U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump claimed that bin Salman had no knowledge of the killing, adding that“these things happen.”

The president's remarks came after a journalist at the Oval Office asked about the Crown Prince's involvement in Khashoggi's death. Trump became visibly angry, calling Khashoggi a“very controversial person” and suggesting that the incident should not be dwelled upon.

Prince Mohammed, who is in the U.S. for the first time since the killing, expressed regret over the murder, calling it a“terrible mistake” and describing it as“painful.” He reiterated that such an event should not have happened.

Trump's defense of the Saudi leader stands in stark contrast to a U.S. intelligence assessment from 2021, which concluded that bin Salman had ordered the operation that led to Khashoggi's murder. The CIA had reportedly concluded that the Crown Prince was directly responsible for the killing, which took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Khashoggi, a vocal critic of the Saudi regime, was dismembered and killed in October 2018. His death caused a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, although Trump has since attempted to downplay the incident to maintain strong ties with the kingdom, particularly with regards to economic and security interests.

Trump's handling of the Khashoggi case reflects a broader trend in his foreign policy approach, where strategic alliances often took precedence over human rights concerns. His decision to overlook the murder to bolster ties with Saudi Arabia may further complicate U.S. relations with other allies and impact America's credibility on human rights issues globally.

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