Trump: Saudi king wouldn’t last 2 weeks without US support
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia’s king “might not be there for two weeks” without U.S. military support, further increasing his pressure on one of America’s closest Mideast allies over rising oil prices.
As crude oil prices reach a four-year high, Trump repeatedly has demanded OPEC and Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, push prices down. However, analysts are warning prices could go up to $100 a barrel as the world’s production is already stretched and Trump’s sanctions on Iran’s oil industry take effect in early November.
Criticizing America’s longstanding military relationships with allies has been a hallmark of Trump’s presidential campaign and his time in office. Trump returned to that theme Tuesday night in Southaven, Mississippi, mentioning both Japan and South Korea.
However, Trump’s comments on Saudi Arabia implied the kingdom’s Al Saud monarchy, which oversees the holiest sites in Islam, would collapse without American military support.