A Saudi television show mocked President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with a “Saturday Night Live”-style send-up.
The clip from the show “Studio 22,” which was broadcast on the Saudi government-owned television conglomerate MBC, portrays Biden as a forgetful old man who falls asleep at the podium and needs to be woken up by a helpless Harris.
The clip begins with an actor who plays Biden pointing aimlessly at reporters as “Harris” stands beside him.
“Biden” then wanders off stage, only to have “Harris” bring him back.
She then guides him to the podium to address reporters. The actor playing the president then starts to discuss “the crisis in Spain” only to have the vice president correct him.
We’re going to talk about the crisis in Africa,” the fake Biden says. The actor playing Harris corrects him yet again, bringing him back on course to discuss Russia.
The actor playing Biden has a hard time remembering the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Listen to me,” the fake president says. “I have a very important message for you. The message is.
At this point, Biden falls asleep, prompting Harris to wake him up. Biden then resumes speaking, referencing “the president of China,” only for Harris to point out that he had not yet addressed Russia.
When he thanks “first lady” Harris for correcting him, Harris grabs the microphone and corrects him yet again.
As the president wraps up the news conference, he says: “Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless…” Once again, Biden falls asleep and drifts into the arms of Harris, who must prop him back up again.
The clip went viral on social media.
Biden has had a history of verbal gaffes and misstatements that have involved him misremembering names of people — prompting observers to question his mental acuity.
The skit broadcast by the Saudi government-owned television network could also be interpreted as a sign of Riyadh’s cold view of the Biden administration.
Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia are at a low point. The kingdom and its allies in the region have rebuffed Biden’s pleas to boost oil production as energy prices have soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reportedly refused to speak to the American president last month when he called to urge them to increase production of oil.
