So, Joe Biden, handling an awkward but necessary moment, chose not to bow or show any respectful sign of greeting to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia that could be seen as some form of acceptance or forgiveness by going with a very generic Bruh fist-bump.
A greeting the does not greet. The over-the-head- attempt to greet someone in a crowded bar.
This was worse than a president wearing a tan suit.
The crown prince had Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist living and working in the United states, hacked to pieces after he was lured to a fake meeting at a hotel in a foreign country, and is part of a regime with a horrendous record of human violations.
Presidents should not have diplomatic contacts with such a person or country.
Well, that is an opinion that wavers with each president and his supporters.
We saw the former president remain strong against “Rocket Man”, rejecting his love letters, standing against Putin’s assault on American elections, and tell the leader of Turkey that in America our right to protest is in the Constitution.
He stood strong.
No fist bumps with him.
In his position as “Leader of the Free World”, Biden had a diplomatic meeting whose purpose was to strengthen America’s position in the Middle East and benefit its citizens. It was not necessarily a friendly visit but one of necessity.
Terry Strada, chair of 9/11 Families United, has her own and her organization’s response to cozying up to the crown prince.
She pointed out that on September 11,
“750 innocent people from New Jersey were brutally murdered, leaving over 1,000 children in our towns without a parent after nearly three hours of unprecedented terror by 19 Saudi-funded terrorists. Friends, neighbors and strangers embraced our suffering and helped us move through our devastation and pain.”
It would appear the fist-bump was not received well, but that is only the appearance.
What the families of those killed in the World Trade Center are upset about is the Golf Tournament sponsored by LIV Golf, the new Saudi competitor to the PGA, being held in a community that suffered from the 9/11 terrorist attack at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the last weekend of July.
The organizers of the tournament responded with a vacuous,
“As we have said all along, these families have our deepest sympathy. While some may not agree, we believe golf is a force for good around the world.”
The tournament is backed by a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and offers $250 million in total prize money and less demanding requirements, so many senior golf greats have signed up.
Strada believes that,
“LIV Golf is not about sports or good competition among worthy competitors, it is a multibillion-dollar public relations stunt bought and paid for by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. By joining LIV, players have shamelessly partnered with the very country that U.S. intelligence reports prove had numerous connections to the attacks on September 11th.”
In contrast, the owner of Bedminster, a person who once supported but failed to successfully compete with the NFL, has explained why the tournament exists.
“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year. If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.”
Clearly from the introductory word salad, this is Donald Trump, the guy who did a fancy sword dance before putting his hand on a mystical glowing globe when he first visited Saudi Arabia and then ignored Jamal Kashoggi’s murder death while his son-in-law made millions during his time as White House Adviser from the Saudi’s for his real estate concern.
Trump will host two LIV events this year, one at Bedminster and the other at his Florida Doral course.
Ka-cing.
His involvement with LIV is about revenge too.
What about Trump isn’t?
In 2022 the PGA Championship was supposed to involve Trump’s courses, but the PGA pulled that arrangement because of the attack on the Capital and Trump’s obvious role in it moving from there to Southern Hills in Oklahoma, at least keeping it in friendly Trump territory.
His Artist of the Deal’s response to questions of his support for LIV was,
I made a deal with [LIV] They’re very good people. They’re very fine people. Greg Norman’s been a total gentleman, you know, and he’s wanted to do this for years and now he has the right backers because, you know, [the Saudi money] is unlimited. They can do the job right. I think when you put up first-place prize money for $6 or $7 million, I think a lot of people are gonna be showing up, to be honest with you.”
The term is “Sportswashing”, a way to improve a nation’s reputation by hosting a prestigious sporting event or financing a popular team.
It is a common thing done to the advantage of countries and sports team owners, as by introducing bread and circuses to a city, the taxpayers who build the stadiums and support the team re lulled to forget that this all benefits those people who will move on if their next attempt at extortion fails.
Everything done by the Saudis, no matter how wrong, is forgiven because of the financial windfall from golf.
Trump will make money, get attention as he will be a presence, if not in person, on his social media, and enjoy what he believes will be the bonus of hurting the PGA.
Money, attention, and revenge.
This supersedes the events of 9/11.
But you can be assured, seeing the reaction to it, he will not greet anyone with a fist-bump.
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