During a trip to Saudi Arabia, President Joe Biden greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with a fist bump amid White House officials working hard on the optics of the meeting between Biden and the crown prince, who intelligence agencies agree was behind the targeted killing of Washington Post journalist and political opponent Jamal Khashoggi.
As Reuters points out, White House aides said Biden would avoid handshakes during the trip as a precaution against COVID-19, but within minutes of his arrival Biden was shaking hands.
\u201cSaudi gov\u2019t quickly releases photos of Biden\u2019s fist bump with MBS, reflecting the enormous political gift that the meeting is for MBS\u2019 image\u201d— Ken Klippenstein (@Ken Klippenstein) 1657904598
The meeting was the subject of bipartisan criticism on Twitter, with many agreeing that meeting with the Saudis, who intelligence agencies agree were also behind 9/11, was a slap in the face to Khashoggi's family and victims of the 2001 terrorist attack.
\u201cYes, it\u2019s a fist bump rather than a handshake. BUT Biden still fist-bumped the man who ordered the murder \u2014 and bone-saw dismemberment \u2014 of a U.S. journalist, after refusing to say if he would directly confront MBS on Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s murder.\u201d— Ashley Parker (@Ashley Parker) 1657900897
\u201cThis is the way Saudi Arabia\u2019s pariah status ends. \n\nNot with a bang, but with a fist bump.\u201d— Alex Ward (@Alex Ward) 1657901020
\u201cA little less than three years after promising to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah state" over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Biden arrived for meetings with Saudi leadership \u2014 sharing a fist bump with the man accused of ordering Khashoggi's murder https://t.co/KfF3CUdxti\u201d— CNN (@CNN) 1657904472
\u201cThe White House was hoping Biden would avoid handshakes on this trip. One could argue the optics of a fist-bump here are not much better https://t.co/mphA84Cc3K\u201d— Amy B Wang (@Amy B Wang) 1657899923
Also voicing criticism of Biden was California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who tweeted, "If we ever needed a visual reminder of the continuing grip oil-rich autocrats have on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, we got it today."
"One fist bump is worth a thousand words," Schiff added.
