Washington Post Editorial Board Condemns Trump’s Khashoggi Remarks as ‘Beneath the Office’
The Washington Post Editorial Board published a scathing editorial condemning President Trump’s defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) regarding the 2018 murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, calling the President’s comments “weak, crass and of no strategic benefit to America.” The condemnation follows Trump’s Oval Office meeting with MBS.
The Washington Post Editorial Board issued a powerful denunciation of President Trump’s comments on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, stating that his defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was “beneath the office of the president.” The editorial, titled “Things happen,” criticized the President’s remarks made on Tuesday during an Oval Office meeting with the Crown Prince, marking the Saudi leader’s first visit to Washington since the 2018 assassination of Khashoggi, who was a columnist for the Post.
In response to a reporter’s question about the killing, President Trump dismissed the brutal murder, stating that Khashoggi was “extremely controversial,” that “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman,” and concluding, “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.” The President went on to contradict U.S. intelligence findings, insisting that the Crown Prince “knew nothing about it” and berating the journalist who asked the question.
The Post’s editorial board stated that Trump’s assertions “dishonor Khashoggi’s legacy, stand at odds with the facts and are beneath the office of the president.” They argued that while the U.S. must conduct necessary business with the Saudi government, Trump’s performance was “something else entirely: weak, crass and of no strategic benefit to America.” The board further warned that by legitimizing and defending MBS, the President risks emboldening other dictators to mistreat journalists and dissidents, “knowing that they’ll probably face no real consequences.” The editorial concluded that while it is possible to maintain the complicated U.S.-Saudi relationship, “an American president should be able to respect Khashoggi’s legacy while conducting the messy business of statecraft.”
