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Move over, cerulean blue—CW has the latest from the world of Trumpian diplomacy.
Mohammed bin Salman ⬆
Cannon salute, F-35 flyover, pistachio-crusted lamb with pomegranate jus in the East Room—and no uncomfortable questions about unpleasantries back home. Bone saw? I barely knew her.
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Jared Kushner ⬆
Slipped into the Kingdom for an unofficial prep trip just before the dinner, solidifying his credentials as Riyadh’s go-to Washington conduit. He's managed to find a revolving door in D.C. that can fit a private jet.
Benjamin Netanyahu ⬇
Has touted the Abraham Accords and normalization with Saudis as proof that regional peace is possible without the Palestinians. With one public statement demanding a "clear path to a two-state solution," MBS blew up Bibi's entire diplomatic premise and sparked a backlash in his own far-right governing coalition.
Cadmium Green ⬆
For the official dinner, Melania Trump wore a gown in a shade of green matching the Saudi flag by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, who held his biggest ever fashion show in Riyadh last year as part of MBS's Vision 2030. Move over, cerulean blue.
Bill Burr ⬇
Called playing at the Saudi comedy festival "mind-blowing," got pilloried by fellow comedians, spent weeks on the defense against his "sanctimonious” critics. This week, tech titans like Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff attended MBS's black-tie White House dinner with nary a whisper of controversy. Turns out the joke was on Burr.
Cristiano Ronaldo ⬆
Gave the Saudi delegation a world-famous face, securing the ultimate soft power coup of impressing Barron Trump. Scoring diplomatic points may be the only thing easier for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner than scoring goals in the Saudi Pro League.
Originally a staple of Newsweek's print edition, Conventional Wisdom used arrows to track whose stock was rising or falling in the political circus. We're reviving it in the digital age because the problem it lampooned—hyperbole and partisan certainty masquerading as insight—has only intensified.
CW assigns arrows—up, down, or sideways—to the figures and forces shaping current events. The arrows don't predict the future or claim special insight. They capture the prevailing winds of the moment, uncluttered by tribal howling. In an era when partisan media reinforces rather than questions assumptions, CW operates from the center—skeptical of left and right alike, committed to puncturing inflated reputations and recognizing overlooked truths.
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