Donald Trump Says Saudi Arabia Won’t Survive Even Two Weeks Sans US Military Support

While addressing a rally in Southaven, Mississippi, the US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he warned Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz that he would not last in power for even two weeks without US military support.

“We protect Saudi Arabia,” the President said. “Would you say they’re rich. And I love the King, King Salman. But I said ‘King – we’re protecting you – you might not be there for two weeks without us – you have to pay for your military.”

It remains unclear as to when Trump made the comments to Saud Arabia’s King, but they come amid increasing oil prices in the US. According to a report coming from the state-run Saudi Press Agency, Trump and King Salman spoke on the phone Saturday and discussed ways on how to maintain supplies to ensure market stability and global economic growth.

Notably, oil supply and prices are common interests of the US and Saudi Arabia, which is the world’s top oil exporter and OPEC kingpin. Last month, Trump urged OPEC producers to increase oil production levels to prevent further price escalation ahead of the November mid-term elections. The Trump administration’s push to reduce oil prices comes as the White House prepares to impose sanctions against Iran.

While addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Trump said OPEC members were “as usual ripping off the rest of the world.”

“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices,” the US President said. “Not good. We want them to stop raising prices, we want them to start lowering prices.”

The Trump administration also wants countries including Japan, Germany, and South Korea to take more of their defense financial burden.