WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 – With President Trump hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in Washington, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement:
Yesterday, Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) of Saudi Arabia in his gold-leafed office, calling him his “very good friend.” This extravagant welcome for the Saudi dictator, head of the wealthiest family on Earth, is notable for several reasons.
First, by cozying up to MBS — the man who starved hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen, had a U.S. journalist dismembered with a bone saw, and has ordered a record numbers of executions in the last two years — Trump signals to the world that the United States is now on the side of authoritarianism, not democracy.
Second, last night’s lavish White House dinner revealed why: greed. Trump brought American oligarchs, some of the wealthiest people in the world, together with his multibillionaire Saudi guests to schmooze and strike deals. Elon Musk, having spent $290 million to elect Trump, secured Saudi backing to build a massive data center in Saudi Arabia. That data center will run on microchips made by Nvidia, whose CEO, Jensen Huang, also attended. So did Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, following Trump’s announcement of F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia worth tens of billions. What we saw in that dinner was the global oligarchy coming together in plain sight.
Today, a handful of multibillionaires — including MBS, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, and others at that dinner — are gaining more and more wealth and power. While these multibillionaires become even richer, the vast majority of Americans are struggling to put food on the table and pay for housing and health care. Further, through their enormous wealth and campaign contributions, these oligarchs are undermining democracy in the United States and around the world.
Third, this week again exposed Trump’s extraordinary kleptocracy. You will not be surprised to learn that as Trump provides favorable treatment to the Saudis, his family is pursuing lucrative real estate deals in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-owned professional golf league regularly hosts tournaments at Trump properties, bringing in tens of millions. And Saudi Arabia has invested $2 billion in Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s firm and recently backed a $55 billion takeover of Electronic Arts with his involvement.
These are the forces now shaping American foreign policy and the world economy. Not human rights, not democratic values, not the security of the American people, but the personal financial interests of Trump and his fellow oligarchs. All over the world, including the United States, working people are standing up and fighting back. They are saying NO to oligarchy. They are saying NO to authoritarianism. And they are saying NO to continued attacks against the working class. Yes, they have wealth and power. But we have the people. We will win.
