On the final day of his Middle East tour, United States President Joe Biden accidentally pointed to the “selfishness” of American troops. The verbal gaffe came as Mr Biden delivered prepared remarks to leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
“For the first time since 9/11, an American President is visiting this region without American troops being engaged in combat – in a combat mission in the region. We’ll always honour the bravery and selfishness – selflessness of the – and the sacrifices of the Americans who served, including my son, Major Beau Biden,” Joe Biden said.
According to New York Post, Saturday’s slip-up comes days after Mr Biden mistakenly vowed to “keep alive the truth and honour of the Holocaust”. However, in this case too, he immediately corrected himself and read the correct line: “horror of the holocaust”.
Meanwhile, in another confusing sequence of events, Mr Biden gave a fist bump to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Friday. Notably, the US President had previously criticised MBS for his role in the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Therefore, in the end, the fist bump picture clicked in front of the Saudi king’s royal palace in Jeddah became the defining moment of the visit by the US President.
Critics were quick to react and slam Mr Biden’s fist-bump in Jeddah. Taking to Twitter, Hatice Cengiz, Mr Khashoggi’s fiance, shared what she believed the late journalist’s reaction would be to the fist bump. “Is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS’s next victims is on your hands,” she tweeted.
Separately, as per
AFP, Fred Ryan, the publisher and CEO of
The Washington Post – which employed Mr Khashoggi – called Mr Biden’s fist bump with MBS “shameful”. “The fist bump between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was worse than a handshake – it was shameful,” he said. “It projected a level of
intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking,” Mr Ryan added.
