Video Trump and Saudi crown prince on murder of Jamal Khashoggi

In a heated exchange with ABC News' Mary Bruce, President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were pressed for answers about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump and the Saudi prince faced intense scrutiny over their visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia earlier this week, where they met with King Salman in a tense session that drew criticism from 9/11 families who claim they were ignored by Trump as part of a wider backlash against the US decision to waive arms sales to Riyadh.

In response to questions about Khashoggi's death and ongoing human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed claimed that the journalist had left the country voluntarily and downplayed any alleged involvement by the Saudi government. Meanwhile, Trump sought to distance himself from the controversy over their visit, saying "I don't think" he had discussed arms sales with King Salman, despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise.

The exchange came as tensions simmer between Washington and Riyadh following a US intelligence assessment that concluded Saudi Arabia was involved in Khashoggi's murder. Critics have also accused the Saudi prince of using his high-profile visit to distract from ongoing human rights abuses at home, including the torture of dissidents and the silencing of women activists.

In the face of mounting pressure over their actions, Trump and Prince Mohammed offered little in the way of concrete reassurance or accountability for the Khashoggi killing. Instead, they opted to press forward with a public relations campaign that has so far failed to quell the growing unrest on both sides of the Atlantic.

I'm not sure what's more worrying - the fact that Trump and MBS are still dodging questions about Khashoggi's murder or how they think they can just whitewash their human rights record with a PR stunt . The whole thing feels so scripted and rehearsed, it's hard to take them seriously when they're not owning up to their mistakes. What really gets me is that these guys are trying to play victims in the eyes of their own people while the rest of us are still trying to figure out what happened to Jamal .

Ugh I'm so done with Trump and MBS ... Like, come on guys, you can't just sweep this under the rug. Jamal's life was literally cut short because of your country's alleged involvement in his murder. And now you're trying to downplay it? No thanks. I don't trust either of you for a second . The 9/11 families are right, Trump needs to be held accountable for ignoring them during his visit... it's just another example of his complete lack of empathy and compassion . And MBS is just using this PR stunt as an excuse to distract from the human rights abuses happening in Saudi Arabia... I mean, can't he see that his actions are speaking way louder than his words?

I'm still confused about what's going on with Jamal Khashoggi... like, wasn't he killed in the consulate or something? And now Trump is saying he didn't even know anything about arms sales to Saudi Arabia? That doesn't add up to me. I feel bad for the families of 9/11 who are still hurting from that tragedy and now they're being ignored by the President again. It's like, what's going on with these guys? Are they really just gonna sweep this under the rug? The Saudi prince is not helping either, downplaying everything like he's above the law or something... it's all so messed up.

omg I'm literally shocked by this exchange between Trump and the Saudi prince they're trying to downplay the whole Khashoggi thing and shift the blame onto Jamal's "voluntary" departure from the country? come on, that doesn't add up . and what really gets me is how they're trying to use this as a distraction from the human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia I mean, can't they see that just because Khashoggi was a journalist who spoke out against the government doesn't mean we have to turn a blind eye?

I'm still shaking my head over this whole thing... like what is going on here? They're trying to downplay the whole Jamal Khashoggi thing and now they're at it again with Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses? I mean, come on, Trump and MBS, can't you just tell us the truth for once? The 9/11 families are still hurting from those attacks and now you guys are just glossing over that and moving forward with arms sales?! It's like you're trying to sweep everything under the rug. And what really gets me is how they're using this whole trip as a PR stunt to distract us from all these human rights issues... it's just not working, folks!

Ugh, can you believe these two? Trump and MBS are just trying to sweep this under the rug . They're not even bothering to try to spin it in a way that's remotely believable. The guy just admitted he didn't discuss arms sales with King Salman, but we know that's not true . And come on, Prince Mohammed thinks Jamal left Saudi voluntarily? Are they kidding me? The dude was killed by the very people he's supposed to be "protecting" and now he's trying to downplay it like it's no big deal. It's sickening. And what really gets my goat is that they're more worried about their PR campaign than actually addressing the issue at hand . Meanwhile, we're still waiting for some real answers from these guys...

I'm so frustrated with how these guys are handling the Jamal Khashoggi situation . I mean, come on, it's not like this is some new info - we've known for ages that Saudi Arabia was involved in his death. And yet, Trump and Mohammed bin Salman are still trying to downplay it? It's just so... shady . I don't trust them at all. They're more worried about saving face than actually doing what's right. And the way they're trying to distract from the real issues with their PR stunt is just laughable . Can't they see that this is only making things worse? The whole thing feels so scripted and rehearsed, like they're reading from a script . Trump needs to take responsibility for his actions (or lack thereof) and stop trying to bully the media into silence . And Mohammed bin Salman needs to start taking care of his own people instead of just looking out for himself . The whole thing is just so... ugh

I'm still shaking my head about Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed's visit . I mean, come on, how can you just downplay Jamal Khashoggi's murder like it's no big deal? The guy was a journalist who was brutally killed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and they're saying he left voluntarily? Like, what even is that? And Trump trying to distance himself from the whole thing... I don't believe him, tbh . The guy's been all over the news for his arms deals with Saudi Arabia, and now he's playing dumb about it? It's like, guys, you can't just spin this away and expect everyone to forget. The 9/11 families are still hurting, and we need answers, not empty promises .

can't believe trump is still dodging this issue and msalh is like 2-faced prince Mohammed just spouting whatever he thinks people want to hear meanwhile, US is basically backing a gov that's been accused of human rights abuses and murder it's getting embarrassing for trump to keep going on about his " america first" agenda when he's so clearly complicit in the saudis' dirty work

this whole thing is so messed up... think about it - a journalist gets murdered and you've got two people (Trump & MBS) who are more concerned with saving face than actually answering questions... it's like they're trying to erase what happened instead of owning up to their mistakes.

This whole situation with Trump and MBS is just wild... like, how can they just act like nothing's wrong? Jamal Khashoggi's murder was super obvious and now it seems like they're trying to sweep it under the rug. Newsflash: PR campaigns don't work on this level of human rights abuse. I'm all for keeping things diplomatic with Saudi Arabia, but come on... accountability matters! Trump's denial about arms sales is laughable - who does he think he's fooling? And MBS's claim that Khashoggi left voluntarily? Give me a break . The whole thing just reeks of a cover-up.

omg u guys can't even believe what's going down right now ! trump & saudi prince are straight up dodging questions about jamal khashoggi's murder like it's no big deal meanwhile, 9/11 families are still grieving and getting ignored by the dude who's supposed to be leading the free world i mean, come on, how can u just downplay a human rights abuse and expect ppl to move on? it's all about politics as usual for these guys they're more concerned with their public image than actually addressing the issues at hand this whole thing is giving me LIFE (and not in a good way)

I'm so worried about Jamal's family and all the people who care about justice and human rights. It feels like nobody is listening to their pain ... it's crazy how Trump and Mohammed bin Salman can just dismiss everything and pretend like they're not involved . The fact that 9/11 families feel ignored by Trump makes me so sad ... he needs to take responsibility for his actions and make sure those who are silenced can speak up again . We need more empathy and less politics in these situations .

They're playing dumb like a bad cop show . Trump and Mohammed bin Salman are not buying it, we can see right through their lies . It's all about saving face and maintaining power, no matter how many lives they have to sacrifice for it . The fact that they're more concerned with PR than actual accountability is the real crime .

I mean, I don't think Trump's actions are that bad ... but at the same time, he's totally ignoring Jamal Khashoggi's murder and it's super suspicious . Prince Mohammed seems like a pretty terrible dude too , but maybe he didn't have anything to do with the whole thing? I mean, who knows what really went down in that consulate? The 9/11 families are right to be upset though, and Trump's visit was super weird. But did the US really make a huge mistake by waiving those arms sales? Idk...

This whole thing is just a perfect example of how out of touch Trump and Saudi Arabia are. I mean, come on, they're trying to spin this as if Khashoggi left voluntarily? Give me a break! We all know what really happened here. It's like they think we're not paying attention or something. And don't even get me started on the arms sales – it's just so cringeworthy that Trump tries to distance himself from it now. Like, dude, you can't just pretend you didn't discuss it with King Salman! It's all about damage control and PR at this point, but it's not gonna work. The 9/11 families are right to be outraged, and the fact that Trump ignores them is just another example of his callousness. This whole thing reeks of Saudi Arabia trying to whitewash their human rights abuses. It's time for some real accountability here!

Saudi Arabia is getting away w/ stuff Trump & Mohammed are dodgy I'm not buying their BS Jamal Khashoggi's death was a huge deal and it's still not getting the attention it deserves The fact that they're trying to spin this as if Khashoggi left voluntarily is laughable and those arms sales? come on, Trump! You can't just brush that under the rug . The people are watching and we won't let you get away w/ it