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Ex-President Donald Trump has largely ignored the assassination of journalist Khashoggi, calling him an "extremely controversial" figure who was unpopular.

White House Discussion alongside Saudi Arabian Crown Prince

The remarks came amid a White House session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the prince's initial trip since Khashoggi's murder in Turkey.

Intelligence officials had previously concluded that Mohammed bin Salman was behind the killing, however Trump stated that the prince "knew nothing" regarding it.

The Former President's Response to Journalist's Question

Trump additionally attacked the reporter who brought up the topic, proposing that the media outlet should lose its broadcasting rights.

"Many people disliked that person you are referring to," Trump commented. "Whether you like him or not, incidents happened, yet he knew nothing."

Prince Mohammed replied, "It is distressing and it's a huge mistake, and we are striving to stop a recurrence."

Financial Agreements and Military Sales

The talks further emphasized planned Saudi spending in America, initially billed at six hundred billion dollars, but later increased to $1 trillion.

The former president confirmed his plan to provide sophisticated F-35 planes to the Saudis, despite objections from Israel as well as American spy agencies.

Both leaders further acknowledged discussions on a potential agreement for Saudi Arabia to establish ties with Tel Aviv conditional on a Palestinian state.

Regional Tensions and Complications

The potential fighter jet deal has raised anxiety in Israel, that is the only operator of the F-35 locally.

US intelligence are also worried given Saudi Arabia's strong military cooperation with the Chinese, raising fears over intellectual property risks.

Nevertheless, Trump stated that Riyadh is entitled to comparable advanced specification jets as the Israelis, pointing to their role as "strong partners" of the United States.

Additional Arrangements

In addition to arms deals, US officials noted hopes for multibillion-dollar Saudi Arabian capital in America's artificial intelligence sector, plus enhanced cooperation on atomic energy projects.

"We confirm our plan to boost that $600 billion to almost one trillion," the crown prince stated.

Political Challenges

The former president's administration is additionally pursuing a nuclear and security arrangement with Riyadh, that President Biden's team previously attempted unsuccessfully to finalize.

Yet, the ongoing situation, including the October assault and subsequent operations in Gaza, have hindered the likelihood of normalization.

"Post-October 7, I believe the price for the kingdom to sign up to normalization with Tel Aviv has increased substantially," a one-time American diplomat stated.

Prospective Discussions

"We desire to be part the Abraham Accords, however we require to secure a clear path toward Palestinian statehood," Prince Mohammed declared.

The former president concurred, saying, "We held an excellent talk about diplomatic ties. We spoke about one state, two state."

"We covered about numerous issues briefly. We plan to explore it further," he concluded. "Yet, in my view you hold a very good feeling for the Abraham Accords."

Debate Over Financial Ties

The encounter was also contentious due to alleged connections involving Trump's relatives financial activities with Gulf nations.

The former president rejected the possibility of conflict of interest, asserting he had "withdrawn from his enterprises" while devoted "all his efforts" to the presidency.

"I have nothing to do with their commercial activities," he stated. "What my family does is permissible. They work all over. They've done very little with Riyadh, actually. I'm sure opportunities exist. And anything they've done has been very good."