President Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the global campaign to counter the Islamic State and Saudi investments in U.S. technology firms.
The meeting marked the first visit of a top Saudi official to the U.S. since the November election and the first time Trump has met with an Arab royal since being sworn into office on Jan. 20. The two leaders were joined by Vice President Pence, White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and senior aides Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon and Dan Scavino.
White house press secretary Sean Spicer declined to provide details about the meeting during Monday’s briefing with reporters. However, in a statement provided Monday, the Saudi government said the prince was eager to discuss “the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries and regional issues of mutual interest.”
Trump spoke by phone in January with the prince’s father, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-aziz al Saud. Both men agreed to support the establishment of safe zones in Syria and Yemen at the time, according to a readout of the conversation provided by the White House.
The prince, who doubles as Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, last visited the U.S. in June 2016 for a tour of Silicon Valley.
