It is not the first time Trump has accused Saudi Arabia of failing to pull its weight on defense. During a presidential campaign rally in Wisconsin in 2016 he told the crowd: “They’re not paying us a fair price. We’re losing our shirt.”
But Miriam Eps, a regional security analyst at Le Beck, tells Newsweek that Saudi Arabia is willing to “look the other way” on this kind of rhetoric because of the opportunities Trump offers the kingdom.
“[Gulf] governments are probably willing to compromise on this issue in the face of improved relations and preferred policies under Trump. In other words, if the cost of doing better business with Trump is paying some more for defense, I think they will consider this a very good deal,” she says.