Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump's Secretary of State Is Getting Dragged for His All Smiles Photo Op With Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

Donald Trump's Secretary of State Is Getting Dragged for His All Smiles Photo Op With Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, on October 16, 2018. - Pompeo held talks with Saudi King Salman seeking answers about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid US media reports the kingdom may be mulling an admission he died during a botched interrogation. (Photo by LEAH MILLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Message received.

U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday amid growing evidence that the Saudis orchestrated the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo traveled to Riyadh at the behest of President Donald Trump to get answers on Khashoggi's death as Trump tries to salvage a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudis.


The United States and Saudi Arabia are "strong and old allies. We face our challenges together -- the past, the day of tomorrow," MBS told reporters after meeting with Pompeo.

But the smiley, jovial images coming out of the meeting are sending a message that one man's life is less valuable than the sale of weapons to a country known for its funding of terrorist activity.

Republican strategist and vocal Trump critic Ana Navarro tweeted that the Saudis "just chopped-up a journalist who was a US Permanent Resident. He lived in the US. He worked at a US company. What in the hell is there to smile about? Disgusting."

Activist Leah McElrath had a much harsher take on the photo-op.

"Pompeo met with MBS in Saudi Arabia today. This photo op was a choice," she tweeted. "A choice that sends a signal to the world: 'Assassinate perceived dissidents with impunity. This administration will smile by your side.'"

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, a colleague of Khashoggi, said that the "suckuppery" to Saudi Arabia was "nauseating."

Trump has boasted that the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia would create hundreds of thousands of American jobs and that it's better for the world if the Saudis purchase American-made weapons of war, rather than those of China or Russia.

Trump has vowed "severe punishment" if the Saudis were directly responsible for Khashoggi's death but has reaffirmed his commitment to the weapons sale

This is fueling a firestorm of dissent on social media.

Business as usual is not sitting well with the viewing public.

The optics for the United States have been far from stellar.

Trump has suggested without evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible for Khashoggi's death despite audio and video recordings of the murder claimed to be in possession of Turkish officials and an evolving cover story being pushed by the Saudis.

The Saudi government is reportedly preparing to announce that Khashoggi, who was interrogated, tortured and murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul October 2, was killed by accident during a botched interrogation.

"Two sources close to the kingdom confirmed to CBS News later on Monday that the Saudi government was planning to admit he was killed, but call it an accident," Tucker Reals reported on Tuesday.

It won't be so easy, however, to write off the 15 Saudi operatives lying in wait inside the Saudi Consulate for Khashoggi's arrival with a bone saw in hand as an accident.

Following his meeting with MBS and other high-ranking Saudi officials, Pompeo "thanked the King for Saudi Arabia's strong partnership with the United States," and for "his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance."

More from People/donald-trump

Vivian Wilson
@vivllainous/Instagram

Elon Musk's Trans Daughter Just Made Her Drag Debut At An Anti-ICE Fundraiser—And Fans Are Obsessed

Elon Musk's disowned trans daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson has made a name for herself online for mercilessly dragging the father who once said she was "dead" to him because she was "killed by the woke mind virus."

But recently she took it to a new level, leveraging her fame in her first drag performance at a Los Angeles anti-ICE fundraiser.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Administration Fast-Tracks Eliminating National Suicide Hotline's LGBTQ+ Youth Support

On Wednesday morning, news broke that the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was eliminating certain suicide and self harm resources provided through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The lifeline offered callers options to speak to people who specialize in meeting their needs. But the Trump administration decided this was a service that LGBTQ+ young people don't deserve.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less