Biden said he told Mohammed bin Salman he was responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder when the Saudi ruler denied involvement to his face

• The Saudi leader was told by Biden that he was to blame for the death of the journalist.

• He said that he was not to blame for it. Biden said that he thought he was.

• Biden met with the Saudi king for the first time.

The president said he pushed back on the crown prince after he denied any involvement in the killing of the journalist.

He said that he was not to blame for it. Biden told reporters from Saudi Arabia that he believed he was.

At the top of the meeting, the president brought up the murder of the Saudi journalist.

Biden said that he was straightforward and direct in his discussion. For an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is not consistent with who I am. I will always stand up for what's right.

Before meeting with Prince Mohammed, who's often referred to as MBS, Biden sidestepped a question from a reporter on whether he would explicitly address the murder of the journalist.

Biden promised to make Saudi Arabia a pariah over the murder of the journalist. The president's trip to Saudi Arabia has been criticized.

Hatice Cengiz called out Biden in a series of messages. There was a fake picture of Biden meeting with the man accused of ordering the murder of the Saudi Arabian journalist. Is this the accountability you promised for my death? The blood of the next victim is on your hands.

—Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) July 15, 2022

Biden apologized to Cengiz when he was asked about her criticism. I was easy to understand.

Biden's visit to the oil-rich kingdom this week came at a time of a global energy crisis and Russia's invasion ofUkraine. As the US tries to restore the Iran nuclear deal, it also happened. The Saudis have criticized the Obama-era agreement many times.

The president frames his trip to Saudi Arabia as important to US interests.

Biden said Thursday that he thinks we have an opportunity to reestablish our influence in the Middle East.

"We can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum that is filled by China and Russia against the interests of both Israel and the United States," the president said.

Business Insider has an article on it.