Donald Trump recently met with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a private meeting, sources close to the former president revealed in a report.
Trump's visit comes as President Joe Biden is working to secure a delicate peace agreement in the Middle East to end Israel's War on Gaza.
In order to secure lasting peace in the region, many experts believe that Saudi Arabia must be on board with a plan to recognize both Israel and Palestine. Biden also reportedly hopes to broker an American-Saudi defense treaty, which would require two-thirds approval in the Senate.
Two Trump associates confirmed to the New York Times that the meeting took place but did not share details as to what was discussed behind closed doors. Trump has a warmer relationship with the Saudis than many world leaders - at one point describing the prince as " a friend" who was doing a "spectacular job."
These comments were made nine months after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Central Intelligence Agency later determined that Prince Mohammed gave direct orders to murder the dissident reporter.
"I was able to get Congress to leave him alone," Trump bragged while in office. "I was able to get them to stop."
Biden, by contrast, said that Prince Mohammed should be treated as a "pariah" during his 2020 election campaign - though in subsequent years he has maintained a friendlier relationship with the Saudi leader.
Trump and his family also have a vested financial interest in their relationship with Prince Mohammed. In 2021, the prince overruled a panel of advisors who argued that the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund should not give $2 billion to Jared Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners.
The Trump Organization has also made a multibillion-dollar real estate development deal with a Saudi firm and the government of Oman.
