Saudi TV savages Joe Biden as senile in comedy sketch as relations hit low

Footage has emerged showing a Saudi Arabian television show mocking President Joe Biden , portraying him as a dithering and forgetful leader who falls asleep mid speech.

The sketch aired on the Studio 22 show on Monday, which is broadcast on the state-run channel Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC).

During the clip, two characters playing Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk in front of a podium. The “Biden” character then starts to walk away before being pulled back and placed in front of the microphones by the “Harris” character.

In the sketch, Biden says he is “going to talk about the crisis in Spain” before being corrected by Harris, who whispers in his ear. Biden then says he is going to talk about the crisis in Africa, prompting another correction by Harris, before he finally says “yeah, Russia, yeah Russia.”

“I want to talk about President of Russia, Putin, yeah Putin. Putin, listen to me, I have a very important message for you. The message is…” Biden says before falling asleep while still standing up.

After being nudged awake by Harris, Biden continues: “And the president of China [to Harris], oh we didn’t finish Russia?”

Biden then mistakenly calls Harris the first lady, before once again falling asleep. Harris then grabs the president and pulls him off stage while telling reporters to “clap your president right now.”

A clip of the sketch was posted to Twitter by journalist Asaad Sam Hanna, where it has since been viewed more than 3.5 million times.

“For the first time I see the Saudi TV mocking the U.S. administration,” Hanna tweeted.

The clip has also been shared by right-wing news site Daily Caller, which tweeted: “Saudi Arabia TV makes fun of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and honestly it’s funnier than SNL [ Saturday Night Live ].”

Replying to the Daily Caller’s tweet, Khaled al Farraj, the actor who portrayed Biden in the sketch, wrote: “Welcome to the world of Saudi comedy.”

In a follow up tweet responding to Hanna’s post, al Farraj wrote: “If you like it, we can shoot Part 2.”

The sketch arrived amid tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

There have been reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected a request to speak to Biden on the phone as the president tried to convince the Kingdom to pump more oil to ease the pressure of the Russian oil ban following the invasion of Ukraine.

Biden has been heavily critical of Saudi Arabia since he came into office due to their human rights violations and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

A U.S. intelligence report said The Washington Post reporter’s killing was approved by the crown prince, a claim that has been denied by the Saudi government.

In a March interview for The Atlantic , bin Salman said “simply, I do not care,” when asked if he is worried about what Biden thinks of him.

The White House has been contacted for comment.