Jamal Khashoggi's widow's message to 'peace man' Trump after clean chit to Saudi crown prince MBS | Watch

Trump's clean chit to MBS was a big upset for Jamal's widow who rebuffed the US President's remarks on Jamal, terming them ‘not true’.

Updated on: Nov 19, 2025, 10:19:35 IST

By HT News Desk

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Late Jamal Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, expressed her disappointment after US President Donald Trump characterised journalist Jamal as “controversial” and “unliked” as he defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman over his assassination.

Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, widow of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said Trump's remarks after meeting Saudi Crown Prince were upsetting. (REUTERS)

Jamal, a Washington Post journalist and a vocal critic of the Saudi kingdom, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 and US intelligence inputs reportedly found the Saudi crown prince being directly involved in Jamal's murder.

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However, Trump's clean chit to MBS was a big upset for Jamal's widow who rebuffed the US President's remarks on Jamal, terming them ‘not true’. “Jamal was not this person being described today, it was upsetting for me,” Hanan told CNN in an interview.

What Khashoggi's widow said

“The kind of justifying the crime, by presenting Jamal this way, saying he is controversial and some people do not like him, does not mean to kidnap him torture him and take his life,” she said.

In her message to Trump, Hanan said that she looked up to him as “peace man” and wished to meet him to introduce to him the “real Jamal”.

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“I wish to meet you and introduce Jamal in the right way and the real way that you are not aware of. I will share with you a lot about Jamal and it will change your opinion totally about him. Jamal was a transparent man, a kind one” she said, adding that the late journalist was loved by a lot of people.

CNN presenter Jim Sciutto posted Hanan's statement on X where she said Jamal might have had difference of opinion with people over his “desire for freedom of the press”. “ The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband,” she said in a statement posted on X.

“This is not justification to murder him. While Jamal was a good transparent and brave man many may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press”. The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband.”

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In a post on X, Hanan called om Trump as she said there is no justification to Jamal's murder. “While Jamal was a good transparent and brave man many people may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press. The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband,” she wrote on X.

Trump's remarks on Jamal Khashoggi

Rekindling the US-Saudi relationship following Jamal's assassination seven years ago, Trump held a friendly meeting with Mohammad bin Salman at the White House, packed with plenty of handshakes and back pats. Trump brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the United States, AP reported.

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Trump called Khashoggi “extremely controversial” and said “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that.”

Trump's praise and a warm welcome for MBS

Trump also praised MBS for progress made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail but presumably referring to reforms relating to women’s rights. “What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else,” Trump said.

Trump greeted Prince Mohammed at the White House’s South Lawn entrance with a handshake and arm slung over the prince's shoulder as the welcome was complete with a military band on hand and a flyover by U.S. military planes, before showing the crown prince his decorations along the White House Colonnade.

“We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today,” Trump said at the top of meeting, calling the prince “a friend of mine for a very long time.”

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HT News Desk
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