• Former President Trump continues to laud Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's leadership despite being directly questioned about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
  • The praise comes as MbS makes his first U.S. visit since the 2018 killing, drawing sharp criticism from human rights organizations
  • The Trump administration maintains its stance of prioritizing strategic and economic ties over human rights accountability

Former President Donald Trump offered effusive praise for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, describing his leadership as "phenomenal" even when specifically questioned about the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The comments came as the crown prince began his first visit to the United States since the killing that drew international condemnation.

"He's done a phenomenal job, absolutely phenomenal," Trump told reporters when asked about balancing relations with Saudi Arabia against the Khashoggi murder. "The relationship we have with Saudi Arabia is too important to throw away over something like this."

The remarks underscore the Trump administration's continued prioritization of strategic and economic interests over human rights concerns, maintaining a position that has drawn consistent criticism from rights groups and political opponents. Administration officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Saudi partnership in energy markets and regional security arrangements.

Eleven major human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and PEN America, issued a joint statement earlier this week urging the administration to confront Saudi Arabia over its human rights record. The groups pointed to what they described as "record numbers of executions" and "continued repression of journalists and dissidents" in the kingdom.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, defended the approach, noting that "private channels remain the most effective way to address sensitive matters while preserving critical strategic partnerships." The official declined to specify whether human rights concerns had been raised in private discussions with Saudi counterparts.

Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Saudi journalist and critic of the crown prince, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The CIA subsequently assessed with high confidence that MbS had ordered the killing, though the Trump administration imposed sanctions only on lower-level individuals directly involved in the operation.

Multiple sources familiar with the planning of the crown prince's current visit described efforts to balance the diplomatic engagement with sensitivity to the ongoing criticism. One person involved in the discussions said there had been "extensive internal debate" about how to manage public messaging around human rights concerns while advancing bilateral priorities.

Attempts to reach representatives from the Saudi embassy for comment on the specific praise from Trump were not immediately successful. A State Department spokesperson referred questions about the former president's remarks to his personal representatives.

The welcoming approach toward MbS has triggered debate in Congress, where several lawmakers have called for conditioning future arms sales and security cooperation on concrete human rights reforms. However, administration officials have resisted such measures, arguing they would undermine broader strategic objectives in the region.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of human rights organizations that issued a joint statement about Saudi Arabia's human rights record. It was eleven organizations.