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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Simon Tisdall

What was Joe Biden thinking when he fist-bumped the Saudi Crown prince?

Prince Mohammed bin Salman  meeting President  Biden in Jeddah on Friday.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman meeting President Biden in Jeddah on Friday. Photograph: Bandar Aljaloud/EPA

What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly dying on its feet.

Maybe America’s tottering president thought he was doing it for his country’s sake. But many in his country will be dismayed that a man Biden deemed a pariah after the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is back in from the cold.

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