Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince, Announces Major Defense and Investment Deals.

On November 18, President Donald Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) at the White House on his first Washington visit since 2018. During the meeting, Trump dismissed questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, repeatedly praised the crown prince, and announced progress on several bilateral initiatives, including a US-Saudi defense pact.

Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, MBS said that Saudi investment in the United States would rise to $1 trillion, up from a $600 billion pledge in May 2025. When asked by reporters about the Saudi-sought F-35 sale and its effect on Israel’s “qualitative military edge,” Trump said that he was aware that Israel preferred that Saudi Arabia receive a “reduced caliber” version of the warplanes. He added, “As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line.”

Regarding Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, MBS said that “we believe having a good relation with all the Middle Eastern countries is a good thing, and we want to be part of the Abraham Accord…But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution.”

When asked about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, Trump said that MBS knew nothing about it and called Khashoggi a “controversial” figure. He also praised the crown prince for doing an “incredible” job on human rights.

At a black-tie dinner later that day, Trump said that the United States was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally and announced that the two countries had signed a “historic” Strategic Defense Agreement. The dinner was attended by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, among others.

A White House fact sheet released the same day stated that the Strategic Defense Agreement “fortifies deterrence across the Middle East,” facilitates US defense industry operations in Saudi Arabia, and secures “new burden-sharing funds… to defray US costs.” The White House also said that Trump had approved future sales of F-35 fighter jets to the Kingdom and that Saudi Arabia had agreed to purchase 300 American tanks.

In addition, the two countries signed a joint declaration marking the completion of negotiations on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which would establish the legal foundation for a long-term nuclear energy partnership. Other agreements include a critical minerals framework and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Memorandum of Understanding. On November 19, at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, companies signed about $270 billion in deals, including a planned purchase of 600,000 Nvidia AI chips for the Saudi AI firm Humain.

On November 18, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued a statement following Trump’s meeting with MBS, saying that the F-35 deal “raises major concerns about protecting US military technology and the military edge America shares with our allies” and demanded that the administration “fully explain to the [SFRC] why this sale is in the vital national interest of the United States.” She also said that any security agreement made with Saudi Arabia without Senate approval “is very troubling” and would be nonbinding and thus “easily reversed” by a future administration.

Also happening in Washington last week…

I. Legislative Branch

1) Legislation

House Bill Authorizes GCC Mission in Washington. On November 18, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced H.R.6095, which would grant diplomatic privileges to the Gulf Cooperation Council and allow it to establish a foreign mission in Washington, DC.

House Passes Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act. On November 19, the House passed H.R.1327, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess potential terrorist threats to the United States posed by individuals in Syria who have ties to a Foreign Terrorist Organization or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization.

House Bill to Counter Alleged Anti-Semitism in Education. On November 20, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) introduced H.R.6186, which would require public schools and universities to treat anti-Semitism the same way in which they treat discrimination based on race. The bill provides a definition of anti-Semitism which includes examples such as “demonizing” and “delegitimizing” Israel and applying a “double standard” to Israel.

Senate Bill to Expand Visa Restrictions Under the Immigration Act. On November 20, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced S.3237, which would codify and expand on the Department of State’s “practice of denying visas” to those who “publicly [endorse] the terrorist activities” of Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any affiliated organization.

2) Personnel and Correspondence

Democrats Press Administration on “Gold Standard” for Saudi Nuclear Agreement. On November 17, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) led 14 other Democrats in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the Trump administration to include the strongest possible “gold standard” nonproliferation measures in any nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia.

House Democrats Warn Administration on F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia. On November 19, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), and Donald Norcross (D-NJ) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary Rubio warning against the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the move could expose sensitive US military technology to the People’s Republic of China in light of Beijing’s expanding security and digital-infrastructure footprint in the kingdom.

3) Hearings and Briefings

Senate Reviews Nominations for Anti-Semitism Envoy and US Deputy Representative to the UN. On November 19, the SFRC held a hearing on the nominations of former Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce to serve as the US Deputy Representative to the United Nations and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun to serve as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

SFRC Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) said in his opening remarks that he hopes Bruce “can help course-correct the UN from the horrible anti-Semitic path it is on.” In her testimony, Bruce said that she is committed to ensuring that US funding to the UN serve US interests, adding that the United States “cannot support… anti-Israel bias.”

At Kaploun’s hearing, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) asked whether it was anti-Semitic to criticize the Israeli government. Kaploun referenced the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism and said that “anyone has a right to criticize Israel,” but that singling out Israel while ignoring similar global issues can cross the line.

II. Executive Branch

1) White House

UN Security Council Backs Trump’s Gaza Plan. On November 17, the United Nations Security Council voted 13‑0 with two abstentions (China and Russia) to adopt Resolution 2803 (2025), supporting the Trump administration’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.”

Trump celebrated the vote on Truth Social, stating that “this will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World, and is a moment of true Historic proportion!” He added that members of the Board of Peace will be named in the coming weeks, along with “many more exciting announcements.”

Trump Pledges to Help End Sudan’s War. On November 19, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that, at the request of MBS, he would work to “bring an immediate halt” to the war in Sudan. Calling Sudan “the single biggest Humanitarian Crisis” and saying the situation “can be fixed with the cooperation and coordination of Countries… in the Region of tremendous Wealth,” Trump said that the United States would work with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other unnamed regional partners to end the conflict.

Trump Plans to Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. On November 23, President Trump told the Just the News news site that he plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, stating that the action would be taken in “the strongest and most powerful terms.”

2) Department of State

United States and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic AI Partnership. On November 19, the Department of State announced that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Secretary of State Rubio signed the Strategic AI Partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Department and Treasury Tighten Sanctions on Iran. On November 20, the Department of State designated 17 entities, individuals, and vessels in several countries involved in Iran’s petroleum sales. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury designated 41 additional entities, individuals, vessels, and aircraft for helping fund the Iranian regime, as well as an airline and its affiliates that supply arms to Iran-backed groups.

Rubio Speaks with UAE Foreign Minister. On November 21, Secretary Rubio spoke by phone with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss efforts to secure a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.

3) Department of War

AFRICOM Conducts Strikes in Somalia. On November 18, 19, 21, and 22, AFRICOM forces conducted airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State in Somalia.

4) Department of the Treasury

Treasury Announces Financial and Economic Partnership with Saudi Arabia. On November 17, the Department of the Treasury and Saudi Arabia signed two agreements to enhance collaboration on capital markets technology, standards, and regulation, and to deepen their partnership in international financial institutions.

III. Judicial Branch

Judge Blocks Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syrians. On November 19, a federal judge in Manhattan blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for more than 6,100 Syrians in the United States, saying the abrupt termination of their protections and work permits was likely illegal.