How Jared Kushner Sealed The $110 Billion Saudi Arms Deal

Jared Kushner Image by Department of Defense

By Nathan Guttman May 19, 2017

It’s the Art of The Deal – Jared Kushner’s version.

The First Son-In-Law showed off his business skills earlier this month while skillfully brokering a huge arms deal with Saudi Arabia, according to The New York Times.

Kushner reportedly played host to a top Saudi delegation on May 1, trying to finalize a $100 billion arms deal. When the going got tough and the price tag seemed a bit high even for the wealthy oil kingdom, Kushner picked up the phone in front of the Saudis, called Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn A. Hewson, and got her to cut the price.

Officials speaking to the Times described Kushner’s phone call as “unorthodox” but made clear that there was no legal problem with it. The gesture, which reportedly impressed the Saudi guests, demonstrates how Kushner, like his father-in-law President Trump, has brought the real estate world’s dealmaking practices into high-level White House diplomacy.

For now, it seems to be working, and the deal sealed by Kushner will be formally announced during the president’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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