Elon Musk appeared to ask a fellow guest whether he believed Saudi Arabia‘s Crown Prince was a terrorist, according to a lipreader.
The billionaire donor, who spectacularly blew up his relationship with Donald Trump six months ago, has firmly returned to the president’s good graces – attending a lavish banquet in honor of Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday.
But Musk couldn’t resist a risqué remark to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. He took a sip from his glass and then asked mischievously, ‘What is your opinion, is he a terrorist?’
Bourla appeared stunned by the question, according to The Lip Reader.
Prince Salman was making his first visit to the White House in seven years following the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
He was treated to a spectacular dinner by Trump and his wife Melania who paid a subtle tribute to Saudi in a green $3,350 gown from Elie Saab.
Other guests included Cristiano Ronaldo, Donald Trump Jr. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Fox News’ Bret Baier and Maria Bartiromo.
Business leaders on hand included Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook, Charles Schwab, General Motors’ Mary Barra, and Palantir’s Alex Karp.
Elon Musk chats with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla at a dinner in honor of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, at the White House on Tuesday
Prince Salman and Donald Trump shake hands affectionately
Donald Trump Jr. chats to other guests at the dinner at the White House
Trump and Melania wait for the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
America’s relationship with Saudi was sent into a tailspin after the assassination of Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the tyrannical kingdom, which executes some 350 people per year, including political dissidents and homosexuals.
Trump was grilled on Tuesday about Prince Salman’s connections to the journalist’s killing after giving him a lavish welcome, including an Air Force flyover – a display usually reserved for America’s closest allies.
‘You’re mentioning someone [Khashoggi] that was extremely controversial,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
‘A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen. But he [Prince Salman] knew nothing about it.’
Khashoggi, who lived in Virginia, and worked as a columnist for the Washington Post, was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was ambushed by 15 agents, suffocated and hacked to pieces. His remains have never been found.
The crown prince has denied any involvement but US intelligence is said to believe he likely directed the agents to carry it out.
ABC News’s Mary Bruce cited US intelligence when saying to Prince Salman ‘you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist’ and also noted that ‘9/11 families are furious that you’re here in the Oval Office.’
‘Why should Americans trust you?’ she asked, with Trump asking, ‘Who are you with?’ throughout her inquiry.
Cristiano Ronaldo was front and center of a selfie at the White House with (L to R): Elon Musk, Gianni Infantino, David Sacks, Allison Lutnick, Howard Lutnick, his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez and Greg Brockman
The Portuguese soccer star was among the guests at a White House dinner on Tuesday night
He then labeled Bruce ‘fake news’ before defending the crown prince.
Trump blew up at the journalist a second time, even threatening to pull ABC’s license, when she asked a follow-up on the Epstein files.
‘It’s not the question that I mind, it’s your attitude,’ Trump snapped. ‘I think you’re a terrible reporter,’ he added, calling her ‘insubordinate.’
Prince Salman eventually answered the Khashoggi question by saying that it was ‘really painful to hear anyone losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way.’
‘And it’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia. We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia. And we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that,’ the crown prince added.
Despite the Khashoggi scandal, Trump has stayed close to the Saudi royal family.
He welcomed the crown prince to the White House for the first time since the journalist’s killing with a flyover of F-15s and F-35s, a parade of horses, and a pat on the back – an apparent breach of royal protocol.
When Biden traveled to Saudi in 2022, he didn’t want to appear overly friendly due to the Khashoggi killing, so he greeted the crown prince not with a handshake but a fist bump. That move was met with controversy because it looked even friendlier.
In addition to Trump’s deepening political ties with Saudi, the Trump family has substantial private business interests in the Gulf state, including a colossal residential skyscraper planned for Jeddah.
