A little history first: October 2, 2018, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist murdered in the consulate and taken out in a suitcase. It is believed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ordered the killing. As a result, MBS was persona non grata at the White House... that is until Donald "The Art of the Deal" Trump got involved and he welcomed him with open arms to the White House!
Mohammed bin Salman’s trip Tuesday, his first during Trump’s second term, will be seen as a huge step after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.NBC NewsBy Babak Dehghanpisheh and Monica AlbaNovember 18, 2025Whether viewed as a visionary reformist or a murderous despot, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, will be taking a huge step toward rejoining the international community when he meets with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.[...]Even before bin Salman had set foot in the United States, Trump confirmed at an Oval Office event Monday that he would be willing to sign off on the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to the kingdom, a contentious move that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East, where Israel has been the primary recipient of America’s cutting-edge military technology.
Now, the sales of the F-35 have been mostly to NATO and SEATO nations and closely allied nations. Selling to Saudi Arabia breaks that; it gives our most advanced technology to an untrustworthy nation.
Saudi Arabia got... the F-35 and access to our advanced AI chip making technology,What did the US get in return?
Um... ah... nothing. Well, not really nothing... Trump Inc. got a lot of stuff! Trump Family’s Business Ties to Saudi Arabia Raise Ethics Worries President Trump will host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who oversees a major construction project that is in talks with the Trump family business. The New York Times By Vivian Nereim Nov. 18, 2025,
Saudi Arabia got... the F-35 and access to our advanced AI chip making technology,
Trump has long touted his deal-making abilities, and, according to a senior administration official, a number of deals are expected to be announced Tuesday, including a multibillion-dollar Saudi investment in America’s artificial intelligence infrastructure, enhanced cooperation on civil nuclear energy, and fulfillment of the Saudis’ $600 billion investment pledge via dozens of targeted investments.
Um... ah... nothing. Well, not really nothing... Trump Inc. got a lot of stuff! Trump Family’s Business Ties to Saudi Arabia Raise Ethics Worries President Trump will host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who oversees a major construction project that is in talks with the Trump family business. The New York Times By Vivian Nereim Nov. 18, 2025,
Trump has long touted his deal-making abilities, and, according to a senior administration official, a number of deals are expected to be announced Tuesday, including a multibillion-dollar Saudi investment in America’s artificial intelligence infrastructure, enhanced cooperation on civil nuclear energy and fulfillment of the Saudis’ $600 billion investment pledge via dozens of targeted investments.
What did the US get in return?
Um... ah... nothing. Well not really nothing... Trump Inc. got a lot of stuff!
Trump Family’s Business Ties to Saudi Arabia Raise Ethics Worries
President Trump will host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who oversees a major construction project that is in talks with the Trump family business.The New York TimesBy Vivian Nereim
Nov. 18, 2025The leveraging of political relationships for personal profit is ordinary in the Persian Gulf, where hereditary ruling families hold near-total power and the term “conflict of interest” carries little weight.
But the mixing of politics and profitmaking during President Trump’s second term has shattered American norms, shocking scholars who study ethics and corruption. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, engaging in sensitive national security talks with a foreign leader who also oversees a major construction project, known as Diriyah, that is in talks over a potential deal with the Trump family business.Asked about conflicts of interest in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump said that he had “nothing to do with the family business.”
”What my family does is fine. They do business all over,” he said. “They’ve done very little with Saudi Arabia actually, I’m sure they could do a lot.”
All the other presidents have put their holdings in a blind trust, but Trump turned it over to his kids!
Each Trump-branded real estate venture that Dar Global undertakes generates licensing fees for using the Trump name. Dar Global paid the Trump Organization $21.9 million in such fees last year, according to Mr. Trump’s financial disclosure. Some of that money goes to the president himself.
“Branding and licensing deals are a way for the Saudi government to make direct payments to the Trump family in exchange for no work or services provided,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, a government ethics watchdog group that has been highly critical of the Trump administration. “These arrangements are not just ethically bankrupt — they fundamentally compromise U.S. foreign policy.”
That is all Trump cares about... everything takes a backseat including the country.
That model could make it much harder to track the identities of investors in the project, opening up yet more opportunities for foreign players to try to help enrich the Trump family and its business partners.
Trump puts a carnival carny to shame.
Forbes writes,
Following the end of Trump’s first term, the president’s family has secured at least nine deals with Saudi investors, according to a Forbes report, engaging in multimillion-dollar ventures involving Trump’s golf properties and licensing business. Last year, the president and his extended family generated an estimated $50 million from deals linked to Saudi Arabia. Jeddah, a coastal city in Saudi Arabia, will be home to Trump Tower Jeddah and Trump Plaza Jeddah, the latter of which includes offices, apartments and a green space. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, secured capital commitments of $2 billion from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund from 2021 to 2024, according to the Forbes report, which noted a 1.25% management fee is attached to the funds, “suggesting the Saudis will pay Kushner’s firm at least $125 million over five years.”
Trump puts the Tammany Ring and Teapot Dome to shame.
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