Although MBS comes to Washington as head of government rather than head of state, Trump will receive him with the full ceremony of a state visit. This isn’t about nostalgia for the old oil-for-security bargain. It’s about building a modern partnership grounded in shared interests: regional stability, defense integration and economic interdependence. When Washington and Riyadh act in concert, the region steadies; when they drift apart, chaos fills the vacuum.
As Trump and MBS meet, a longtime partnership faces new realities
