Saudi Crown Prince to Visit White House Nov. 18

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will make an official working visit to the White House on November 18 to meet President Donald Trump, the White House said. Trump is pressing Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, though Riyadh has said any normalization with Israel depends on a clear path toward Palestinian statehood. Administration officials said there have been discussions about signing something during the visit but details remain in flux, and media reports have suggested hopes for a U.S.-Saudi defense deal. The possibility of a formal U.S. defense agreement is therefore uncertain. The visit follows long-standing U.S.–Saudi defense ties, including a nearly $142 billion arms package agreed during Trump’s May visit to Riyadh. This will be MBS’s second trip to Washington in the Trump era, coming eight years after his 2017 visit.