Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday said that President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE is "very serious" in threatening punishment against Saudi Arabia if he concludes the country was responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Kudlow, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," was asked what specific punishment might be handed down by Trump, who has promised something "severe" while also saying he wants to preserve a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudi kingdom.

“As in every case when the president speaks, when the president warns people should take him at his word, obviously he is very, very serious," Kudlow said. "I’m not going to get ahead of the curb. He’ll decide what the proper actions are if indeed we find out Saudis were involved."

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Kudlow also called the disappearance of the journalist a "tragedy" but said the U.S. doesn't yet know if the Saudis were involved.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2. He is suspected of having been killed by 15 Saudi agents who entered Turkey the day of his disappearance.

"The Khashoggi story is a tragedy. … Allegations are being made. We withheld our views. The administration will be carefully, carefully monitoring it this week," Kudlow said, adding that Trump wants a "prompt resolution."

"We'll see what actions are necessary," Kudlow continued.

Kudlow also said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is "at the moment" still scheduled to attend an upcoming economic summit in Saudi Arabia.

Trump last week promised punishment of Saudi Arabia if he concludes they were responsible for the journalist's death but said the U.S. has options beyond ending its arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

"There are other things that we can do that would be very severe,” he said.