President Trump embarked on his first foreign trip Friday and is heading to Saudi Arabia, a nation that he recently accused of being the largest supporter of terrorism.
His administration has also signed a $110 billion weapons deal with the Arab nation. This is the largest single arms deal in American history. This deal reportedly includes tanks, anti-missile technology and combat ships.
The Saudi deputy crown prince visited the White House in March, a meeting that was described as a “turning point” by a Saudi adviser.
This alliance with Saudi Arabia has been due to the joint-opposition by the two nations against Iran.
Before taking office, however, Trump identified Saudi Arabia as the “world’s biggest funder of terrorism.” He wrote these comments in his 2011 book, “Time to Get Tough: Make America Great Again!”
“Saudi Arabia funnels our petro dollars, our very own money, to fund the terrorists that seek to destroy our people while the Saudis rely on us to protect them,” Trump wrote. His attacks on the Arab nation continued during his presidential campaign.
The Intercept noted Thursday that twice in a single day Trump said Saudi Arabia was behind the 9/11 terror attacks. He asked “Fox and Friends” hosts on Feb. 17, 2016, “Who blew up the World Trade Center?”
“It wasn’t the Iraqis, it was Saudi — take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents,” Trump continued.
At a campaign rally in South Carolina, he said, “It wasn’t the Iraqis that knocked down the World Trade Center … because they have papers in there that are very secret, you may find it’s the Saudis, OK?”
The Daily Caller has reported that the 9/11 Commission Report found links between the-then Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar bin Sultan and a Saudi intelligence officer who provided assistance to the 9/11 hijackers.
Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham also said in a 2012 affidavit, “I am convinced that there was a direct line between at least some of the terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks and the government of Saudi Arabia.”
Hillary Clinton also tied Saudi Arabia to jihadi terrorism in a speech and email released by WikiLeaks.
