'Sorry, you lose!' Saudi crown prince jokes about bets on him wearing a black suit at Trump dinner

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) attended a grand black-tie dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday. The prince wore his usual attire and joked that he was told there were sites that were betting on him wearing a black suit. The dinner was attended by bigwigs from the fields of sports, business, energy, media and technology. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) cracked a joke in front of Trump as he greeted him, telling him and the media that he had been informed about internet betting sites speculating about his attire at the gala. He said, “Before I came here, someone told me that there are betting sites where you can bet on me wearing a black suit, and if you bet on me, you could get almost a 17x." MBS quipped cheekily, "Sorry, you lose the bet. Better luck next time!" as Trump and Melania smiled.

Also Read: Trump upgrades Saudi Arabia to major non-NATO ally status as MBS gets red carpet welcome

Musk and Ronaldo attended Trump-Salman dinner

The crown prince's sense of humour became the highlight of the grand gala. The dinner was a sign of the deep financial ties the US and Saudi Arabia share. The invitees included SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who seems to have mended ties with Trump. The Saudis are said to be investing heavily in Musk's business ventures, which meant his presence did not come as a surprise. Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo was also at the dinner. He plays for the Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr based in Riyadh. He signed a new two-year contract with the club in June this year, as part of which he is getting $640,000 per day, besides a $32 million signing bonus and also a reported 15 per cent ownership stake in the club, worth $43million.

Also Read: ‘He knew nothing’: Trump sides with MBS on journalist Khashoggi’s murder; Saudi crown prince calls it ‘huge mistake’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended the lavish do, hinting at his closeness to Trump and Saudi leadership. Notably, Saudi Arabia is hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Mary Barra of General Motors and William Clay Ford Jr of Ford Motor Company were also present, besides Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.

Trump defends Salman on the question of murdered journalist Khashoggi

Meanwhile, Trump is also facing flak for inviting MBS and defending him when the prince was asked about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump insisted the kingdom's de facto ruler "knew nothing" about the murder, calling Khashoggi an "extremely controversial" man and that "a lot of people didn't like" him. “Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen,” Trump said of the killing of Khashoggi. "You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that," the US President added.

As per a report by the Associated Press, US intelligence officials concluded that Khashoggi was likely killed by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul following approval by Salman.