Warning: This post contains distressing details.

In 2018, US-based journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia’s government Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Khashoggi had served as an adviser to the Saudi Arabian government – but he fell out of favour and went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017.

He went on to write for the Washington Post and was critical of the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Days before his death Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document stating that he was divorced, in order to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

He was told he would have to return to pick up the document and arranged to come back on 2 October.

He was last seen on CCTV footage entering the building on 2 October at 13:14 local time.

The planning and the execution were all recorded by Turkish intelligence on tapes which have since indicated some details of his death.

At the time, a top Turkish official, presidential adviser Yasin Aktay, said he believes the journalist’s body was dissolved in acid after being cut up.

His killing sparked global outrage and a US intelligence assessment later concluded the crown prince had approved the operation that led to his killing.

Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

The meeting between President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ended a short while ago.

In case you missed their exchange in the White House, here’s an overview:

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi

• Trump says Saudi’s de facto leader knew nothing about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018
• This contradicts a US intelligence report, which found the crown prince approved the murder
• The crown prince calls the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi, which took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a “huge mistake”

Big investment in the US

• MBS says he’ll increase investment into the US from $600bn to $1tn
• Asked whether the country can afford it, the crown prince replies: “We’re not creating fake opportunities to please America or please President Trump”

Diplomatic relations with Israel

• The crown prince says his country wants to be part of the Abraham Accords – these were brokered by the US in 2020 and saw some Arab states establish full diplomatic relations with Israel
• MBS adds, though, that he wants to be sure there’s a clear path to a two-state solution

Trump pushed by reporter on Epstein files

• “I think you are a terrible reporter,” Trump says after being asked why he is waiting for Congress to release the Epstein files
• The US president says: “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert. But I guess I turned out to be right”

As a reminder, the US House is now debating a bipartisan bill for the Department of Justice to release all files related to the convicted late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – which you can follow live.

We’ve just heard from the widow of the murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a post on X, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi says: “There is no justification to murder my husband.”

She adds her husband “was a good, transparent and brave man” but says “many people may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press”.

“The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband @JKhashoggi,” she concludes.

We’ve just heard US President Donald Trump say that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing about the murder of a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018.

This contradicts what a US intelligence report found in 2021, which said the de facto leader “approved an operation in Istanbul to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi”.

The report, compiled by the office of the US director of national intelligence, listed three reasons for believing that the crown prince must have approved the operation:

• His control of decision-making in the kingdom since 2017

• The direct involvement in the operation of one of his advisers as well as members of his protective detail

• His “support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad”

It also went on to name individuals allegedly complicit in, or responsible for, Khashoggi’s death and dismemberment. But it says “we do not know how far in advance” those involved planned to harm him.

Saudi authorities have blamed the killing on a “rogue operation” by a team of agents sent to return the journalist to the kingdom. A Saudi court tried and sentenced five individuals to 20 years in prison in September 2020.

A little earlier, we brought you details of Mohammed bin Salman’s response to questions about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

You can watch that exchange below.

Wrapping up the session, Trump tells reporters the pair are due to have dinner in the East Room tonight which he says is “very small” – joking he has made a lot of enemies after not inviting a lot of people, or who have been unable to come because of the size of the room.

He adds however he will have another dinner before the end of his term – with the White House renovations complete and a new ballroom in place.

The conference has now concluded – stay with us we’ll have a recap with you shortly.

President Trump is asked why he’s waiting for Congress to release the Epstein files.

“I think you are a terrible reporter,” Trump responds, calling it a “terrible question” and the reporter a “terrible person”.

On the Epstein files, he says: “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert. But I guess I turned out to be right.”

He says talking about the Epstein files is a “Democratic hoax”.

• The US House is now debating a bipartisan bill for the Department of Justice to release all files related to the convicted late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – which you can follow live here

Speaking once again of the relationship between the two countries, Trump calls it “top of the line”.

He says Saudi Arabia trusts the US which is why they have invested, and adds “we trust them”.

A few moments later Trump suggests there was not a great relationship under either Biden or Obama – but says there is one with him.

Trump is asked whether he can see a formal, civil nuclear deal to be reached soon with Saudi Arabia.

“I can see that happening,” he replies, adding: “It’s not urgent.”

The pair are next asked about where the US-Saudi Arabia partnership is headed and what the “bigger picture” is.

Bin Salman replies that this is a “critical relationship” on many fronts – he lists politics, economics, security and military.

He adds that the visit across today and tomorrow represents a “huge new chapter” for the relationship.

Trump chimes in and says he is here with the “future King” and a man “respected by everybody”.

He underlines that neither of them have to be sitting here speaking to the press as he says there’s “never been transparency like this”.

A journalist asks Trump and the crown prince if they’ve reached an agreement on a US-Saudi defence treaty, and whether they’ve spoken about the Abraham Accords.

• For context, the 2020 Abraham Accords, brokered by the US, saw some Arab states, including the UAE, establish full diplomatic relations with Israel

“We want to be part of the accords,” the crown prince says, but adds that he also wants to be sure there’s a clear path to a two-state solution.

He says he’s had a “healthy discussion” with Trump about that.

The president says they had a “very good talk” about it where they talked about “one-state, two-state… a lot of things”.

Trump then asks Saudi’s de facto leader if he’s got a good feeling about it. “Yes definitely Mr President,” he responds.

On the defence treaty, Trump says they’ve “pretty much” reached an agreement.

The president is now asked whether it is appropriate that his family does business in Saudi Arabia while he is president.

He responds that he has “nothing” to do with the family business who he says have business “all over” and actually do “little” with Saudi Arabia.

He says his focus is on America.

The ABC journalist also asks the prince about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and adds that 9/11 families are “furious” the crown prince is in the Oval Office, as 15 of the 19 plane hijackers were Saudi nationals.

On this point, Trump says the prince has done a “phenomenal job” and says “he knew nothing about [the murder]”.

He also claims Khashoggi himself was “extremely controversial”, adding “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 [the prince] knew nothing about it”.

Bin Salman chips in to say he feels “painful” about the families of 9/11 and on the journalist also says it is “painful” to hear of anyone losing their life “for no real purpose”.

He also calls the killing a “huge mistake”.

He insists the “right steps” were taken during the investigation and says the system has been improved “to ensure nothing happens like that [again]”.

• For context: A US intelligence report from 2021 found the crown prince did approve the murder

One journalist asks the crown prince if Saudi Arabia can continue with the $1 trillion investment considering current oil prices, which have dropped to around $60 a barrel recently – down from almost $80 at the start of the year.

Mohammed bin Salman says “we’re not creating fake opportunities to please America or please President Trump, it’s real opportunities”.

He gives the example of AI chips, saying Saudi Arabia has huge demand for computing power, and an agreement with America will present opportunities to fit Saudi’s needs.

Trump then says the pair will take some questions from the press.

Before he does so however he reiterates to the prince that it is an “honour” to be his friend and adds that the US “very much appreciate[s]” the investment.

“Now $1 trillion, OK,” Trump says to some laughter in the room. “I’m glad you [the crown prince] got that out there because I didn’t want to be the one to tell them.”

Bin Salman says, with a smile, “you keep increasing Mr President, each time the opportunities are increasing more and more”.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is speaking now.

He says he can increase the $600bn of investment in the US up to $1tn.

President Trump asks him to confirm, to which MBS responds “definitely”.

“That’s great,” Trump says, adding: “I appreciate that”.

Trump continues to say the pair are “always on the same side” of every issue.

He turns to Iran, and the president says the US did a “great job” of wiping out the country’s nuclear capacity – “nobody else could have done that”, the president adds.

Trump says he invited the pilots involved in the US strikes on Iran in the Oval Office to celebrate “a very successful attack”.

He says the pilots told him that they, and their predecessors, had practised such an attack “for 22 years” but that no president ever gave the go-ahead.

“I let them do it,” Trump says as he explains it was the “right thing” to do.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

The US president’s initial remarks in the meeting with the Saudi crown prince have focused, in large part, on the US economy and his arguments that it has improved since his predecessor Joe Biden left the White House.

Trump has long framed his relationship with Saudi Arabia as one that is beneficial to the US economically, and today is similarly framing it as good for the US – both in terms of job creation and in terms of a favourable investment environment.

Notably, Trump’s comments come as the White House comes under criticism from its detractors, some of whom say that Trump has failed to live up to his promises to help everyday Americans and bring down prices.

The issue of affordability in the US is also something that Trump discussed, at length, at an event hosted by McDonald’s yesterday evening.

Saudi Arabia will invest $600bn (£456bn) in the US, Trump says – a reference to funds promised during the president’s trip to Riyadh earlier this year.

“That number could go up a little bit higher,” he says. “We appreciate it very much.”

The money will mean more investment in plants, companies and in Wall Street, Trump adds, and says it will also help to create jobs in the US.

“We have a lot of jobs,” says Trump.

Trump continues, saying that the US is now the “hottest country in the world”.

He says that between tariffs and the election, his administration has done things “nobody can believe”.

Trump begins by calling the crown prince an “extremely respected” man, and says bin Salman has been a friend of his “for a long time”.

The US president continues to praise the prince’s work “in terms of human rights”, and pays the “greatest respects” to his father.