NPR Fact-Checks Trump's Saudi Business, Misses the Point
While NPR's fact-check (citing Forbes' Dan Alexander) might confirm if Trump's family did indeed do 'little' or 'much' business with the Saudis, it conveniently sidesteps the larger scandal: the US government's unwavering support for the Saudi regime itself. Trump's business dealings are a footnote when compared to decades of bipartisan arms sales, intelligence sharing, and diplomatic cover
provided to a nation known for its human rights abuses and destabilizing regional interventions, from Yemen to Khashoggi. (Remember when US intelligence confirmed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s murder? Washington barely flinched.) The media frames this as a 'Trump' problem, but it's a systemic US foreign policy problem. How many presidents, from both parties, have 'done
business' with the Saudis, not just individually, but on behalf of the American public, funneling billions worth of advanced weaponry into their hands? NPR's laser focus on Trump's real estate deals distracts from the bipartisan embrace of the very monarchy that continues to export Wahhabism and crush dissent.