Biden openly mocked in Saudi TV network

A major Saudi government-owned broadcaster aired a sketch mocking President Joe Biden, as US-Saudi relations plunge to a new low.

In the comedy sketch on MBC's "Studio 22" show, which aired Monday, Biden's character appeared sleepy and forgetful, wandering offstage before being tugged back by a likeness of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Saudi network mocked the physical and mental health of the Democratic president of the United States. 

Biden is then seen confusing Spain and Africa, forgetting Russian President Vladimir Putin's name, and mistakenly calling Harris his "first lady." The sketch then ends with the Harris character dragging the sleeping Biden character offstage.

The Saudi government owns a majority stake in MBC and it is rare to see the leaders of major Saudi partners, such as Biden, mocked in this way. 

The Biden skit is also notable given it comes at a time when relations between Saudi Arabia and the US are at rock bottom.

In an interview with The Atlantic magazine published last month, MBS made clear his view of Biden, saying he didn't care what the US president thought of him.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, MBS reportedly ignored Biden's phone calls. Biden had hoped to get Saudi Arabia to produce more oil to make up for the impact of the US ban of Russian oil imports.

Though the US and Saudi Arabia became close partners following the discovery of oil in the Gulf in the 1950s and worked together to combat extremism following the September 11, 2001, attacks, many in the US political and business communities blacklisted Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The CIA concluded MBS likely ordered the hit, and Biden promised to made Saudi Arabia a "pariah" while the White House effectively downgraded Crown Prince Mohammed's rank by saying that MBS was not Biden's counterpart.

Meanwhile, AFP also reported that a number of issues had strained US-Saudi relations, including Biden's attempt to return to Iran's nuclear deal and Washington's reluctance to call Yemeni Ansarullah as "terrorist."