President Joe Biden is laughing off criticism of his decision to greet Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) with a fist bump.
On Friday, reporters got a chance to question the president during his trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Daily Mail’s Emily Goodin noted, “You’re coming under a lot of fire for your fist bump with the crown prince. I just wanted to give you a chance to respond to that.”
She asked, “Also, how can you be sure another incident, another murder like Jamal Khashoggi’s won’t happen again?”
When Goodin noted the criticism of his decision to fist bump MBS, Biden laughed.
“God love you. What a silly question,” he responded.
He added, “How can I possibly be sure of any of that? I just made it clear, if anything occurs like that again, they’ll get that response and much more.”
Watch the video below:
Daily Mail's @EmilyLGoodin: "You're coming under a lot of fire for your fist bump with the Crown Prince. I just wanted to give you a chance to respond…Also, how can you be sure…another murder like Khashoggi's won't happen again?"
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 15, 2022
Biden: "God love you. What a silly question." pic.twitter.com/20O6N73ixS
Her question referenced the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Central Intelligence Agency concluded that MBS directed the killing.
Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia is seen as part of an effort to make amends for his tough talk about the country during the presidential campaign when he vowed to make the nation a “pariah.”
One official told NBC News about the trip, “Even once the president realized the strategic importance of going to meet with the Saudis, he was still hesitant.”
“Ultimately, he realized it was unavoidable,” the official added.
The outlet reported, “Officials went back and forth about whether Biden should smile in photographs with the crown prince or shake his hand — even debating whether Biden should grab his arm while doing so.”
Despite the handwringing about his demeanor around the crown prince, he received criticism for his fist bump, as IJR reported.
Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), tweeted, “The bloody fist bump seen around the world. this is worst than Trump’s orb touching.”
the bloody fist bump seen around the world.
— Sarah Leah Whitson (@sarahleah1) July 15, 2022
this is worst than Trump's orb touching, @POTUS
you have humiliated our entire country. https://t.co/jW6yf26ElA
“[Biden], you have humiliated our entire country,” she added.
