In a Washington Post interview, Trump said the evidence that so many of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s close associates were involved in the killing did not convince him that he was to blame.
“CROWN PRINCE HAS VERY GOOD CONTROL”
Trump criticized Saudi Arabia’s explanation for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying that “obviously there’s been deception, and there have been lies.” At the same time, the US President defended the oil-rich monarchy as an “incredible ally” and kept open the possibility that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order Saudi agents to kill Khashoggi. He did not call for the ouster of Salman and instead praised his leadership, calling the prince “a strong person, he has very good control.”
During the 20-minute interview, Trump talked about the importance of the economic ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and Mohammed’s role in that relationship. He said that he does not prefer that another leader replace the 33-year old prince because he said he has read about others and Salman is “considered by far the strongest person” and “he truly loves his country.”
“SALMAN IS A VERY IMPORTANT ALLY”
He displayed a realpolitik way of viewing the Middle East, praising Saudi Arabia for buying arms from the United States, reiterating the importance of oil prices and trashing Iran, saying: “We’ve got nobody else over there” to help protect Israel.
“I would love if he wasn’t responsible,” he said of the Crown Prince. “I think it’s a very important ally for us. Especially when you have Iran doing so many bad things in the world, it’s a good counterbalance to the world. Iran, they’re as evil as it gets. They’re probably laughing at this situation as they see it. Iran is as evil as it gets.”