U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the White House Oval Office in Washington DC, on Nov. 18, 2025. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP)
The extravagant nature of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) visit to Washington on Nov.18-19 did not go unnoticed. The Saudi daily Okaz multiplied on Nov. 20 superlatives to describe the “remarkable welcome” given to MBS — one that even exceeded the usual “diplomatic norms” for such meetings.The honor guard on display, the cannon salute, and the flyover by American fighter jets represented, according to the newspaper, “the highest levels of preparation and celebration … which reflects the status and significant political presence of the crown prince.”The New York Times also acknowledged, on the front page of its Nov. 19 issue, “pomp and deference to the Saudi royal” shown by the United States. But in a column just below that, it mentioned the Khashoggi affair, noting that this was the crown prince’s first trip since the...
The extravagant nature of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) visit to Washington on Nov.18-19 did not go unnoticed. The Saudi daily Okaz multiplied on Nov. 20 superlatives to describe the “remarkable welcome” given to MBS — one that even exceeded the usual “diplomatic norms” for such meetings.The honor guard on display, the cannon salute, and the flyover by American fighter jets represented, according to the newspaper, “the highest levels of preparation and celebration … which reflects the status and significant political presence of the crown prince.”The New York Times also acknowledged, on the front page of its Nov. 19 issue, “pomp and deference to the Saudi royal” shown by the United States. But in a column just below that, it mentioned the Khashoggi affair, noting that this was the crown prince’s...
