 million dollars through crypto while in office. He has also not sold any of his business before entering into office either time. He has even hosted many official state visits, ceremonies, and other get-togethers at his own golf club—that he makes money off of—in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
In conclusion, Trump has decided to further his ties with an authoritative human rights abuser, the Saudi Crown Prince, mainly for personal economic gain. Despite Salman’s regime’s continuous murder of journalists, protesters, and other dissenters, Trump has decided to further both his and the U.S.’s ties to the Saudi kingdom, both economically and militarily. So now, as Saudi Arabian F-35 flies over a new Saudi Arabian Trump Tower, you can thank Donald Trump for choosing his businesses over democracy.
