On a trip to Saudi Arabia that many believe to be nothing more than an opportunity for President Joe Biden to beg for more oil, the cognitively-fragile president embarrassed the United States on a world stage.
According to Breitbart, upon arriving at the Royal Palace in Jeddah, Biden exited the vehicle and proceeded to fist bump Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, even though early reports indicated that the two would have no contact, given the lingering hostilities regarding the death of an American journalist at the hands of the Saudi royal.
Prior to landing, the White House told reporters that Biden wouldn’t be shaking any hands because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though that protocol went out the window during stop number one in Israel, where the president shook the hands of multiple foreign leaders.
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” during his presidency, clearly now proven to be a lie.
The fist bump
Biden, without hesitation, rushed to greet Mohammed bin Salman upon exiting his vehicle.
Fist bump between President Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/37Oz5EwwIB
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 15, 2022
The move was criticized on all sides, especially by the CEO of The Washington Post, where murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi was employed.
Washington Post publisher: Biden’s “shameful” fist bump with Saudi crown prince “worse than a handshake” https://t.co/c6uzoQpTNK pic.twitter.com/klFnJ2Pi1e
— The Hill (@thehill) July 15, 2022
“It’s worse than a handshake,” WaPo CEO and publisher Fred Ryan said of the moment.
“Shameful”
Ryan continued with his criticism of the moment, calling Biden’s actions “shameful” — a rare criticism of the president from the strongly left-leaning outlet.
“The first bump between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was worse than a handshake — it was shameful. It projected a level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he was been desperately seeking,” Ryan said, according to The Hill.
Only time will tell what the consequences might be from the moment, but it’ll likely not be good for the president or his administration.