Image source, Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi football club Al-Nassr, will be at the White House today for the Saudi crown prince's visit, an official confirms.

They did not say whether he is part of the delegation.

Ronaldo is one of the world's most famous football players and has become the face of the Saudi Pro League, which is Saudi Arabia's top flight football league.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Among the topics that are to be discussed today at the meeting between Trump and the crown prince are the sale of advanced US F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia - a controversial move that has raised eyebrows among some observers.

In the US, some defence officials have expressed concern that sales of the jet - considered the world's most advanced - would give the Saudis access to sensitive stealth technologies, which it could then share with China under a partnership between the two countries.

In Israel, some officials have also noted that F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia could upset Israel's qualitative military edge in the region. At the moment, Israel is the only country in the Middle East that operates the aircraft.

Trump, however, has been adamant that the sale will go through, saying on Monday that "we will be selling F-35 jets" and that the Saudis have been a "great ally".

Image source, Reuters

The United States will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, President Trump told reporters in the White House yesterday.

"I will say that we will be doing that; we'll be selling F-35s, yeah," Trump said in the Oval Office the day before hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis "want to buy" them, and they've "been a great ally", Trump added.

More on that in our story here.

Why is this visit controversial?published at 15:14 GMT 18 November 2025

15:14 GMT 18 November 2025

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

This is Mohammed bin Salman’s first visit to the US since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi insider turned critic and US-based newspaper columnist.

His killing and dismemberment at the hands of Saudi agents in Turkey in 2018 sparked global outrage.

A US intelligence assessment later concluded bin Salman had approved the operation that led to his killing.

He has denied any prior knowledge but said as Saudi leader he accepted responsibility for it.

Following the killing, the first Trump administration sanctioned 17 Saudi officials for their alleged role in the murder, which was followed by increasing global isolation for the crown prince.

President Joe Biden entered office vowing to make a “pariah” of Saudi Arabia. He restricted some US arms sales to the country citing the “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe” of its role in the war in Yemen.

Ultimately, though, desperate for relief to rising fuel prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden ended up visiting Saudi Arabia - notoriously fist bumping the crown prince - and kickstarting bin Salman’s rehabilitation in the eyes of the West.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

Preparations for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's White House visit began early.

Dozens of green Saudi flags adorn Pennsylvania Avenue and nearby Lafayette Park, where they have been affixed to lamp posts alongside US flags.

This is technically a "working visit", which generally have less pomp than a more formal "state visit" by foreign leaders.

That is not the case today. When the crown prince arrives, he will be met by ceremonial cannon fire - a rare honour for which the US Army was rehearsing on the South Lawn just a few days ago.

At 11:45 local time (16:45 GMT), President Trump and bin Salman will have their Oval Office meeting, which will be open to today's White House press pool.

After lunch the crown prince will leave the White House, but will again meet Trump in the evening at a gala dinner being held in the White House's East Room.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump is set to host Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

The pair are expected to sign a defence pact, and discuss AI investments and the war in Gaza.

The visit follows Trump's announcement on Monday that the US would be selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

The US president visited the Gulf Kingdom in May, where the two leaders signed deals which the White House claimed were worth some $600bn (£456bn) in investment in the US.

And this is the first time the crown prince has visited the White House since 2018. In the same year, prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The incident has proven to be a point of tension with the US - Trump has previously described it as the "worst cover-up in history".

US intelligence suggested that bin Salman approved the operation. The crown prince has denied any involvement.

We'll be bringing you the latest here as the two leaders meet at the White House.