Trump bragged to Woodward about protecting Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi killing: 'I saved his ass'


President Trump was seemingly happy the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi eventually faded from the spotlight. In fact, as Trump tells Bob Woodward, it was his doing.
Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in late 2018, seemingly on the order of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His disappearance sparked unified outrage, including from both sides of the aisle in Congress; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), usually a staunch ally of Trump, led the charge to hold the crown prince responsible for Khashoggi's killing. But nearly two years later, not much has happened.
As Trump tells Woodward in the veteran journalist's forthcoming book Rage, that's exactly what he wanted to happen, Business Insider reports via a copy of the book. "I saved his ass," Trump reportedly said of bin Salman in 2018. "I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And in a conversation with Woodward in January of this year, Trump still declined to hold bin Salman accountable for the killing. "He will always say that he didn't do it," Trump told Woodward. So Woodward asked Trump if he believed bin Salman ordered the murder. "No, he says that he didn't do it," Trump continued. "He says very strongly that he didn't do it," before pivoting to discuss how Saudi Arabia spends billions of dollars on U.S. goods every year.
Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist based in the U.S. He wrote for The Washington Post, and often criticized the Saudi government. He went to the consulate in 2018 to get documents for his upcoming marriage, and was likely killed not long after he went inside.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
speed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US