White House Hints at No Handshakes on Biden Trip

“It is the handshake that President Biden would dearly love to avoid if he could. So will he use Covid-19 as a reason to keep arm’s length from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he lands in Saudi Arabia later this week?,” the New York Times reports.

“White House officials flying with Mr. Biden to Jerusalem on Wednesday for the first stop of his four-day swing through the Middle East hinted that the president may refrain from handshakes altogether during his trip in response to the rise of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant known as BA.5.”