Candidate Joe Biden promised in 2019 to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the kingdom’s human rights record. President Biden, confronted by economic reality, reversed himself.
With gasoline prices near record highs and inflation fears mounting, Biden visited OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia last month. Biden even fist-bumped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence directly linked to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
The President left Saudi Arabia without a public agreement from the kingdom to help out on gas prices, but White House officials expressed optimism that help was indeed on the way.
Now, it’s clear that Biden’s political gamble to make nice with MBS has not paid off in a significant way that Americans will feel at the gas pump, at least not yet.
