President Donald Trump described Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “good friend” just one day after relatives of 9/11 victims called for greater accountability over the kingdom’s alleged connections to the September 11 attacks.
Trump addressed reporters during a Saturday visit to Ireland, where he appeared alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin and was asked about a recent phone conversation with the Saudi crown prince, widely known as MBS.
The discussion reportedly centered on the growing strength of the Houthis, who have recently seized control of a substantial area of Yemen.
“Well, I had a call with MBS,” Trump said. “He’s a good friend of mine, and I can just say everything is gonna work out fine and dandy. It’s gonna be very good.”
The latest Houthi campaign has expanded the Islamist group’s influence over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategically vital shipping route for global oil supplies that is often compared with the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Axios, MBS contacted Trump twice on Thursday to seek US military action against the Houthis. The president reportedly turned down the request.
Trump’s decision not to authorize strikes came after he faced criticism at a nationally televised Manhattan memorial service, where his relationship with Saudi Arabia was scrutinized because of the country’s alleged links to some of the 9/11 hijackers.
Terry Strada, whose husband Tom Strada was killed on September 11, received applause as she accused Saudi Arabia of promoting “anti-American terrorism” and dispatching agents to assist the hijackers.
Trump called Saudi Arabia’s MBS a “good friend” one day after 9/11 victims’ relatives urged him to distance himself from the kingdom over its alleged role in the terrorist plot 25 years ago.
Terry Strada, widow of 9/11 victim Tom Strada, was applauded when she accused Saudi Arabia of fostering “anti-American terrorism” and sending agents to help the hijackers during Friday’s Manhattan memorial service.
US-Saudi ties have flourished under Trump, who has for years touted his warm relationship with the 41-year-old MBS
‘For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families,’ she said.
US-Saudi ties have flourished under Trump, who has for years touted his warm relationship with the 41-year-old MBS.
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The two leaders have rolled out the red carpets for one another on state visits last year, and Trump cut Saudi a $1 trillion deal to exchange military tech, rare earths and nuclear.
MBS’s reported request for help to combat the Houthi forces appears to be a reversal from July, when Saudi officials urged their US counterparts that they could handle the terrorist group on their own.
Central Command (CENTCOM) boss Admiral Brett Cooper flew to Saudi Arabia this week for emergency meetings, Axios reported.
Trump has engaged with Saudi and its leader despite the outcry, though he has not been the singular target of this particular critique.
Friday at the 9/11 memorial, Strada urged the president to ‘tell the Saudis to stop lying’ and make clear they cannot be friends with the USA while denying their role in the attacks.
Though Trump was not present, instead at the Pentagon, Vice President JD Vance and former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden were present in New York to receive the tongue-lashing themselves.
Saudi Armed Forces honor guardsmen stand for the review of the troops by President Donald Trump, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, at the Royal Palace, May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump’s first international visit of his second term was to Saudi Arabia
Oil tanker burns in the Gulf after being targeted by Iran. Officials are concenred the recent Houthi territorial seizures could embolden the group to attack oil vessels
The families are pressing the Trump administration to declassify records including phone logs purportedly belonging to Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national the FBI identified in 2022 documents as an agent of Saudi intelligence.
Their decade-old lawsuit against the kingdom is now moving toward trial.
The White House said last week that Trump’s team is working to identify records responsive to the families’ request.
9/11 survivors and victims’ families have long accused the Saudi government of helping the hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.
Saudi Arabia has denied any role in the attacks and has fought the families’ lawsuit in federal court for years.