Former President Donald Trump recently engaged in a conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a report by The New York Times.
Trump has previously described the Saudi ruler as "a friend of mine" whom he protected from congressional scrutiny.
The conversation, the first publicly disclosed since Trump's departure from the White House, remains undisclosed in terms of its content or whether it was their sole exchange since Trump's presidency ended in 2021, as per The Times. Both Trump and representatives from the Saudi government did not respond to The Times' inquiries regarding the discussion.
The continued relationship between Trump and the Saudi ruler is not surprising, given that Saudi Arabia was the first foreign country Trump visited during his tenure.
Their relationship extends beyond politics into financial interests as well.
In November 2022, a Saudi real estate developer announced a deal with the Trump Organization to use the Trump brand for a $4 billion real estate project in Oman.
Additionally, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former top aide, received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia into his investment fund after leaving the White House.
Trump has bragged about his relationship with the Saudi ruler, telling journalist Bob Woodward in 2020, "I saved his ass... I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop."
Requests for comment from Business Insider to representatives for Trump and the Saudi foreign ministry outside regular business hours were not immediately answered.