Saudi Crown Prince Mocks Biden in Private, WSJ Says; Jean-Pierre: 'Kind of Ridiculous' (October 24, 2022)

The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince mocks President Joe Biden behind his back, makes fun of his gaffes and questions his mental sharpness. Asked about it at the White House on Oct. 24, 2022, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre first said, “I don’t have any comments on that.” Then she called it “ridiculous.”

“Which statements are ridiculous?” the reporter asked. “I’m not going to give it anymore light,” Jean-Pierre said. The video above shows the exchange. Quotes are from the official briefing transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

”Mocks the President in Private”

The reporter laid out the Journal’s story. “Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people inside the Saudi government, essentially saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regularly mocks the President in private, making fun of his gaffes and questioning his mental acuity. The report also noted that MBS preferred former President Trump to President Biden. I wonder if you had any reaction to that” [1].

“I don’t have any comments on that,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

According to Fox News’ account of the Journal report, several people inside the Saudi government said the prince “preferred former President Trump and has seemed unimpressed with Biden since his days as vice president while also making fun of his gaffes” [2].

”Kind of Ridiculous Statements”

When the reporter moved on to a second question, Jean-Pierre circled back on her own. “Actually, let me say something about your first question. I’m not going to comment about, you know, kind of ridiculous statements. I’m not going to comment on that,” she said [1].

Then she turned the subject to oil. “The President has been very clear from the beginning of this administration that we needed to review our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” she said. “The decisions that OPEC+ made recently, we saw it as them aligning to — with Russia. And that is going to hurt many, many economies across the globe” [1].

“Which statements are ridiculous?” the reporter pressed.

“I’m not going to give it anymore light. I’m just saying that more broadly,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

The Saudis Deny It

Riyadh pushed back hard. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan denied that the crown prince had made fun of Biden or told aides he favored his predecessor. “These allegations made by anonymous sources are entirely false,” he said. “The kingdom’s leaders have always held the utmost respect for U.S. presidents, based on the kingdom’s belief in the importance of having a relationship based on mutual respect” [2].

From Jeddah to “Consequences”

The relationship had already gone sour. Three months earlier, Biden flew to Jeddah to meet the crown prince and said afterward, “I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen” [3]. Instead, on Oct. 5, OPEC+ cut its production quotas by 2 million barrels a day. The White House called it a “shortsighted decision” [4].

Biden then threatened payback. “I’m not going to get into what I’d consider and what I have in mind. But there will be — there will be consequences,” he told CNN, as Democratic lawmakers called for a freeze on cooperation with the Saudis [5][6].

HYGO News covered how the White House answered for the Saudi trip in Peter Doocy’s Oct. 4 gas-price exchange with Jean-Pierre.

The Other Question: “A Stark Choice”

The same reporter’s second question was about Biden’s midterm message. The reporter noted that Biden had been warning that Republicans would crash the economy, shut down the government and go after Medicare and Social Security, and asked whether he could still work with a Republican Congress [1].

Jean-Pierre said Republicans had been “very, very clear” that they wanted “to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping blocks” and would repeal the Inflation Reduction Act [1]. HYGO News looked at the record behind that attack, including Sen. Rick Scott’s plan, in its page on Biden’s Hallandale Beach speech.

By the Numbers

2 million barrels a day: the OPEC+ production cut announced Oct. 5, 2022 [4][7].
3 months: the time between Biden’s Jeddah visit and the Journal’s report [1][3].
$600 billion: the investment Saudi Arabia committed to the United States during Trump’s visit in May 2025 [8].
Almost $1 trillion: the figure the crown prince raised it to at the White House in November 2025 [8].

What Happened Next

Republicans won the House in the midterms two weeks later, taking a 222-213 majority [9].

The crown prince got the red carpet from Trump. President Donald Trump made Saudi Arabia a key stop on the first multi-country international trip of his second term, where he lauded the kingdom’s commitment to invest $600 billion in the United States. On Nov. 18, 2025, he welcomed Prince Mohammed to the White House, calling him an “extremely respected man” and a “very good friend.” In the Oval Office, the prince said the deals signed that week would push his country’s investment toward $1 trillion. “You’re saying to me now that the $600 billion will be $1 trillion,” Trump responded [8].

Trump had also announced that he would allow the sale of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets to the kingdom, the AP reported. The visit was the prince’s first since U.S. intelligence agencies found he was involved in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prince has denied any part in the killing [8].

More of Jean-Pierre’s answers, checked against the record, are on HYGO News’ Karine Jean-Pierre record page.