Axios reported that a private meeting between Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) turned unexpectedly tense when the US president pushed Riyadh to move ahead with normalization with the Israeli regime.

Three sources told the outlet that the exchange, which took place on November 18, exposed a sharp divide between US expectations and Saudi political realities, despite the leaders projecting harmony in public.

According to US officials, the White House informed the crown prince beforehand that Trump wanted concrete movement on bringing Saudi Arabia into the normalization agreements with the Israeli regime.

Trump raised the issue early in the meeting and pressed the crown prince to commit. But MBS reportedly resisted, arguing that the Saudi public is fiercely opposed to normalization in the aftermath of "Israel's" ongoing assault on Gaza.

Saudi Resistance

He told Trump the timing was impossible, stressing that Saudi society would not accept such a move under current conditions. While the crown prince reiterated that he is not opposed to normalization in principle, he made clear that any agreement would require "Israel" to accept “an irreversible, credible and time-bound path” toward a Palestinian state.

Arab and US officials told Axios the position directly clashes with the stance of "Israel's" current government, which rejects any such process.

Sources familiar with the meeting said that Trump was visibly frustrated as MBS pushed back. One person described the atmosphere as strained, saying, “The best way to say it is disappointment and irritation. The president really wants them to join the Abraham Accord. He tried very hard to talk him. It was an honest discussion. But MBS is a strong man. He stood his ground.”

Narrative Spin

White House officials later framed Trump's push as part of his so-called regional vision. One said that Trump views expanding the normalization accords as central to reshaping Middle Eastern politics, adding: “Now that Iran's nuclear program has been totally obliterated and the war in Gaza has ended, it is very important to President Trump that all Middle Eastern countries join the Abraham Accords, which will advance peace in the region.”

While this reflects the administration's talking points, independent assessments indicate that Iran's nuclear programme remains damaged but intact, and Israeli military attacks in Gaza continue despite the existence of a ceasefire agreement.

Jets, QME Dispute

Tensions also emerged over military guarantees. During their public remarks, Trump told MBS he would provide Saudi Arabia with the same model of F-35 fighter jets currently reserved for "Israel."

But US and Israeli officials told Axios that Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the next day to clarify that the Saudis would receive a downgraded version.

Rubio also assured Netanyahu that Washington would safeguard "Israel's" legally mandated qualitative military edge. “We told the Israelis we are committed to the QME and we are not going to violate it,” one official said.

One notable omission from the discussion was the ongoing lawsuit filed by families of 9/11 victims, which a US judge recently allowed to proceed. The ruling cited extensive evidence pointing to Saudi involvement in the 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Trump chose not to raise the matter at all during his meeting with the crown prince.

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