x.com/ali_sarji12/status/2101275820769661050?s=46
2 corrections found
احتفل به الملك سلمان
This misidentifies Salman’s role. During George W. Bush’s 2008 Saudi visit, Bush met King Abdullah; Salman was still a prince and Riyadh governor, not the king.
Full reasoning
Official contemporaneous records do not show George W. Bush being received in Saudi Arabia by King Salman.
- The U.S. State Department’s official presidential travel history lists Bush’s Saudi stop on January 14–16, 2008 as "Saudi Arabia — Riyadh, Al-Janadriyah — Met with King Abdullah."
- White House trip notes from that same visit say the key meeting was with "King Abdullah."
- A contemporaneous AFP/Getty caption for the widely shared museum photo identifies Salman as "Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz ... the brother of the Saudi king and Governor of Riyadh" on 15 January 2008 — which means he was not king at the time.
- An official Saudi Foreign Ministry history page says Salman acceded to the throne on 23 January 2015.
So the post’s wording is factually wrong on a basic point of identity and office: during Bush’s post-Iraq-war Saudi visit, Salman was not the king who hosted him.
4 sources
- George W. Bush - Travels of the President - Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
For January 14–16, 2008, the Saudi Arabia entry says: "Riyadh, Al-Janadriyah — Met with King Abdullah."
- Trip Notes from the Middle East - White House archive
The White House notes from the Riyadh stop say: "The most important part of this stop has been a deepened personal relationship between President Bush and King Abdullah."
- US President George W. Bush stands in front of a Ka'aba door curtain... - Getty Images / AFP
The caption identifies Salman on 15 January 2008 as "Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz ... the brother of the Saudi king and Governor of Riyadh."
- KSA History - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia
The official Saudi history page says King Salman "acceded to the throne of Saudi Arabia ... on January 23rd, 2015."
ذهب جورج بوش إلى #نجد و #الحجاز
Official itineraries do show Bush in Riyadh/Al-Janadriyah, but not in the Hejaz. The claim overstates where he went in Saudi Arabia.
Full reasoning
The official U.S. record of George W. Bush’s Saudi visits after the 2003 Iraq invasion does not place him in both Najd and the Hejaz.
- The State Department’s official presidential travel history lists Bush’s Saudi stops as Riyadh and Al-Janadriyah on January 14–16, 2008, and again Riyadh and Al-Janadriyah on May 16–17, 2008.
- White House material from the January 2008 trip likewise places him in Riyadh, including visits to Al Murabba Palace and the National History Museum there.
Because the official trip logs are meant to record the President’s foreign-travel locales, and they list only Riyadh/Al-Janadriyah for his Saudi visits, the post is inaccurate in saying Bush went to both Najd and the Hejaz.
3 sources
- George W. Bush - Travels of the President - Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
The Saudi Arabia entries list Bush in "Riyadh, Al-Janadriyah" on January 14–16, 2008, and again in "Riyadh, Al-Janadriyah" on May 16–17, 2008.
- Trip Notes from the Middle East - White House archive
The White House notes say: "This morning in Riyadh, outside the Al Murabba Palace..." and describe a visit to Riyadh's National History Museum.
- President George W. Bush and Prince Salman bin Abdul Al-Aziz... - White House archive
The official White House photo caption says Bush and Prince Salman visited "Al Murabba Palace and National History Museum in Riyadh" on January 15, 2008.