"Donald Trump may have cleared the high bar of uttering the most appalling remark of his presidency on Tuesday. "Things happen," the leader of the free world said with a shrug when asked about the assassination of American-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi while seated next to the man who ordered the murder, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Besides its moral repugnance, Trump's comment reflects, with new vividness, a particular blankness about his broader foreign policy."
"Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and American resident who frequently criticized the Saudi regime, was brutally murdered-his body hacked with a buzz saw-in 2018 during an interview with officials in the Saudi embassy in Turkey. At the time, even Trump, then in his first term as president, said MBS (as the prince is often called) should be held responsible if he played a role in the assassination."
President Trump responded "Things happen" when asked about Jamal Khashoggi's assassination while seated beside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The remark signaled moral indifference and a striking blankness in foreign policy. The exchange occurred at the start of a White House visit that led to deals for advanced U.S. military aircraft, A.I. chips, and other high-tech gear potentially totaling up to $1 trillion. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident, was murdered in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. A CIA assessment concluded that MBS approved the operation. U.S. leaders continue to wrestle with interests-versus-ideals tensions in relations with Saudi Arabia.
Read at Slate Magazine
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