First lady Melania Trump joined President Donald Trump in welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia for a state dinner at the White House on Nov. 18.
The black-tie dinner followed in a series of White House events for the de facto Saudi leader, and Trump praised the prince as “a great friend and a man of leadership, vision, courage and strength.”
It was a surprising affair for Salman, who the CIA has named as having played a lead role in the 2018 assassination of Washington Post columnist Saudi Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
As the U.S. president designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally at the fancy dinner, Melania Trump sat nearby, also notable given her low-profile nature.
"I'd like to also express my gratitude to our wonderful first lady for organizing this beautiful event," Trump said. "She worked hard on it. Thank you very much, Melania."
