President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome Saudi Arabia’s ambitious and influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House this week for high-level discussions aimed at strengthening economic and defense partnerships between the two longtime allies.
“We’re more than meeting,” Trump said Friday as he traveled to Florida for the weekend. “We’re honoring Saudi Arabia, the crown prince.”
While not officially designated as a state visit, the plans carry similar weight: a formal welcome ceremony featuring military bands, a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, and an evening black-tie dinner.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the dynamic 38-year-old leader widely viewed as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, oversees nearly all major decisions for the kingdom and frequently represents it at global summits and diplomatic gatherings. His visit marks his first trip to the White House in more than seven years and underscores the renewed momentum in U.S.–Saudi relations.
Trump has made clear that he intends to use Tuesday’s meetings to deepen cooperation with the strategically important Gulf nation and to encourage further progress in Middle East peace efforts.
“The Abraham Accords will be a part we’re going to be discussing,” Trump told reporters Friday. “I hope that Saudi Arabia will be joining the Abraham Accords fairly soon.”
Bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords—Trump’s signature foreign-policy achievement that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states—would represent a major diplomatic breakthrough and strengthen regional stability.
Prince Mohammed last visited the White House in 2018, months before the killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A subsequent CIA assessment claimed the crown prince likely ordered the operation, a charge he continues to deny. Despite the controversy, the strategic partnership between Riyadh and Washington remained intact throughout Trump’s first term.
According to a Friday report from Bloomberg citing a White House official, the Trump administration is also expected to finalize a major defense deal enabling Saudi Arabia to purchase advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets. Additional economic and defense agreements are expected to be signed during Tuesday’s meetings.
The visit signals a renewed U.S. commitment to a key Middle Eastern ally and positions the Trump administration to further reshape regional alliances, expand economic opportunities, and strengthen America’s strategic posture abroad.
