Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

Donald Trump may have cleared the high bar of uttering the most appalling remark of his presidency on Tuesday. “Things happen,” the leader of the free world said with a shrug when asked about the assassination of American-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi while seated next to the man who ordered the murder, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Besides its moral repugnance, Trump’s comment reflects, with new vividness, a particular blankness about his broader foreign policy.

The “things happen” exchange came near the start of the prince’s much-ballyhooed visit to the White House, where the two men would ultimately sign deals for the sale of the most advanced U.S

See Full Page