CNBC:
Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief has branded U.S. President Joe Biden a “much diminished president” as Biden arrives in Jeddah to discuss oil production, defense and human rights.
During his visit over the weekend, Biden is expected to urge the Saudi government to ramp up oil production in a bid to rein in soaring costs, which in part drove U.S. inflation to a four-decade high of 9.1% in June ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.
However, relations between the two countries remain strained on account of the current administration’s outspoken condemnation of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, an issue Biden has vowed to raise in bilateral talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Friday, Prince Turki Al-Faisal said Biden was coming in as a “much diminished president” compared with when he was inaugurated in January 2021. more
HODOR!
Correction. A much demented pResident.
Considering there wasn’t much of a baseline to compare, that’s quite a slam.
Yeah, to be fair, there wasn’t much there to begin with.