President Donald Trump’s announcement that he intends to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia following a White House meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sparked fierce objections from progressive lawmakers and human rights organizations. The meeting drew immediate condemnation from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who described the White House event as a “disgusting display” and a “new low in longstanding US support for the repressive monarchy.”
Omar’s reaction centered on the longstanding concern that Trump continues to minimize the crown prince’s role in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She pointed to how Trump handled questions about the killing during the event, saying, “It is truly disturbing that the president of the United States dismissed Khashoggi’s entrapment, murder, and dismemberment at the hands of MBS’ assassins simply as, ‘things happen.’”
As the meeting unfolded, Trump confirmed he would move forward with selling the advanced warplanes. “We’re going to have a deal. They’ve going purchase F-35s,” he said. “They’re buying them from Lockheed and it’s a great plane.” The president signaled that the agreement would not include any conditions, even as Saudi Arabia remains one of the world’s most repressive governments, regularly using the death penalty and harsh security measures to crush dissent.
The proposed sale accompanied Trump’s announcement that his administration had designated Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally,” a classification that elevates military and strategic cooperation. Israel also carries this designation, placing Saudi Arabia in a select group with special security privileges.
Omar urged lawmakers to act quickly to prevent the transfer. She asked colleagues to join her in blocking what she called Trump’s “reckless and corrupt deals” with the Saudis. She drew attention to the humanitarian toll of previous arms shipments, noting that the Saudi government has used U.S. weapons “to devastating effect in Yemen.” She also tied the pending deal to financial networks surrounding the Trump family, saying, “With announced sales of F-35 warplanes and billions in financial investments, Trump is prioritizing weapons-contractor profits and his own family’s business interests, including Jared Kushner’s private equity firm that took $2 billion from MBS.”
If the administration formally submits the F-35 proposal to Congress, lawmakers will have a limited period to draft a resolution of disapproval that could block the sale. Omar emphasized Congress’s constitutional role in overseeing military commitments, stating that “no American soldiers may be sent into harm’s way to defend Saudi Arabia” under the arrangement “without a debate and vote of authorization from Congress.” She added, “My Progressive Caucus colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that this remains the case.”
The human rights group DAWN, which was founded by Khashoggi, issued its own warning about the evolving security pact. In its statement, the organization said Trump is working to “protect a reckless, impulsive dictator, all in the interests of personal and corporate gains.” It continued, “While the defense industry and American billionaires will profit handsomely with the gifts Trump is doling out to MBS, the American people will be left holding the bill.”
Tensions escalated further during the event when ABC News reporter Mary Bruce attempted to ask MBS about the U.S. intelligence assessment concluding he was responsible for Khashoggi’s murder. Trump cut in before she could finish her question, demanding, “Who are you with?” When Bruce replied, “I’m with ABC News, sir,” he answered, “Fake news. ABC, fake news, one of the worst in the business.”
Trump continued by defending MBS and disparaging Khashoggi. He described the slain journalist as “somebody that was extremely controversial” and added, “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about.” He went on to say, “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen. But [the crown prince] knew nothing about it. You don’t have to embarrass our guest.”
Shortly afterward, Bruce asked about FBI files related to the late sex offender and longtime Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein. Trump responded by attacking Bruce personally. “It’s not the question I mind, it’s your attitude,” he said. “You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
He then issued a threat directed at the network’s broadcast operations. “I think the [broadcast] license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake, and it’s so wrong,” Trump said. “And we have a great commissioner… who should look at that.”
The reference to a “commissioner” was understood as a nod to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who earlier in the year “threatened to pull ABC‘s broadcast license unless it fired late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.” Kimmel’s show was suspended following Carr’s comments but was reinstated after public outcry over concerns about government censorship.
The combination of the unconditional arms sale, the major non-NATO ally designation and Trump’s public attacks on journalists has intensified concerns about the administration’s direction on foreign policy and democratic accountability. Progressive lawmakers argue the F-35 proposal strengthens a government implicated in severe human rights violations while simultaneously pressuring the U.S. press to avoid scrutiny of those same issues.
As Congress awaits a formal notification of the sale, the debate is likely to intensify. The coming legislative fight will determine whether lawmakers move to block the transfer, seek to impose conditions or allow the administration to proceed with one of the most controversial weapons deals of Trump’s second term. The decision will also shape the contours of U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, the future of oversight on arms sales and the broader question of how the United States responds when journalists are murdered by foreign partners.
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