Trump’s litmus test? Saudi Arabia’s MBS’ White House visit puts US foreign policy on trial | Israel

Published on Nov 18, 2025 01:23 am IST

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s arrival in Washington is being framed as a diplomatic formality but it may actually be the biggest foreign-policy test of Donald Trump’s second term. The U.S. president has one goal that has eluded every American leader: pulling Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. But this time, the power equation has flipped. Riyadh wants a defence pact, next-generation weapons, and a pathway to a civilian nuclear program. Israel refuses to guarantee a Palestinian state. And Trump, despite his public bravado, is walking into a meeting where he may not have the leverage he once did. So what does MBS really want from the U.S.? Why is Qatar’s upgraded security status suddenly shaping Saudi expectations? And could Trump leave the meeting empty-handed, with the “best-case scenario” being just a public mention of the accords? From regional rivalries to great-power politics, this story asks: Who really holds the cards today Trump or MBS?

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