President Donald Trump saluted each Saudi Arabian general who greeted him during his visit to Riyadh Tuesday, causing critics to melt down over the spectacle.
Standing next to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump was seen saluting and shaking hands as the long line of generals waited to greet the American president.
Journalist and former UN diplomat Olga Nesterova pointed out, "Trump goes ahead and salutes every single Saudi official at the Royal Court in Riyadh."
The X account @JoeyFotoFr displayed the following post: "As an American citizen, my president salutes no one in the world. If I'd accept an exception it would be a salute to the flag, covering the body of a fallen American soldier. Saluting these guys is national humiliation by the traitor Trump, a pig POTUS."
Republicans Against Trump wrote, "Trump salutes a Saudi general. Disgusting, disgraceful. So much for 'America First," and asked, "Why does Trump keep saluting generals from autocratic regimes?"
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@JoJoFromJerz, with nearly a million followers on X, wrote, "Hey MAGA — should I 'cry harder' because the sitting so-called President debased himself and our entire country for all the world to see…"
The account of Artie Vandelay, with 10,000 followers, referenced the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018 in an operation that U.S. intelligence determined was approved by the Saudi Crown Prince.
"While standing next to the guy who had a resident American journalist beheaded and dismembered for writing things he didn’t like. All seems on point," the account posted.
Travis Matthew, with 61,000 followers wrote, "No other American President has ever saluted a foreign general. Until the draft dodger entered office."
@sensiblemiddle echoed that sentiment, writing, "5X draft dodger Trump mocks our own soldiers calling them 'suckers' and 'losers' but honors Saudi soldiers with a full salute.
According to Newsweek, "There has been a discussion in recent years about the proper etiquette for presidents saluting the military, particularly those from other nations. A returned salute by Trump to a North Korean general during his first term sparked criticism, with some saying he should not have shown respect to a hostile nation. Others said it was courteous to return the gesture."