Yesterday, when Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince finally spoke face to face, the president’s feeble attempt to hold the divisive figure responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi was rejected.

As the president conducted a diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia this weekend, he came under fire for prioritizing petroleum pricing over human rights.

Biden barely managed to bring up the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was slain by Saudi officials in Turkey in 2018, when he met Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) on Saturday.

Many wondered if the president would bring up Khashoggi’s murder at all during his conversation with MBS, but MBS slapped Biden when he brought it up.

“The United States also made a number of mistakes like the incident of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and others,” MBS said, referring to the US’s violations of human rights in the war in Afghanistan and the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

After 20 years of occupation following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Biden’s failed force departure from Afghanistan put the Taliban in charge.

The Crown Prince also cautioned the president against trying to impose American ideals on the Islamic country. He is in charge of Westernizing aspects of Saudi Arabia’s discriminatory rules, including allowing women to drive and go abroad without a male escort.

After the meeting, Biden told reporters that he immediately brought up Khashoggi’s murder and informed MBS of his position.

“In respect to the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time, and what I think of it now. I was straightforward and direct. I made my view crystal clear. What happened to Khashoggi was outrageous.”

Biden claims that MBS denied any role in Khashoggi’s murder, who had been highly criticized by the Saudi authorities and the nation’s antiquated laws.