Crown prince downplays Trump's statement on Saudi military

E-Paper | June 07, 2026

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from United States President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The crown prince insisted that the kingdom has always paid for armaments from the US.

"Ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, we've bought everything with money," he told Bloomberg in an interview.

Last week at a rally Trump asked, "when you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidising their military?"

"They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks," he added.

Prince Mohammed downplayed any apparent rift with the US leader and said relations between the two allies remain strong.

"You have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things. So you cannot have 100 per cent friends saying good things about you," he said.

"You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category".

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Khanababa

Oct 06, 2018 04:44pm

Your statement doesn't matter... World listen to Trump

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Riaz murtaza

Oct 06, 2018 04:55pm

Trump didn’t mean money but the defense only

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Rashid

Oct 06, 2018 04:58pm

Can't wait for day when the rug will be pulled from under the feet of this puppet royal family

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Sajjad Zaidi

Oct 06, 2018 05:02pm

Pressed on how he would regard Trump's humiliating and harsh rhetoric against Saudi Arabia, bin Salman said, "I love working with him," referring to the controversial remarks as a "bad issue" offset by "99 percent of good things." His response, however, prompted the interviewer to say that “it seems to be a little bit more than one percent.”

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Abdul Malik Rahmanzai

Oct 06, 2018 05:06pm

The Saudis cannot protect their country without outside help and they know it.

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M. asghar

Oct 06, 2018 05:07pm

Trump considers the SA a negligible entity surviving at their good will. This a wake up call for this country!

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hassan khawri

Oct 06, 2018 05:12pm

What else you will say ?

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Pindy

Oct 06, 2018 05:15pm

Hmmm , you were asking Canada to apologize for asking your country to release a female activist but you recalled your ambassador from Canada. Oh now weak spine , why not ask Trump to apologize and see what happens.

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babajee

Oct 06, 2018 05:17pm

Look at the apologetic attitude of MBS..Even after paying and rather overpaying for the so called''services and equipment'' he still has his eyes down like a guilty person.

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Indian

Oct 06, 2018 05:33pm

What else can he say..

Recommend 0

Oct 06, 2018 05:57pm

Wow! Trump is his friend!

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AMER RANJHA

Oct 06, 2018 05:57pm

why don't you answer him back in the same manner if the americans are your friends

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Yousuf

Oct 06, 2018 05:57pm

Yeah that depends. If its Canada which says something, you go berserk, but if it's the country without whom you wouldn't last 2 weeks, you provide mealy mouthed excuses for your friend

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Najum

Oct 06, 2018 06:16pm

He was a superman when it came to Canada; that stood up for a human rights activist. Trump knows how to handle these Arab dictators.

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Love Pakistan

Oct 06, 2018 06:23pm

This is human nature. We show strength against the weak. Does US ever threaten China or Russia hat he will destroy them. Yes he threatens them with economic sanctions

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AMJAD KHAN

Oct 06, 2018 06:31pm

He has no other choice than to brush off Trump but the World knows the reality.Saudi Arabia as a country is totally dependent on the intelligence and defense agencies of the United States and propogating the unity of Muslim Ummah by the Saudis is a mere farce and unbelievable joke.Crown Prince is right in claiming that Kingdom always pays cash for all the arms and ammunition which is then used against innocent human bodies in Syria,Yemen,Iraq and Iran.Saudis keep the US factories humming day and night so the royal family can stay in power.

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Imtiaz Syed New York

Oct 06, 2018 06:54pm

This should wake Saudia up to reconcile and forge unity in Ummah.

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Ahsan Gul

Oct 06, 2018 06:59pm

Trump is absolutely right about Saudi Arabia when it comes to defense. Even though Saudi pays with cash Saudi have no capability in manpower to defend. Saudi citizen do not make up their defense forces but the poor citizens of their neighbors. Young in Saudi just like to enjoy life only.

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M. Saeed

Oct 06, 2018 07:17pm

Trump, the big mouthed lair. Saudis have always paid heavily to the US for everything they buy from them. In fact, instead of US subsidizing, it is the Saudis subsidizing the running of US defense industries.

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Dreamer

Oct 06, 2018 07:36pm

@Pindy This statement proves exactly what Mr Trump said, . Canadian should apologize and US?????

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Dreamer

Oct 06, 2018 07:38pm

@Imtiaz Syed New York Exactly, there is no honest friendship, except Russians towards Syria

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Dexter

Oct 06, 2018 07:45pm

Trump is playing with your nerves MBS. i wish if he has any vigilance to see what is being netted against his kingdom.

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Amjad Wyne

Oct 06, 2018 07:45pm

My recommendation to Saudi Arabia would be to wake up and smell the coffee. Trump may be right or he may be wrong but he has introduced a thought that will be difficult to erase. Saudis should do two things..1) fix their own house and 2) put their eggs in more than one basket.

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wahid

Oct 06, 2018 07:47pm

But the Kingdom cannot accept and tolerate the same from any other country. So we know who is calling the shots in this special relationship!! Please your highness wake up and stand up for yourself and the Ummah!

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MONIER

Oct 06, 2018 08:04pm

The picture says it all. Get real sir

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Lost cause

Oct 06, 2018 08:08pm

Matured reaction. Leaders come and go but relationship between nations have to be cultivated with future in mind.

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Farid

Oct 06, 2018 08:11pm

@M. Saeed Liar

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fairplay

Oct 06, 2018 08:12pm

MBS, keep fooling yourself.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Oct 06, 2018 08:13pm

What a shameless but true statement by the biased, bigot and racist Donald Trump? If it was not true, by this time, at least, Saudi Arabia would have called back it's ambassador from Washington, D.C. and pulled back it's airline from flying to New York and other U.S. destinations. At the same time, it's a huge "wake-up call" for the "movers and shakers" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, its just the "tip of the iceberg" as the famous adage goes. In fact, they must expect and anticipate ever worst statements than this from the dangerous and diabolic U.S. President in the days to come.

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HonorBright

Oct 06, 2018 08:26pm

@Khanababa "World listen to Trump" Ah, i knew Trump got an audience

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Nadia Ahsan

Oct 06, 2018 08:58pm

Even India made million of weapons deal with Russia and the US didn't take any action. Surprise! to see the due to Trump policies the US is losing its voice. Everyone know that The US and Saudis are every season friends.

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ABBY

Oct 06, 2018 09:17pm

Saudi Arabia is a colony of USA. MBS should say yes sir Master.

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ALI

Oct 06, 2018 09:19pm

Its a wake up call buddy. Have some dignity. You only your show power with the hired hands on poor nations like yemen. What a shame.

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ahamed

Oct 06, 2018 09:20pm

Ignore being bullied, Prince Salman. He means it and it may be right so waiting for a surprise?

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Nauroz Khan

Oct 06, 2018 09:28pm

You Saudi Arabian puppets are now a laughing stock of the world. When Canada correctly pointed out your human rigts abuses, you jumped ten feet in the air and demanded apologies. But when Trump insulted you in the clearest possible words...you're wagging your tail and calling it a misunderstanding. Might is indeed right.

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Anti-Corruption_Pakistani

Oct 06, 2018 10:04pm

In my view, Saudi's will keep quiet about Trump's statement, as they are puppet of USA.

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Athar

Oct 06, 2018 10:18pm

What a pathetic response to such a blatant insult ... compare this to how they reacted to Canada's relatively benign human rights comment from a month ago.

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Secularist

Oct 06, 2018 10:23pm

@babajee I am privy to pricing practices of a client of mine who is a major defense manufacturer in the US. Let me assure you your "overpayment" comment is not off the mark. Saudis have been viewed and will continue to be viewed as the cow that keeps on giving, thanks to its sense of insecurity emanating from mostly internal threats.

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Abbas Khan

Oct 06, 2018 11:14pm

@AMJAD KHAN Well said!!!

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Abbas Khan

Oct 06, 2018 11:17pm

@Dreamer Not exactly!. Russia is getting something out from Syria and Iran for this. You may say true friendship as Iran towards Syria or America towards Israel

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Ghani K

Oct 06, 2018 11:41pm

Al Saud have survived under the protective umbrella of the US. Trump can kick them around, they don't mind. To them national integrity , honour are mere words.

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Hamid Hameed

Oct 07, 2018 12:56am

Respect can't be bought with money.

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AZAM AKBAR

Oct 07, 2018 01:03am

@Nauroz Khan Mr. Nauroz Khan, Unfortunately!! Unfortunately!! Unfortunately!!! Saudis treat the Muslims of Muslim-Majority-Countries as beggars. So they have no friends in such countries. European countries ans the USA know the reality and capacity of the Oil-Producing-Arab-Rulers. And unity amongst the Muslims is on the paper. Alas.

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Deepak

Oct 07, 2018 02:17am

I am so happy to see that India went ahead with Iran Oil and Russian hardware. US can't be trusted... so better buy their weapon by paying them and keep it Seller and Buyer relationship. Trump seems to be very candid when it comes to International relationship.

Recommend 0

Oct 07, 2018 03:57am

Oh wow! he still says "TRUMP IS A FRIEND"

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awan

Oct 07, 2018 05:33am

DT statement is shift in the US policy. KSA never pushed so hard in public. KSA paid even those wars which US started. It is very unfair to KSA. I believe message was many fold, don't bail Pakistan, don't enter CPEC, accept Israel and two state solution when security will remain with Israel. This going on behind the seen and lower oil prices.

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Iqbal Khan

Oct 07, 2018 06:33am

They deserve each other.

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Ahmed

Oct 07, 2018 06:52am

The brave King should recall his ambassador like how he did with Canada. Wait a minute - something tells me he wont be doing that.

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Changez Khan

Oct 07, 2018 07:31am

Trump has no friends, it is Trump versus World.