Try GOLD - Free
Trump plays down Khashoggi murder as Saudis visit
The Guardian
|November 19, 2025
Donald Trump has shrugged off the Saudi regime's murder of Jamal Khashoggi, saying the Washington Post columnist was "extremely controversial" and unpopular.
The US president made the remarks at the White House yesterday while welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment in Istanbul by Saudi state operatives in 2018.
US intelligence agencies made a formal assessment that the prince had ordered the killing but Trump insisted yesterday that "he knew nothing about it".
The president castigated the ABC News journalist who asked a question about the murder, suggesting that the broadcaster should lose its licence and describing Khashoggi as "extremely controversial". "A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happened, but he knew nothing about it," Trump said, referring to the crown prince.
Prince Mohammed said: "It's painful and it's a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn't happen again." Shortly before the two men appeared on national television for a rambling press conference, Khashoggi's widow went on the MS Now news channel to call for the investigation into her husband's murder to continue.
"It is very painful, very heavy," she said of the crown prince's arrival in the US. Demanding the return of her husband's body, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said there was "unfinished business".
The US president sought to highlight promised Saudi investment in the US economy which was billed at the start of the White House meeting as totalling $600bn (£456bn), but which the prince said at Trump's prompting could ultimately hit $1tn.
This story is from the November 19, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
We asked you to help to defeat hatred and social division. Your response has been incredible
The Guardian's 2025 charity appeal launched a few weeks ago against a backdrop of creeping nastiness and social division: the return of 1970s-style racist abuse, the demonisation of refugees and the resurgence of far-right marches in Britain’s streets.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
Nasa orders first space station evacuation over astronaut health
Nasa has ordered its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station in its 25-year history, after an astronaut in the orbital laboratory fell ill with a \"serious\" but undisclosed issue.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
Stage review Western in the West End teems with Trumpian terror
How do you turn a classic Hollywood western into West End musical fare?
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
Jessie Buckley ‘Everyone knows she will go down as one of the best’
Hamnet, Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel about William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway, is a tender meditation on love and grief.
4 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
The 'analogue bag' trend helping to stop millennials scrolling
There's a new it-bag in fashion but this time it is not about a designer label or splashy logo.
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
US hiring holds firm despite slow job growth in 2025
Hiring held firm in the US last month, official data showed, amid uncertainty over the strength and direction of the world's largest economy.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
UK right to use 'statecraft' in deciding whether to criticise allies, says attorney general
Nations are right to consider diplomatic relations when deciding whether to “call out” potential breaches of international law, the attorney general has said, after the UK government faced criticism over its reluctance to condemn the US attack on Venezuela.
3 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
UK to spend £200m on preparing troops for Ukraine role
The UK will spend £200m preparing British troops for deployment to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, the defence secretary has announced.
1 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
Two old masters in one: optical illusion found to be painting by Rubens
Is it a bald old man with a big bushy beard and a wine-addled stare?
2 mins
January 10, 2026
The Guardian
Money hacks Tax return deadline is looming - here's what to do
The deadline is 31 January, but don’t put it off - try to set aside enough time over the next few days to complete your tax return for the tax year that ran from 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025.
4 mins
January 10, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size