In one of the cringiest moments of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s meeting in the Oval Office this week, Trump reached over and grabbed MBS’s left hand, blurting out “I don’t give a hell where that hand has been.”
Watching this, I gasped.
From my time living in Afghanistan, I know that among Moslems, the left hand has traditionally been considered unclean because it is used for personal hygiene, like cleaning oneself after using the toilet.
So was this what Trump was referring to when he said he didn’t care where that hand had been? It’s hard for me to believe that a buffoon like Trump would know about sensitive Islamic traditions, though I suppose he could have been briefed.
On the other hand (so to speak), considering that MBS is the guy the CIA believes ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it doesn’t really matter which hand Trump clasped because both of them are covered with blood.
And in either case, Trump was saying he just doesn’t care.
HEADLINES:
Trump Makes MBS Awkward With ‘Hand Grab’ After Loud Laugh; Watch Saudi Prince’s Reaction (Hindustan Times)
The C.E.O.s Who Came to Dinner (With the Saudi Crown Prince) (NYT)
Trump’s approval rating fell to 38%, the lowest since his return to power (Reuters)
President Signs Bill on Release of Epstein Files (NYT)
Quick release of Epstein files is in doubt, despite congressional action (WP)
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ (Harvard Crimson)
How well did Bill Clinton know Jeffrey Epstein? (ABC)
Trump’s Scheme to Give the GOP Extra House Seats Just Blew Up in His Face (Slate)
Trump’s congressional gerrymandering push is getting complicated for the GOP (AP)
ndiana Republicans refuse to redistrict their way to House seats (WP)
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s big MAGA break-up (Economist)
‘A Recipe for Idiocracy’ (Atlantic)
Trump is dismantling the Education Department. (AP)
Trump Loyalist Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment (NYT)
Comey challenges his indictment for “vindictive and selective” prosecution (CBS)
Comey attorney argues indictment is an abuse of power by Trump (WP)
Russia Pounds Ukraine Even as Zelensky Aims to Revive Peace Talks (NYT)
China has informed Japan that it will ban all imports of Japanese seafood, media outlets reported, in what appeared to be the latest salvo in an escalating diplomatic dispute between Asia’s top two economies. (Reuters)
U.S. citizens caught in Trump’s immigration dragnet (NPR)
A Politically Restless Billionaire Enters the California Governor’s Race (NYT)
Saudi Arabia Backs Elon Musk’s xAI With Data Center Deal (NYT)
Exclusive Soup Kitchen Offers Free Meals By Invite Only (Onion)
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