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President Trump speaks at the White House on Monday. (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post)
John Wagner
National journalist heads up the political press team at The Post newspaper
On Wednesday, President Trump appeared reluctant to the idea of blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to the disappearance last week of a Washington Post columnist after his entry at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday night that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to bring columnist Jamal Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia from his home in Virginia, and then arrest him, according to reports. information collected by the US secret service. plan.
Turkish officials said that a Saudi security team was waiting for the journalist and killed him.
In an interview Wednesday night on Fox News, Trump said he wanted to know what had happened to Khashoggi, but he hesitated when asked if he would support the blockage arms sales to Saudi Arabia, as suggested by some senators.
"Well, I think it would hurt us," said Trump. "We have jobs. There is a lot going on in this country. We have a country that is probably doing better economically than ever before. That's part of what we do with our defense systems and everybody wants them, and frankly, it would be a very difficult pill to swallow for our country. "
On his first international trip as president, Trump traveled to Saudi Arabia and announced gun sales for $ 110 billion. The administration also relies on Saudi support for several aspects of its Middle East program.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday morning, Trump described the relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia as excellent.
[Crown prince sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him, U.S. intercepts show]
Asked about The Post that the Crown Prince had ordered an operation to bring Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia, Trump said, "It would be a very sad thing, and we will probably know it in the very near future."
"We have investigators there and we are working with Turkey and, frankly, we are working with Saudi Arabia," Trump said. "We want to know what happened. He came in, and it looks like he did not come. It certainly does not look like his entourage. "
During Wednesday night's interview, Trump criticized the late Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) for voting against a Republican bill to reform the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's flagship initiative .
"We had the beat other than a senator, or you can say it differently," Trump said. "A senator, late in the evening, voted against, shocking even though he campaigned for 10 years – against eight years," said Trump.
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