‘Slap in the face’: Biden’s fist bump with MBS fails to move the OPEC needle significantly
CNNCNN — Candidate Joe Biden promised in 2019 to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the kingdom’s human rights record. “It’s a purely symbolic gesture.” Others go even further, describing the OPEC+ move as an insult given Biden’s journey to Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the producer group. “Well, no it doesn’t,” White House senior energy adviser for energy security Amos Hochstein said when asked by CNN’s Jim Sciutto whether the move will have a major effect. By contrast, on July 19 Hochstein told CNN he was “pretty confident” that OPEC+ would move to raise production “as a result of the president’s conversations.” Hochstein described Wednesday’s move as a “step in the right direction,” but declined to say if Biden was disappointed the increase wasn’t bigger.