Since President Trump met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the heels of his return from a meeting with Saudi officials, Trump has begun privately distancing himself from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The New York Times reported.
Trump has told allies that he “barely knows” bin Salman, in the Times’ words, while simultaneously attempting to whitewash his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner’s relationship with the crown prince, despite reports that the two are so close that they text through private channels like WhatsApp.
During an interview with the Times on Thursday, Trump reportedly said he trusted reports from his intelligence community that suggest the death of Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi may have been orchestrated by high-level Saudi officials. If those beliefs are proven true, Trump acknowledged it would be damaging for relations with the kingdom.
Read the full report here.
