LA Times Owner Joins Trump, Crown Prince At Saudi Summit

LOS ANGELES, CA — Billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong joined President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the president's first international visit of his second term Tuesday, tweeting that he was honored to be a part of the conference.

Soon-Shiong, a doctor and biotech entrepreneur, focused his social media posts on shared scientific research and investments in the fight against cancer. While focused on the biotech aspect of his empire and legacy, the newspaper owner also praised a world leader reportedly linked by American intelligence officials to the brutal murder of a journalist for The Washington Post.

"Honored to share with President @realDonaldTrump and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the launch of Cancer #Bioshield and our common goal to cure cancer. Wonderful conference," he posted on X.

Amid human rights and free speech advocates, bin Salman is a controversial figure.

Shortly after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, the CIA concluded that bin Salman ordered the assassination of a frequent critic, according to the Washington Post. The Crown Prince was never charged and denied prior knowledge of the kidnapping and assassination of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor living in the United States.

The crown prince later told PBS he bears responsibility because government operatives committed the killing under his watch.

"It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch," he told PBS' Martin Smith in "The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia," which aired ahead of the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi's death, Reuters reported.

Khashoggi was ambushed in an attack caught on consulate cameras. According to investigators, he was tortured, strangled to death and dismembered. Ranking Saudi security officials were among the 11 defendants tried in Saudi Arabia.

"After initial denials, the official Saudi narrative blamed the murder on rogue operatives," Reuters reported. "The public prosecutor said the then-deputy intelligence chief ordered the repatriation of Khashoggi, a royal insider who became an outspoken critic, but the lead negotiator ordered him killed after discussions for his return failed."

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince was later granted head-of-state immunity in a Washington DC lawsuit filed by Khashoggi's fiancée.

Soon-Shiong has not publicly commented on bin Salman's human rights or free speech record.

He has been a controversial figure in his own newsroom since the 2024 presidential election, when he blocked his newspaper's editorial board from endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris, triggering a slew of top resignations.

More controversy followed after he announced plans to institute a "bias meter" on every story.

“If you just have the one side, it's just going to be an echo chamber,” Soon-Shiong told Fox News. According to the Associated Press, he said broadening the outlook is “going to be risky and it's going to be difficult. I'm going to take a lot of heat, which I already am, but I come from the position that it's really important that all voices be heard.”