According to a senior White House official, the crown prince's day at the White House will start on Tuesday with an entrance ceremony on the expansive South Lawn and a greeting on the South Portico.
The official, who was allowed obscurity to bandy the administration's plans, stated that after a bilateral discussion with Trump in the Oval Office, there will be a signing and lunch in the Cabinet Room where the United States and Saudi Arabia would confirm several defense and marketable deals.
First lady Melania Trump will host and organize an East Room dinner at the White House later this evening.
According to the official, Prince Mohammed is not officially a head of state, thus his visit is described as an official business visit.
Dozens of CEOs are anticipated to attend a U.S.-Saudi Business Council meeting on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, a fine arts establishment currently run by Trump supporters. The senior White House official stated that the U.S. president is likely to attend the business gathering even though his presence has not yet been confirmed.
In his second term, Trump has made his relations with the Gulf countries one of his top foreign policy priorities. Trump was greeted with a very uncommon Air Force One escort by royal Saudi Air Force F-15s and a state supper at a UNESCO heritage site during his first significant international tour of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,”
Trump said as he met with Prince Mohammed in the royal palace in Riyadh. Later, Trump described Prince Mohammed as an “incredible man” and “my friend.”
Additionally, it is the crown prince's first visit to the US since Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018 during Trump's first term. According to U.S. intelligence services, Prince Mohammed most certainly ordered the murder, which led to penalties on a number of Saudi officials. Since then, both the Trump and Biden administrations have attempted to restore relations with Saudi Arabia, despite his denial of any role.
How might the visit affect pending US Saudi defense agreements?
The visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House is anticipated to significantly advance pending U.S.- Saudi defense agreements. Conversations are ongoing to finalize a comprehensive defense pact modeled after other strong U.S. security commitments, similar as the convention with Japan.
The conventional honors punctuate the strategic significance of Saudi Arabia to the United States and the close particular relationship between President Donald Trump and MBS, indeed though the visit is officially designated as a working visit rather than a state visit.
The sanctioned visit therefore provides an important political platform where accelerated accommodations and conceivably formal signing of the defense pact could do, solidifying the U.S.- Saudi alliance and enhancing indigenous security cooperation.