Trump throwing lavish dinner 'with a lot of pomp' for Saudi crown prince in a week: report

President Donald Trump is planning a dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman reported on Thursday.

"Invitations have been going out for a Nov. 18 dinner PRESIDENT TRUMP is throwing for Saudi Crown Prince MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN in D.C.," Sherman posted on X. "Not a state dinner because he's not officially the head of state. But a formal dinner with a lot of pomp. Some members of Congress, members of admin and biz leaders all invited."

Trump has long sought to cultivate a strong relationship with the Saudi crown prince, who has postured himself as a moderate reformer of his country but has been accused by human rights observers of suppressing dissent and consolidating absolute power.

The issue came to a head during Trump's first term, when Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident critic of the regime, was reportedly murdered on the Saudi prince's orders at an embassy in Turkey.

Legendary Watergate reporter Bob Woodward has alleged in his writings that Trump bragged about helping the Saudi royals cover up this killing.