DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday mocked protesters who took part in “No Kings” demonstrations across the United States while praising his father's business-first approach to the Middle East during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Trump spoke before business leaders and Saudi officials at the Future Investment Initiative, the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who feted President Donald Trump during his Mideast tour in May to the kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Trump backed the prince during his first term even after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi officials at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey. Prince Mohammed plans a trip to Washington next month.
Speaking alongside Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital, Donald Trump Jr. criticized Democratic Party policies and protesters targeting his father. Trump invests in 1789 and continues to work in the real estate arm of the family, the Trump Organization, which has expanded its Mideast offerings even as his father serves his second term in the White House.
In particular, Trump mocked the “No Kings” protests which drew crowds to demonstrations across America, claiming it was “not an organic movement, it's entirely manufactured and paid for by the usual puppets around the world and their" groups.
“If my father was a king, he probably wouldn't have allowed those protests to happen,” he said. “You saw the people that were actually protesting — it's the same crazy liberals from the ‘60s and ’70s, they're just a lot older and fatter.”
Trump made the comments while visiting a nation ruled by an absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized.
The “No Kings” demonstrations, the third mass mobilization since his father's return to the White House, came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that is testing the core balance of power in the United States in a way that protest organizers warn is a slide toward authoritarianism.
Trump separately acknowledged it was his first trip to Saudi Arabia and praised the changes he saw in the kingdom.
“When my father came here, unlike the last presidents who visited here, it wasn't an apology tour,” Trump said. “It was, ‘How do we work together? How do we grow our respective economies? How do we create peace and stability in the region?’”
“There can be 'America-First' component to that, but there also can be a 'Saudi-First' component to that and everyone can actually benefit,” he added.