By Paul Bean
Senator Bernie Sanders criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday for hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, accusing the president of selective favor or Muslims based on financial incentives.
“Trump dislikes Muslims, except those who are billionaire autocrats who can make his family even richer,” Sanders wrote in a post on X yesterday (11/19).
Sanders’ remarks were in relation to concerns about U.S.-Saudi relations, alleged human rights abuses, and Trump’s business ties to the Gulf kingdom.
Trump welcomed bin Salman on November 18, marking the crown prince’s first White House visit since the Khashoggi killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The welcome included a military flyover, a procession of horses, and a black-tie dinner,.
“Last night’s lavish White House dinner showed us the global oligarchy coming together in plain sight,” continued Sanders on his campaign X page. “By cozying up to MBS, Trump has signaled to the world that the United States is now on the side of authoritarianism, not democracy.”
Sanders also posted the following letter with tons of criticisms of President Trump’s relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“Trump brought American oligarchs—some of the wealthiest people in the world—together with his multibillionaire Saudi guests to schmooze and strike deals,” wrote Sanders criticizing a number of deals the Saudi Prince and President Trump had been working on, including a plan by Elon Musk, who spent $290 million to help elect Trump, and was able to secure a Saudi-backed data center that will run on microchips built by Nvidia.
Sanders also mentioned Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, and Trump’s announcement of F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia worth billions of dollars.
“Today, a handful of multibillionaires—including MBS, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, and others at that dinner—are gaining more and more wealth and power. While they struggle to put food on the table and pay for housing and health care, through their enormous wealth and campaign contributions, these oligarchs are undermining democracy in the United States and around the world.”
Sanders alleged that President Trump was favorable to the Saudis because his family is currently working out business deals with them.
“You will not be surprised to learn that as Trump provides favorable treatment to the Saudis, his family is pursuing lucrative real estate deals in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-owned professional golf league [worth tens of millions]. And Saudi Arabia has $2 billion in investments in Trump properties, son-in-law Jared Kushner’s firm, and recently backed a $55 billion takeover of Electronic Arts with his involvement.”
In the Oval Office, Trump described bin Salman as a “fantastic” and “brilliant” leader, and a “very good friend.”
The two leaders made several deals marking an end in poor relations under the Biden administration. This included a U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement that designates Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, giving access to U.S. military hardware and securing Saudi funds to offset American defense costs in the region.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia finalized a series of landmark agreements that deepen the U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership, expand opportunities for high-paying American jobs, strengthen critical supply chains, and reinforce regional stability,” says the White House website. “…All while putting American workers, industry, and security first.”
The White House website also lists some key investments and partnerships with Saudi Arabia who raised its U.S. investment commitment to nearly $1 trillion (up from $600 billion in May).
Some key deals made:
- Signed Joint Declaration completing negotiations on a multi-billion-dollar U.S.-Saudi Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement with strong nonproliferation standards; U.S. confirmed as Saudi Arabia’s partner of choice.
- Signed Critical Minerals Framework to diversify and secure supply chains.
- Signed landmark AI Memorandum of Understanding giving Saudi Arabia access to leading U.S. AI systems while protecting American technology.
- Signed historic U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA) strengthening the 80+ year defense partnership and regional deterrence.
- Approved major defense sales, including future F-35 deliveries and nearly 300 American-made tanks, supporting U.S. jobs and the defense industrial base.
- Secured new Saudi burden-sharing funds to offset U.S. costs and easier market access for American defense firms.
“These are the forces now shaping American foreign policy and the world economy,” Sanders wrote in conclusion. “Not human rights, not democratic values, not the security of the American people, but the personal financial interests of Trump and his fellow oligarchs. All over the world, including the United States, working people are standing up and fighting back. They are saying NO to oligarchy. They are saying NO to authoritarianism. And they are saying NO to continued attacks on the working class….”