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One-time President Donald Trump seemed to dismiss the killing of journalist Khashoggi, calling him an "extremely controversial" figure that was not well-liked.

Oval Office Discussion with Saudi Leader

The remarks came throughout a presidential gathering with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, representing the prince's initial trip since the journalist's death in Turkey.

Intelligence officials had previously concluded that the Saudi leader authorized the operation, however the former president insisted that the crown prince "had no knowledge" of the incident.

Trump's Response to Reporter's Question

Donald Trump also criticized the journalist who raised the matter, proposing that the media outlet should lose its broadcasting rights.

"Many people did not like that man you are referring to," Trump commented. "Regardless of your opinion, incidents happened, but he was unaware."

The crown prince replied, "It is distressing and a major error, and we are striving to stop such incidents in future."

Financial Deals and Defense Sales

The meeting additionally showcased proposed Saudi Arabian funding in the United States, initially billed as a $600bn package, though potentially expanded to $1 trillion.

The former president confirmed his plan to sell sophisticated F-35 planes to Saudi Arabia, despite reservations by Israeli officials as well as American spy agencies.

Both leaders additionally revealed talks on a potential deal for the kingdom to formalize ties with Israel conditional on a sovereign Palestine.

Regional Concerns and Complications

The proposed fighter jet deal has raised anxiety among Israeli officials, which is the only operator of the F-35 in the region.

Intelligence officials are apprehensive given the kingdom's strong security ties with Beijing, bringing up concerns regarding intellectual property risks.

Nevertheless, Trump stated that the kingdom deserves comparable advanced specification aircraft as Israel, pointing to them being "strong partners" of America.

Additional Deals

In addition to military transactions, American authorities noted hopes for massive Saudi Arabian funding in the US AI industry, along with deeper collaboration in civil nuclear power development.

"We confirm that we are increasing the proposed investment to around a trillion dollars," the Saudi leader stated.

Diplomatic Issues

The former president's team is additionally pursuing a energy and safety arrangement with Saudi Arabia, that the Biden administration previously attempted without success to achieve.

Yet, current developments, including the October assault and ensuing Israeli military actions in the region, have made difficult the likelihood of normalization.

"After October 7, I believe the cost for Saudi to commit to normalization with Tel Aviv has gone up considerably," a former peace envoy remarked.

Future Negotiations

"We desire to join the normalization agreements, however we require to secure a definite route for a two-state solution," the crown prince remarked.

The former president echoed, saying, "We've had an excellent discussion on the Abraham Accords. We spoke about various options."

"We discussed about many topics in a short time. We'll be discussing additional aspects," Trump concluded. "But I think you hold a very good feeling of the agreements."

Criticism Over Financial Ties

The visit further disputed because of alleged overlap involving the Trump family's financial activities and Gulf countries.

Trump dismissed any conflict of interest, claiming he had "relinquished control from his business empire" while committed "all his efforts" to governing.

"I have no involvement regarding the family business," he remarked. "What my family does is acceptable. They work worldwide. They have minimal involvement with Saudi Arabia, truthfully. I'm sure they have potential. And anything they've done has been positive."