Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump stands beside an F-35 in Japan

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump Monday said the U.S. was going to sell stealth F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, one of several deals he plans to cement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House this week. The de facto Saudi ruler is arriving today for his first U.S. visit since a 2018 goodwill tour that was undone months later by the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Who said what

“We’ll be selling F-35s” to Saudi Arabia, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The Saudis have “requested to buy as many as 48” of the advanced warplanes, Reuters said, and Trump’s agreement would “mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East,” where Israel is the only country with F-35s.

The U.S. has legally committed to giving Israel a “qualitative military edge” over other countries in the region. But the “looming deal” could also “reduce Washington’s leverage to encourage Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations,” a top Trump goal, The Wall Street Journal said. And it heightens “long-standing concern” in Washington that F-35 technology “could be stolen by or somehow transferred to China,” Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner, The Associated Press said.

What next?

The Khashoggi murder made the crown prince an “international pariah for a time,” The New York Times said. But “over the past few years, he has become too powerful for American politicians and chief executives to ignore,” and Trump “could hardly be more welcoming.” All the same, said Semafor’s Matthew Martin, “once the pomp and ceremony of this week’s visit has passed,” Prince Mohammed may struggle to ensure “all the goodwill he has built up in the Trump era survives into future administrations.”

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.