Trump lavishes praise on Saudis, but silent on human rights

Yet the absence of any public reference to the the kingdom's treatment of women and political opponents during his two-day visit was still jarring, particularly when contrasted with his affectionate embrace of the royal family.

A White House official later said the president did raise women's rights in his private meetings with Saudi officials, and noted that administration officials broached the topic in their talks in the lead-up to the trip.

To be sure, Trump's predecessors have also forged close ties with Saudi Arabia, an important U.S. partner in the Middle East, and other nations with questionable human rights records.

During a 2014 trip to Riyadh, Obama met with a Saudi woman who spread awareness of domestic violence in her country and presented her with the State Department's International Women of Courage award.

Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and senior adviser, was more direct during an entrepreneurship roundtable with Saudi women Sunday morning, telling the participants that in every country, "women and girls continue to face unique systematic, institutional, cultural barriers, which hinder us from fully engaging in and achieving true parody of opportunity within our communities."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year, said he wouldn't have promised to avoid the topic of human rights with the Saudis.