Trump expected to host MBS in November visit to White House

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appears to be getting ready for his first White House visit since 2018.

Discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump at the planned Nov. 17-18 meeting are likely to cover a much-sought defense cooperation pact with the U.S., arms purchases, Gaza reconstruction and possible normalization with Israel.

That’s according to The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and other U.S. media, which cited unidentified sources. No confirmation so far from the Saudi Royal Court or the White House.

The proposed security agreement would expand weapons sales, intelligence sharing and coordination against Iran and terrorist groups, the Journal said.

Trump, who last month brokered a cease-fire to end Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, has publicly predicted that Saudi Arabia will soon join the Abraham Accords.

The visit recalls Prince Mohammed’s 2018 trip to Washington, when Trump hosted him at the White House and touted the potential for tens of billions of dollars in Saudi purchases of American arms.

That visit – part of a tour that included meetings with U.S. technology and defense executives – came before the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents that nearly ruptured relations between the two countries.

Trump, who visited Riyadh in May on a swing through the Gulf that included the UAE and Qatar, also attended the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s FII Priority summit in Miami in February, where he praised the kingdom’s growing investments in the U.S.