Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm contradicted President Joe Biden over the weekend when she said he would be meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) while in Saudi Arabia.
Secretary Granholm told CNN‘s State of the Union on Sunday, “I think he will meet with the Saudi crown prince.”
Granholm’s new statement is the polar opposite of what Joe Biden told reporters just 2 days earlier before heading off on another vacation weekend in Rehoboth, Delaware.
When asked directly if he would be meeting with Bin Salman, Biden snapped back at reporters, saying, “I’m not going to meet with MBS. I’m going to an international meeting and he’s going to be part of it.”
President Joe Biden will be heading to Jaddah, Saudi Arabia in mid-July to attend the GCC plus 3 summit about oil production. Biden is hoping to secure more oil for the United States and reduce the cost of gas on consumers. While Biden is planning to meet with aging Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, he will most likely need to meet directly with Crown Prince Bin Salman, who is tasked with running most of Saudi Arabian Kingdom directly at this point.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also announced a meeting between MBS and Biden during the trip, putting out the statement, “The crown prince and President Biden will hold official talks that will focus on various areas of bilateral cooperation and joint efforts to address regional and global challenges.”
During the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden continuously trashed the Saudi Crown Prince over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Biden had previously pledged not to meet with MBS, saying he would treat the Saudis “like the pariah they are” over the killing.
The new about face by Biden shows how desperate he is to reign in spiraling inflation and gas prices on some level before the 2022 election. Do you think Biden will meet with the Saudi Prince to save the Democrats or will he stick to his guns and risk scuttling the deal?
