Donald Trump told Tucker Carlson on Fox News that Joe Biden fist bumped Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman because the president thought his hands were dirty.
The former president’s comments came as he sat down for an interview with the Fox News host on Tuesday. The former president criticised Mr Biden and accused him of insulting the crown prince with a fist bump.
“You take a look at Saudi Arabia. Look at what happened. They’re great people. They wanted to help us. He goes and gives a fist bump. Do you know what a fist bump means? It means don’t shake my hand because your hand is dirty, that’s what a fist bump is. They were so insulted. You understand that, yes?” the former president was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
Last summer the president visited Jeddah during his Middle East tour.
On his arrival at the Al Salam Royal Palace Mr Biden emerged from the “the Beast” and fist-bumped the crown prince who stood ready to greet him.
Observers had said that the insistence on fist bumping was a way of avoiding having to shake the hand of such a controversial figure as the Saudi crown prince, who – according to a scathing intelligence report – is believed to have had a direct hand in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post journalist.
The president’s encounter in July came as the US was making an attempt to mend relations with the world’s most influential oil power while seeking its help in opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting surge in oil prices.
The hour-long interview, billed as “historic” by Fox News, mainly featured Mr Trump speaking uninterrupted for long periods of time.
During the interview, Mr Trump, who has been impeached twice, also speculated that Mr Biden “can’t” run for a second term due to his “mental state”. He complimented the mental faculties of Home Depot founder Bernard Marcus.
The interview with Carlson comes weeks after the publication of text messages that the Fox News host sent in January 2021 in which he said of the former president: “I hate him passionately. ... I can’t handle much more of this.”
