Trump Dismisses Khashoggi Murder, US Media Moves On
When Donald Trump shrugged off Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder, saying 'Things happen,' directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Independent called it a worry for press freedom. (As if press freedom was ever the priority in US-Saudi relations.) This isn't just about one former president's lack of decorum, it's a normalized policy of overlooking egregious human rights abuses, whether
assassinating journalists or indiscriminately bombing Yemen. Remember, the Biden administration, despite campaign rhetoric, has continued to sell massive arms packages to Saudi Arabia, ensuring the 'things that happen' keep happening. While the Khashoggi killing drew brief outrage, the US continued to provide billions in military aid—aid that fueled the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has displaced
millions and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The 'worry' isn't Trump, it's the bipartisan consensus that oil, arms sales, and now 'normalization' deals outweigh a journalist's life or countless Yemeni lives. The media's selective outrage allows the machinery of this indifference to grind on, regardless of who is in the Oval Office.