Saudi state-funded TV aired a sketch mocking Biden as a forgetful, sleepy old man as US-Saudi relations hit new low

[beijingwalker]

Saudi state-funded TV aired a sketch mocking Biden as a forgetful, sleepy old man as US-Saudi relations hit new low​

Bill Bostock
April 12 2022

A still from a sketch aired by Saudi Arabia's MBC broadcaster showing actors playing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. MBC

• The Saudi state-funded TV network MBC aired a rare sketch mocking Biden as forgetful and senile.
• The Biden character confused Africa with Spain, forgot Putin's name, and fell asleep during a speech.
• US-Saudi relations are currently poor, with MBS reportedly ignoring Biden's recent phone calls.

A major Saudi government-owned broadcaster aired a sketch mocking President Joe Biden, as US-Saudi relations plunge to a new low.

In the comedy sketch on MBC's "Studio 22" show, which aired Monday, Biden's character appeared sleepy and forgetful, wandering offstage before being tugged back by a likeness of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden is then seen confusing Spain and Africa, forgetting Russian President Vladimir Putin's name, and mistakenly calling Harris his "first lady." The sketch then ends with the Harris character dragging the sleeping Biden character offstage.

The Saudi government owns a majority stake in MBC and it is rare to see the leaders of major Saudi partners, such as Biden, mocked in this way.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader who is also known as MBS, the Saudi entertainment sector has relaxed substantially, allowing more room for things like obscene comedy and music festivals, which have traditionally rankled conservative Saudis.

The Biden skit is also notable given it comes at a time when relations between Saudi Arabia and the US are at rock bottom.

In an interview with The Atlantic magazine published last month, MBS made clear his view of Biden, saying he didn't care what the US president thought of him.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, MBS reportedly ignored Biden's phone calls. Biden had hoped to get Saudi Arabia to produce more oil to make up for the impact of the US ban of Russian oil imports.

Though the US and Saudi Arabia became close partners following the discovery of oil in the Gulf in the 1950s and worked together to combat extremism following the September 11, 2001, attacks, many in the US political and business communities blacklisted Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The CIA concluded MBS likely ordered the hit, and Biden promised to made Saudi Arabia a "pariah" while the White House effectively downgraded Crown Prince Mohammed's rank by saying that MBS was not Biden's counterpart.

But speaking to The Atlantic, MBS showed little remorse, saying Khashoggi wasn't important enough for him to go out of his way to have killed anyway.

He said that if killing journalists critical of the government were "the way we did things" in Saudi Arabia, "Khashoggi would not even be among the top 1,000 people on the list."

Saudi state-funded TV aired a sketch mocking Biden as a forgetful, sleepy old man as US-Saudi relations hit new low

Biden insulted the Saudi crown prince early in his presidency, and the kingdom is now reportedly refusing to help the US with oil production.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[Faqirze]

Oh boy, the Saudis better be careful. If the Iranians decide to use this opportunity to invade and wipe them from the face of the map once and for all, their American masters wont intervene and come to their defense and will instead sit back and watch the Saudi army fold just like how the Afghans did. A part of me hopes Iran does the world a favor and destroy this international terror sponsoring cancer which is Saudi Arabia. No mercy for them

 

[ARMalik]

I posted it on PDF yesterday. Here you go the actual video.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513681354348716035

 

[WotTen]

The Biden skit is also notable given it comes at a time when relations between Saudi Arabia and the US are at rock bottom.

Saudi and US will become BFF again when Trump comes back to power in 2024.

 

[Oldman1]

Saudi and US will become BFF again when Trump comes back to power in 2024.

Hoping for someone else.

 

[beijingwalker]

Saudi and US will become BFF again when Trump comes back to power in 2024.

How old Trump will be by then?

 

[WotTen]

Hoping for someone else.

He'll be back for sure. And the mainstream media will keep denying it until inauguration day.

How old Trump will be by then?

Not sure but I am sure he will be his usual fiery self. Popcorn time!

 

[Oldman1]

He'll be back for sure. And the mainstream media will keep denying it until inauguration day.



Not sure but I am sure he will be his usual fiery self. Popcorn time!

I'll be rolling my eyes as he gives speeches and try to win the Republican Party. Definitely should get someone else. I hate Biden because he's pretty much mostly useless.

 

[fitpOsitive]

I posted it on PDF yesterday. Here you go the actual video.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513681354348716035

Perfect

 

[gambit]

Why is this unusual? You guys never seen how we mocked our own presidents?

 

[Maula Jatt]

I posted it on PDF yesterday. Here you go the actual video.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1513681354348716035

But can they mock Thier king though...

 

[WotTen]

I'll be rolling my eyes as he gives speeches and try to win the Republican Party. Definitely should get someone else. I hate Biden because he's pretty much mostly useless.

There is a school of thought that says the Cuban Missile Crisis happened because JFK was a weak leader, that the Russians would not have dared to do it if there was a strong POTUS to begin with.

The same narrative will be sold that Putin only invaded Ukraine because Biden was weak. That a strong Republican leadership is needed to dissuade Putin or Xi from even attempting an invasion. The Trumpster will avoid talking about Russia but every other word out of his mouth will be 'Jyna'.

 

[Imran Khan]

USA losses allies very quickly in just 5 years

 

[ARMalik]

Why is this unusual? You guys never seen how we mocked our own presidents?

Never by the Saudis until NOW.

 

[Indian Libertarian]

There is a school of thought that says the Cuban Missile Crisis happened because JFK was a weak leader, that the Russians would not have dared to do it if there was a strong POTUS to begin with.

The same narrative will be sold that Putin only invaded Ukraine because Biden was weak. That a strong Republican leadership is needed to dissuade Putin or Xi from even attempting an invasion. The Trumpster will avoid talking about Russia but every other word out of his mouth will be 'Jyna'.

It’s not the most pressing issue here. Most people probably can’t point out Ukraine on a map. Arguments about how the war might not have occurred under Trump are just talking points for his base. For the average American the kitchen table issues are most important right now. The “transitory inflation” keeps increasing. These are things noticeable in daily lives and I think the Republicans will use inflation & economic problems to hound the democrats as we approach the midterms.