US President Donald Trump sparked an awkward moment for Saudi officials during a Saudi-backed investment forum when he appeared to mock Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
🤣🇸🇦🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump talking about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman:
“He didn’t think he would be kissing my ass, he really didn’t. And now he has to be nice to me. He better be nice to me” pic.twitter.com/ILnTU2hI6c
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) March 28, 2026
“He did not think this was going to happen. He didn’t think he would be kissing my a**… he thought I would be just another American president of a country going downhill. But now he has to be nice to me,” Trump said in remarks that have since gone viral.
Shift To A Conciliatory Tone
Trump later softened his stance, describing the Crown Prince as “smart” and a “regular kind of a guy,” while also suggesting that perceptions of the United States had improved under his leadership.
“But you know he (Crown Prince Salman) is a smart, a very regular kind of a guy. He said an year ago, you were a dead country and now you are literally the hottest coutry anywhere in the world. And that was before we beat the hell out of Iran,” Trump said.
About The Investment Forum
The forum where Trump spoke brings together business leaders and political figures and is organised by a group affiliated with Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion Public Investment Fund to promote investment opportunities in the kingdom.
Comments On Iran And Regional Tensions
Trump also said the United States is close to “freeing” the Middle East from Iran.
“We’re closer than ever to the rise of the Middle East that is finally free, at last, from Iranian terror aggression and nuclear blackmail,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “For 47 years, Iran has been known as the bully of the Middle East, but they are not the bully any longer. They’re on the run.”
“We saved not just Israel, we saved the Middle East and it was proven by all those rockets that fired down upon you. Saudi Arabia got hit a lot,” Trump added, referring to retaliatory drone and missile strikes from Iran on Gulf allies.
Backdrop Of Ongoing Conflict
Trump’s remarks come days after a New York Times report said Saudi Arabia has been in constant contact with the US, urging it to continue strikes on Iran and describing the conflict as a “historic opportunity” to reshape the region.
At the same time, the conflict has placed Saudi Arabia in a precarious position, with the kingdom facing retaliatory threats from Iran. Iranian strikes have reportedly targeted key Saudi energy infrastructure, including the Ras Tanura refinery and the Shaybah oil field, which has a production capacity of around one million barrels of crude per day.
