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Ex-President Donald Trump has largely ignored the killing of columnist Khashoggi, calling him an "extremely controversial" person who was unpopular.

White House Talks alongside Saudi Crown Prince

The statements came during a presidential session with Prince Mohammed, representing his first visit after the columnist's killing in Turkey.

American spy agencies determined that Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the assassination, yet the former president maintained that he "knew nothing" of the incident.

The Former President's Reaction to Reporter's Inquiry

Trump also criticized the news professional who brought up the issue, proposing that the media outlet should lose its license.

"A lot of individuals were not fond of that person you mention," Trump remarked. "Irrespective of personal views, things occurred, yet he was unaware."

The crown prince replied, "It's painful and it's a huge mistake, and we are working hard to ensure a recurrence."

Financial Deals and Military Transactions

The talks further emphasized planned Saudi investment in America, initially billed at six hundred billion dollars, but potentially expanded to one trillion dollars.

The former president announced his aim to provide advanced F-35 planes to Saudi Arabia, notwithstanding concerns by Israeli officials and US intelligence.

The pair additionally revealed discussions about a prospective arrangement for Riyadh to formalize relations with Tel Aviv in exchange for a Palestinian state.

Middle Eastern Issues and Challenges

The planned F-35 transaction has triggered concern among Israeli officials, that is the only operator of the F-35 in the region.

US intelligence have expressed concern given Saudi Arabia's strong military cooperation with Beijing, highlighting apprehensions over intellectual property risks.

Nonetheless, the former president insisted that Saudi Arabia should receive equivalent advanced specification aircraft as the Israelis, citing them being "strong partners" of the United States.

Broader Agreements

Alongside military transactions, US officials stated hopes of multibillion-dollar Saudi Arabian funding in the US AI sector, plus greater partnership on civil nuclear power initiatives.

"We can announce that we will raise that $600 billion to almost one trillion," the Saudi leader announced.

Political Complications

The former president's government is additionally pursuing a energy and safety cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, that the Biden administration previously pursued unsuccessfully to finalize.

Yet, recent events, such as the October assault followed by later Israeli military actions in the region, have complicated the prospects of such a deal.

"After October 7, in my view the conditions for Riyadh to sign up to diplomatic ties with Israel has risen significantly," a former American diplomat commented.

Future Negotiations

"We want to join the Abraham Accords, however we require to ensure a concrete plan for a two-state solution," the crown prince stated.

Trump concurred, stating, "We conducted a productive talk regarding normalization. We discussed about one state, two state."

"We covered about a lot briefly. We'll be discussing more details," he concluded. "But I think you have a strong understanding of the agreements."

Controversy Regarding Financial Ties

The visit was also contentious over perceived connections involving Trump's relatives financial activities with Gulf states.

Trump denied any impropriety, claiming he had "stepped away from his enterprises" while dedicated "all his efforts" to governing.

"I have no involvement regarding their commercial activities," he stated. "What my family does is fine. They do business worldwide. They've done very little in the kingdom, in fact. I believe they have potential. And anything they've done has been very good."