Axios: Behind closed doors, Trump–Bin Salman talks turn heated

Two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the meeting told Axios that the encounter last week between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman grew tense when they discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing ties with Israel.

With the Gaza war now over and a fragile ceasefire in place, Trump had hoped his meeting with the Crown Prince would help advance normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Axios wrote that although both leaders publicly praised each other and showed no sign of disagreement, parts of their closed-door meeting were tense. According to informed officials, Trump was frustrated by Mohammed bin Salman’s negative reaction.

According to Axios, White House officials had told the Saudi Crown Prince ahead of the meeting that Trump expected progress toward Saudi-Israeli normalization.

U.S. officials told the outlet that during the November 18 meeting, it was Trump who raised the issue and pressed bin Salman to join the Abraham Accords.

Officials told Axios that tensions rose when Trump kept insisting and Mohammed bin Salman pushed back.

Three sources told Axios that the Crown Prince explained to Trump that while he does want to move forward with normalization, he cannot do so now because Saudi public opinion has become strongly anti-Israel after the Gaza war. He said Saudi society is not ready for such a step at this moment.

A source familiar with the meeting’s details and a U.S. official said that although Trump and bin Salman were polite, the conversation was difficult.

Bin Salman has insisted that, in exchange for a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, Israel must agree to “an irreversible, credible, and time-bound pathway” toward establishing a Palestinian state. He made this position clear publicly after the meeting as well.

A U.S. official said: “Bin Salman never said no to normalization. The door is open for it in the future. But the two-state solution remains an issue.”