For All Trump’s Talk, the Saudis Don’t Buy That Much Stuff From the U.S. - Bloomberg

For All Trump’s Talk, the Saudis Don’t Buy That Much Stuff From the U.S. - Bloomberg:

Listening to President Donald Trump, you’d think the U.S. economy has a huge amount riding on continued weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Arguing against a rush to judgment in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington-based journalist allegedly murdered by a Saudi hit team, Trump has repeatedly cited the importance of that trade -- and rejected growing calls in Congress to cut it off. “That would be hurting us,” the president said last week. “We have jobs, we have a lot of things happening in this country.”

Trump likes to tout what he describes as $110 billion in arms deals signed during his visit to Riyadh last year. The figure is inflated, according to Bruce Riedel at the Brookings Institution, who analyzed Trump’s claim and found the headline number to be a mishmash of previously signed agreements and vague wishlists. Still, it’s true that Saudi Arabia is a big military spender and one of the best customers for the U.S. arms industry. And its purchases from companies like Lockheed Martin Corp. do generate American jobs.