President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House on November 18, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed a question about the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi , claiming that the Saudi dissident journalist was “extremely controversial” and that raising the subject in his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was meant to embarrass his visitor.

“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you liked him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Trump went on to insist Prince bin Salman — who the CIA assessed likely ordered

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