WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump made a non-diplomatic statement on Saudi Arabia, his country's closest ally on Tuesday, saying he had warned King Salman that he would not stay in power for two weeks without US military support.
I love the king, King Salman, but I said, 'King, we protect you - you may not be able to stay for two weeks without us - you have to pay for your army.' "" We are protecting you, "Trump told an election rally in Southaven, Mississippi.
Trump did not say when he told the Saudi king.
Despite harsh rhetoric, the Trump administration has established a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it sees as a bulwark against Iran's ambitions in the region.
Saudi Arabia was the first leg of his first international flight after taking office last year.
Trump called King Salman on Saturday and they discussed efforts to maintain oil supplies to support the stability of the crude market and the growth of the global economy, the state news agency SPA said.
Saudi Arabia is the world's top crude exporter and the real leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which was criticized by Trump because of high oil prices.
In an interview with the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Trump said OPEC members "routinely loot the rest of the world."
"We are defending many of these countries free of charge, and then they are exploiting us and raising oil prices, which is not good, we want them to stop raising prices," Trump said.
He also pressed other allies of the United States, including Japan, South Korea and Germany, to shoulder a greater part of the financial burden of defending them.