Biden visit to Saudi Arabia: A fist bump divides the United States

In the US, President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia triggered mixed reactions: some condemned the new closeness with the kingdom. Others see little other option for Biden.

Thanks to the corona pandemic, the US President was able to avoid shaking hands with the Saudi crown prince for minutes. But even the so-called fist bump between Joe Biden and Mohammed bin Salman caused some unease in the United States.

For the editor of the “Washington Post”, Fred Ryan, the fist salute was a confidential fraternal gesture that was “worse than a handshake”. “Downright shameful,” criticizes Ryan.

“I agree, that was an embarrassing moment for the US government. And a concession to propaganda, the victory of Mohammed bin Salman,” says Josh Rogin, a columnist at the Washington Post on CNN.

“Fist Bump says more than a thousand words”

Even among some Democrats, the images of the meeting between the two men in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were met with incomprehension. Democratic Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff tweeted:

Controversy Kashoggi murder

Biden himself only laughed when asked by a journalist about the fist salute. The US President is under fire in his home country because of his trip to Saudi Arabia. During the election campaign he described the kingdom as a “pariah”, as “outlawed”.

The US government blames the Saudi crown prince for the brutal murder of Jamal Kashoggi – at the time an employee of the “Washington Post”. During his trip, Biden defended himself against criticism. It said he addressed Kashoggi’s murder right at the start.

Driven by the oil crisis

But the President also has advocates. Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said on CNN that Biden has no choice if he wants to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia – the world’s largest oil producer – and push down energy prices:

Randa Slim of the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank, understands the current discontent in the US. The criticism of Biden is fair, she says to the broadcaster PBS – because of the lack of consistency between words and deeds. “When push comes to shove, national interests always trump our values,” says Slim.