Latest news with #JamalKhashoggi
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
The budding bromance between authoritarianism and tech
When he started as a Post contributing columnist in the fall of 2017, Jamal Khashoggi was trying, constructively, to pierce the futuristic illusions about Saudi Arabia that Mohammed bin Salman was selling to the world. MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, was pushing a gleaming vision of a cutting-edge Saudi Arabia, one with gaggles of robots, cities like something out of science fiction and tech investment galore. He was also ordering mass arrests across civil society, showing that his Saudi Arabia — present and future — would not tolerate dissent, activism or, in particular, vocal women.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Seth Meyers on Trump corruption: ‘It's all so brazen'
Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump's ongoing tour of the Middle East and his brazenly corrupt business deals in the region. On Wednesday's Late Night, Seth Meyers mocked Donald Trump's 'cartoonishly corrupt' presidency, as he toured Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates after signing billions of dollars of real estate and cryptocurrencies deal in the region. 'It's all so brazen that at this point, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if Trump just started calling his cryptocurrency corrupto-currency' Meyers laughed. In Riyadh, Trump 'slobbered praise' over the country's leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but also asked 'how do you sleep at night?' 'Leave it to Trump to accidentally say something incredibly damning while trying to give someone a compliment,' said Meyers, imitating Trump speaking to the ruler who ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. 'This guy can't sleep at night – some say it's because he's always thinking, others say he's haunted by the atrocities he's committed. If it's not the ideas in his head keeping him up, it's the blood on his hands.' Meyers also dug into Qatar's gift of a $400m private jet to Trump, the most valuable gift ever given to a US government by a foreign power. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump argued that the US 'should have the most impressive plane'. 'No, we shouldn't!' Meyers countered. 'We are, as of this taping, still a democracy with the rule of law. The president shouldn't have a flying gold-plated party palace. Stuff like that is a sign of corruption. 'They have nicer planes because they're not democracies. They're royal kingdoms, where they oppress people and use the public's money to build opulent palaces for their rulers. We don't do that here.' On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert also recapped another day in Trump's 'Mideast All You Can Grift Carnival Cash Cruise'. In Qatar, Trump's motorcade was greeted by riders on ceremonial camels and sword dancers. 'The Qataris know the way to Trump's heart: bribes and humps,' Colbert joked. Trump later praised the camels and the palace's 'perfect marble'. 'The Qataris at this point have got to be shocked at how little it takes to impress him,' Colbert laughed, imagining their thinking – 'Why did we give him a whole jet? We could've bribed him with a box of Ferrero Rocher.' Trump later defended his acceptance of the Qatari jet to reporters, arguing that the current Air Force One was 'much smaller', than other countries' state jets. 'It's much less impressive. I believe we should have the most impressive plane.' 'Yes, it's so important,' Colbert deadpanned. 'Trump should have a big plane. Because Trump definitely does not have a little plane. It's definitely at least an average American male plane. Plus, a lot of countries say that a smaller plane is actually more comfortable for longer rides …' 'The point is, he definitely doesn't have a short, stubby tuna-can penis-plane.' Did Qatar just one-up Saudi Arabia by greeting Trump with camels and sword dancers? And on the Daily Show, Jordan Klepper had a similar interpretation of Trump's fixation on plane size. 'You sure we're still talking about planes?' he asked following a clip of Trump comparing the size of Air Force One to planes from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 'Look, we're on the tarmac next to each other. I know you're supposed to just look straight ahead, but I took a little peek over there … cockpit was huge, man!' 'Honestly, it's getting a little embarrassing watching Trump fly around the Middle East getting sword dances and free jets,' Klepper continued. 'Is he going to do any actual policy stuff?' It turns out, yes. Trump announced the cessation of sanctions against Syria to allow the new government, which recently overthrew years of dictatorship, a chance to succeed – but only after they agreed to build a Trump tower in Damascus. 'Good on ya, Syria, whatever it takes,' Klepper joked. 'You know what, PBS, maybe you could learn a lesson from this. Instead of whining about Trump cutting children's programming, have you thought of offering them a Trump tower on Sesame Street?'
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Stephen Colbert on Trump's international diplomacy: ‘A highest-bidder approach'
Late-night hosts mock corruption in Donald Trump's presidency after his first international visit to Saudi Arabia and acceptance of a $400m luxury plane from Qatar. Trump made his first international trip of his second term on Tuesday, to the nation of Saudi Arabia. 'A president visiting Saudi Arabia on his first official trip is a bit unusual,' said Stephen Colbert on the Late Show. 'Normally, back when we had normal, presidents would make their first international trip to the UK or Canada or any close ally. 'But like everything, Trump's decision seemed to come down to a highest-bidder approach,' Colbert continued. As Trump said in March: 'Last time I went to Saudi Arabia, they put up $450m …' Colbert broke out his Trump impression: 'OK, I'm going around the palace with a big bag. C'mon, just drop your bribe right in. Qatar gave me a jet – can you beat a jet?' On Tuesday, Trump received a lavish welcome in Riyadh, where he was escorted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to a McDonald's semi truck. 'Of course, one of the most rewarding things about traveling the globe is getting the chance to sample the local nugget truck,' Colbert joked. The crown prince, Colbert reminded, ordered the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Trump, however, described him as such: 'I like him a lot. I like him too much, that's why we give so much, you know? I like you too much.' Or as Colbert translated via Trump impression: 'You're like the son I never had.' On Late Night, Seth Meyers reacted to a statement from Trump that he was 'thinking of flying over' to Turkey to join Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy for peace talks over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 'Oh, were you?' Meyers said. 'Ok, I guess let us know. These are peace talks to prevent the escalation of a war in Europe and you're treating it like it's your neighbor grilling – 'Oh, maybe I'll come by, you're not doing veggie burgers are ya?'' During a press conference on Monday, Trump said that if China had signed a trade deal during his first term, the Chinese 'would be able to buy products that they've never been able to buy'. 'I'm sorry, you think they want stuff from us?' Meyers scoffed. 'They have iPhones. We have cars that can't get wet,' like the Tesla Cybertruck. And on Sunday, Trump's health and human service secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, shared photos of himself and his grandchildren swimming in a Washington creek that is contaminated with sewage and bacteria. 'You know, I used to think it was crazy that he had a brain worm,' said Meyers. 'But now I think it's crazy that he's only had one.' Qatar is helping Trump take his Middle East corruption tour to new heights And on the Daily Show, Jordan Klepper also recapped Trump's first international trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 'You might be wondering: why did Trump pick these countries for his first foreign trip?' he said. 'Well, there's a strong geopolitical balance that – I'm fucking with you. Corruption!' As Klepper noted, the Trump Organization has construction projects in each of the three countries. 'I never thought I'd say this, but can't these countries go back to something more constructive, like funding terrorism? 'But Donald Trump doesn't see any of these 'business conflicts' as a problem,' he continued. 'If anything, he's taking conflicts to a new height,' with the acceptance of a luxury 747 jet worth $400m from the state of Qatar. The plane would serve as Air Force One, then allegedly be decommissioned and transferred to Trump's presidential library once he leaves office. 'I think we can stop pretending that this plane will be transferred to his presidential library,' Klepper laughed. 'This is like the news reporting your aunt is bringing her 'good friend Linda' to Thanksgiving.' More pressingly, 'apart from being a security concern and a potential bribe, it seems clearly unconstitutional to give the president a gift like this. But what do I know?' According to Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, the gift is legally permissible as Trump is not giving Qatar anything in return – at least, in the first 36 hours. It's worth noting, though, that before becoming attorney general, Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115k a month. 'It looks bad,' Klepper joked, 'but if you have to understand: that's a lot of money, and money feels good to have and to spend. So now I get it.'
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Flashback: An Interview With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
President Trump kicked off a four-day trip to the Middle East, with a visit to the Saudi capital where he sat down Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The world leaders discussed the path forward for U.S.-Saudi relations and the push for an Iranian nuclear deal. Bret looks back on his conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman where they discussed Saudi Arabia's role in the Middle East, the relationship the Saudis have been able to build with Iran, and Bret questions Crown Prince Salman on the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Original Air Date: September 21, 2023
Sky News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
US-Saudi relationship feels tighter than ever as Trump signs flurry of deals
Why you can trust Sky News In today's Saudi Arabia, convention centres resemble palaces. The King Abdul Aziz International Conference Centre was built in 1999 but inside it feels like Versailles. Some might call it kitsch, but it's a startling reflection of how far this country has come - the growth of a nation from desert bedouins to a vastly wealthy regional powerbroker in just one generation. 0:50 At a bar overnight, over mocktails and a shisha, I listened to one young Saudi man tell me how his family had watched this transformation. His father, now in his 60s, had lived the change - a child born in a desert tent, an upbringing in a dusty town, his 30s as a mujahideen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, his 40s in a deeply conservative Riyadh and now his 60s watching, wide-eyed, the change supercharged in recent years. The last few years' acceleration of change is best reflected in the social transformation. Women, unveiled, can now drive. Here, make no mistake, that's a profound leap forward. Through a 'western' lens, there's a way to go - homosexuality is illegal here. That, and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, are no longer openly discussed here. Bluntly, political and economic expedience have moved world leaders and business leaders beyond all that. 2:27 The guest list of delegates at the convention centre for the Saudi-US Investment Forum reads like a who's who of America's best business brains. Signing a flurry of different deals worth about $600bn (£451bn) of inward investment from Saudi to the US - which actually only represent intentions or 'memorandums of understanding' at this stage - the White House said: "The deals... represent a new golden era of partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia. "From day one, President Trump 's America First Trade and Investment Policy has put the American economy, the American worker, and our national security first." That's the answer when curious voters in faraway America wonder what this is all about. With opulence and extravagance, this is about a two-way investment and opportunity. There are defence deals - the largest defence sales agreement in history, at nearly $142bn (£106bn) - tech deals, and energy deals. Underlying it all is the expectation of diplomatic cooperation, investment to further the geopolitical strategies for both countries on key global challenges. 1:12 In the convention centre's gold-clad corridors, outside the plenary hall, there are reminders of the history of this relationship. There is a 'gallery of memories' - the American presidents with the Saudi kings - stretching back to the historic 1945 meeting between Franklin D Roosevelt and King Saud on board the USS Quincy. That laid the foundation for the relationship we now see. Curiously, the only president missing is Barack Obama. Sources suggested to me that this was a 'mistake'. A convenient one, maybe. It's no secret that the US-Saudi relationship was at its most strained during his presidency. Obama's absence would give Trump a chuckle. 1:25 Today, the relationship feels tighter than ever. There is a mutual respect between the president and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - Trump chose Saudi Arabia as his first foreign trip in his last presidency, and he's done so again. But there are differences this time. Both men are more powerful, more self-assured, and of course the region has changed. There are huge challenges like Gaza, but the two men see big opportunities too. A deal with Iran, a new Syria, and Gulf countries that are global players. It's money, money, money here in Riyadh. Will that translate to a better, more prosperous and peaceful world? That's the question.
