Quite simply, if [the Saudi] government indeed killed a bothersome journalist, then that action is just the logical, if ghastly, extension of Trump's campaign to vilify and endanger journalists in the United States.
Before leveling the charge that Trump encourages the murder of journalists, actual data shows 46 were killed worldwide in 2017 and 44 so far in 2018. That compares to the Obama total of 430 from 2009 through 2016. Or just under 54 per year on average.
So who really encouraged the murder of journalists around the world if the toll is reliant on what an American president says? I'm not defending the president's words, mind you. But get a grip.
As for the reason Trump might value alliance with Saudi Arabia despite their human rights record? Well, there is precedent.
Seriously, I'll take the charge that Trump endangers journalists in America when correspondents stop their annual gathering in Washington, DC for a gala black tie affair that focuses on insulting and mocking President Trump.
The professor is a fool. Foreign despots have been killing journalists for a long time. And that does not happen here.
