US President Joe Biden is currently trying hard to convey that, despite his 81 years, he still has excellent mental abilities. A special investigator has just described him as a “well-meaning older gentleman with a bad memory.” “My memory is good,” the president then said. And then talked about the situation in Gaza and his conversation with the “President of Mexico” – by which he meant Egypt’s head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
A wave of ridicule fell on Biden. His age and his frequent misfires will play an important role in the election campaign against the slightly younger Donald Trump – who himself has experience with slips of the tongue. During his presidency, the now 77-year-old invented the African country “Nambia”.
What was largely lost in the reaction to Biden’s embarrassment was that it was not perceived as such in Egypt. But rather as funny evidence of something that has been known on the Nile for a long time. Because President al-Sisi has a nickname: the Mexican.
Did Egypt only open the border at Rafah at Biden’s insistence? That is wrong
For about two years, a short video has been circulating on social networks in which a young man bitterly complains about rising food prices and asks the president to do something. In his excitement, he then turns al-Sisi into al-Meksiki, which sounds similar in Arabic. Since then the name has been in the world. Some people use it because it allows them to criticize the president without getting into trouble with the police. Others depict al-Sisi as president with a sombrero.
The fact that Biden actually made al-Sisi Mexican caused great cheer among many in difficult times. Egypt is suffering from a severe economic crisis. The currency collapsed and inflation was up to 40 percent. Just a few days ago, al-Sisi increased the minimum wage for state employees to 6,000 Egyptian pounds, which is almost 200 euros.
It is not known whether al-Sisi was annoyed by Biden’s remark. However, the government was outraged by his claim that he had to pressure al-Sisi to open the border at Rafah for aid deliveries after the Hamas terror on October 7th and the Israeli counterattack. That was wrong, Egypt said. The border was always open, just not passable. Israel bombed the border post, which left meter-deep craters. From the perspective of the government in Cairo, this is Biden’s much more serious mistake.