Saudi Crown Prince Reasserts His Influence in First White House Visit Since the Khashoggi Crisis

On his first trip to the White House since the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi sparked global outrage, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is determined to reclaim his place on the world stage — and to demonstrate to President Donald Trump that backing his assertive leadership was a calculated risk worth taking.

Tuesday’s meeting between Trump and the kingdom’s de facto ruler, widely known as MBS, underscores a relationship rooted in strategic interests, one that has endured despite the uproar that followed Khashoggi’s 2018 murder — a former insider-turned-critic whose death is now etched into history.

Seven years on, MBS is recasting himself as a mediator: repairing ties with Iran, pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, and welcoming Syria back into the Arab fold. It is a striking transformation for a prince once branded reckless for his intervention in Yemen.

Reformer or strongman — often both — MBS has emerged as one of the most consequential leaders in modern Saudi history, driving a sweeping transformation while also consolidating his control.

A Prince Who Unlocked Society — and Silenced Dissent

In under a decade, the 40-year-old heir has unleashed a social revolution unmatched since his grandfather, King Abdulaziz, built the kingdom from desert tribes and forged its pivotal alliance with Washington.

He defanged the feared religious police, sidelined clerics, and dismantled decades-old social restrictions. Women can now drive, work freely, and engage openly with men — freedoms once punished with lashes.

In a nation where women were once compelled to wear black abayas and hijabs in public, pop stars and fashion shows have transformed Riyadh’s cultural landscape. Recently, Jennifer Lopez dazzled audiences in a glittering bodysuit, Camila Cabello took the stage in a sheer gown, and models for Elie Saab walked the runway before Hollywood icons like Halle Berry and Monica Bellucci — scenes unimaginable a few years ago.

Yet the same hand that opened society has tightened political control. Dissent has been crushed, critics muted, and rival power centers dismantled.

The message is unmistakable: reform advances only on MBS’s terms — and loyalty to the crown prince is non-negotiable.

Analyst: MBS’s Arrival Will Be a ‘Pre-Coronation Moment’

On the global stage, the leader of the world’s top oil exporter has weathered the fallout from Khashoggi’s murder — which U.S. intelligence connected to him. He denies ordering the killing but has accepted responsibility as the kingdom’s effective ruler.

Joe Biden, then a presidential candidate, had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a pariah. But geopolitics prevailed: Washington moved forward, driven by needs in energy, defense, and technology.

Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 revived transactional warmth: promises of $600 billion in Saudi investment, effusive praise, and shared enthusiasm for a defense pact.

“Khashoggi has not been forgotten. But should the relationship between two major nations hinge on a single event, or must one consider the broader interests of the United States and Saudi Arabia?” said Douglas A. Silliman, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

When MBS arrives in Washington, analysts say he will be greeted with the ceremony usually reserved for a future monarch.

“It will be a pre-coronation moment,” said analyst Steve Clemons, noting that the kingdom’s future now clearly rests with its young prince.

Despite past crises — including the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, when 15 hijackers were Saudi — the U.S. and Saudi Arabia remain bound by the same core formula: energy, defense, and now artificial intelligence.

“AI is the oil of the 21st century, and America needs Gulf energy and capital,” said Paul Salem of the Middle East Institute. Defense ties, he added, remain the backbone, with Washington providing essential security guarantees.

The Prince Whose Image Dominates Saudi Public Life

MBS’s rise marks a generational shift. He is set to become the first Saudi monarch descended from the grandsons of the kingdom’s founder, King Abdulaziz — a break from decades of seniority-based succession.

From the start, he articulated his mission with clarity: “Seventy percent of Saudis are under 30. We will not spend the next 30 years fighting extremist ideas. We will destroy them today,” he declared in 2017, pledging to restore a more “moderate, open Islam.”

His ascent accelerated when King Salman assumed the throne in 2015 and entrusted his son with powerful portfolios, including defense. Two years later, MBS removed his older cousin Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince in a palace shake-up that overturned the traditional hierarchy. State TV showed MBS kissing Nayef’s hand — a symbolic gesture meant to project unity amid a decisive power shift.

His image now permeates public life: on mall walls, billboards, and across local media. Every major initiative is framed as a masterstroke. Yet his governing style remains opaque, and his crackdown has muted open debate about whether his economic ambitions can be fully realized.

Under MBS, Saudi Arabia has also made bold moves in global sports — merging the PIF-backed LIV Golf circuit with the PGA Tour, attracting megastars like Cristiano Ronaldo, winning hosting rights for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, and bidding for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.