When Chris Wallace quizzed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about a sword dance he performed the night before with Saudi Arabians during the first night of President Donald Trump's overseas trip, the "Fox News Sunday" host told him he "looked pretty good" while he was doing it and asked him if he had been practicing.
"I hadn't been practicing, Chris, but it was not my first sword dance," Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobil, told Wallace. "I've been in the Middle East for many, many years, not just in the kingdom, but throughout the region."
In video from the event, Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the president can all be seen chanting and swaying with the music during the traditional men's dance known as the ardha, according to the U.S. Saudi Arabian Embassy, which describes the dance as "a combination of singers, dancers carrying swords and a poet or narrator."
Tillerson and Ross can be seen linking arms during the dance which was part of a celebration of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, The Hill reported Sunday.
"Such a wonderful welcome for the president last night — the spirit, the fun that was going on in the air, it was very contagious for all of us," Tillerson explained.
"And, I think, just the pure joy that you see on the faces on the people here in Saudi Arabia, but also what we're hearing throughout the region with the president's visit, the importance of it, and I think great hope that this brings to them that something is finally going to be done to confront these faces of terrorism and the destabilizing forces in the region," he added.
Previous presidents, including former President George W. Bush, have taken part in the ritual.
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