US intelligence: Saudi crown prince feared Trump's 2020 election defeat

A declassified US intelligence assessment has revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was concerned that Donald Trump could lose the 2020 presidential election, fearing such an outcome would jeopardise Washington's support for Riyadh's strategic priorities.

According to Caliber.Az, the assessment, prepared by the US National Intelligence Council and released by the White House on July 16, said the crown prince had expressed concerns in mid-2019 that Saudi Arabia would lose US backing for its key objectives if Trump were defeated in the 2020 election.

According to the report, US intelligence assessed that the Saudi leadership viewed Trump as the American president most favourably disposed towards the kingdom, making his re-election an important consideration for Riyadh.

The National Intelligence Council operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the work of all 18 US intelligence agencies.

Trump served as US president from 2017 to 2021 before returning to the White House following his victory in the 2024 election.

The report was released as Trump said newly declassified intelligence indicated that US voting systems were highly vulnerable to attack, renewing his claims about election security.

By Aghakazim Guliyev