Saudi Crown Prince Touts $1 Trillion Investment in U.S. During Meeting With Trump

Peloni:  Trump names Saudi Arabia as Major Non-Nato Ally. MBS will be going home with many victories under his belt.  Recall that Saudi Arabia recently entered into a mutual defense pact with Pakistan, so…

FDD | Nov 18, 2025

Photo by The White House – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia

Latest Developments

• MBS Investment and Diplomatic Ties: President Donald Trump warmly greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on November 18, signaling a closer relationship than under the Biden administration. Trump called bin Salman a “very good friend” and an “extremely respected man” during the Oval Office meeting. Trump stated that Saudi Arabia had agreed to invest $600 billion in the United States, with bin Salman revealing that the total amount would be closer to $1 trillion. The deals are expected to include investments in artificial intelligence, energy production, and defense.

• Nuclear Deal and F-35s: Discussing the possibility of a U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement, Trump said that while he “could see that happening, it’s not urgent.” Separately, Trump confirmed that the United States would be selling F-35 fighter jets to the kingdom, labeling Saudi Arabia “a great ally.” The IDF reportedly said on November 18 that it was opposed to the deal, warning that Israel’s air superiority in the Middle East would be damaged as a consequence of the sale.
• Possible Agreement on Abraham Accords: When asked about the possibility of Saudi Arabia signing onto the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, bin Salman was positive but hedged his answer. “We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a path to a two-state solution,” he said. Trump stated that he believes Riyadh has “a really good feeling toward the Abraham Accords.”

FDD Expert Response

“Saudi Arabia is an important U.S. security partner, and increasing bilateral defense cooperation can further common interests and support efforts to build a regional security architecture that more effectively deters and defeats aggression. However, before providing Riyadh with the F-35, Washington should address concerns related to Riyadh’s relationship with China, follow the law regarding Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge, and demand that Saudi Arabia first normalize relations with Israel.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center of Military and Political Power

“The warmth of the personal relationship between President Trump and the Saudi crown prince has been clearly in evidence today. There has also been substantive progress in strategic commercial arenas. But forward movement on the Abraham Accords is proving elusive despite the warm words. If the United States has committed to supply F-35s to the Saudis, Israel will feel less secure than it did before the visit.” — Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Fellow

“A year ago, we had an American war on fossil fuels alongside an appeasement campaign of Iran and the Houthis, which was sending Saudi Arabia deeper into the arms of China. Now with American energy dominance topping the agenda, Iran’s nuclear weapons program set back for years, and a president focused on brokering Saudi-Israel normalization, the crown prince will be receiving a warm presidential embrace to ensure Riyadh hitches its strategic wagon to Washington for the duration of the century.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor 

FDD Background and Analysis

“Why Normalization with Israel Will Revive Saudi Arabia,” by Hussain Abdul-Hussain

“What Washington Should Demand From Riyadh Before Providing the F-35,” by Bradley Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen

“Normalizing Ties Between Saudi Arabia and Israel Should Be Trump’s North Star When MBS Visits White House,” by Natalie Ecanow