MAGA Senator John Kennedy Slams Trump’s Saudi Nuclear Deal

When CBS News’ Face the Nation asked Louisiana’s senior senator, John Kennedy, whether he was comfortable with President Donald Trump’s new nuclear arrangement with Saudi Arabia, he didn’t waste a beat. “No. Maybe someday, but not right now,” he answered flatly, his voice carrying the gravitas of a man who’s seen enough foreign‑policy blunders to trust his gut.

Kennedy, 74, is no stranger to the MAGA brand, yet he sounded uneasy about a deal that would let Riyadh enrich its own nuclear fuel. “We’re bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon,” he said, referring to the ongoing U.S. air campaign against Iran, “but we’re signing a deal with another country that could end up on a path to the same thing.”

“The world is on a hair‑trigger right now,” Kennedy warned, his eyes flicking to the headlines about Ukraine, the Middle East and strained trans‑Atlantic ties. He added that allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and even Brazil are already weighing whether they need their own nuclear deterrent. “And then you see this deal with Saudi Arabia, and it’s just not good timing,” he said.

According to Kennedy, the crux of the problem is the lack of any meaningful concession from Riyadh. The Trump administration reportedly dropped the long‑standing U.S. demand that Saudi Arabia purchase nuclear fuel on the open market and, more importantly, removed the condition that the kingdom must recognize Israel as a prerequisite for the agreement. “I don’t think it’s going to happen anyway because the president conditioned it on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, and they’re not going to do that,” he added.

The backlash isn’t limited to the Senate chamber. Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, while praising Saudi Arabia’s economic strides, called the enrichment pact “a bad trend.” He suggested the United States simply emulate the United Arab Emirates’ approach, which, in his view, has been successful without sparking a regional arms race.

Washington’s stance on the issue has been anything but consistent. The Biden administration tried to rope Riyadh into buying fuel on the world market and tied any nuclear cooperation to Israel normalization. Trump’s deal, by contrast, appears to have stripped those levers away, raising eyebrows in Washington and beyond.As the U.S. continues to pound Iranian targets in an effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, critics argue that rewarding Saudi Arabia with enrichment capabilities sends a contradictory message. “People are scared,” Kennedy said, “and that’s why I say hair‑trigger.” The senator’s blunt assessment underscores a growing discomfort among even the most ardent Trump allies when policy moves appear to destabilize an already volatile world order.

Whether the agreement will survive the next round of diplomatic scrutiny remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: a senior MAGA voice is now publicly questioning the timing and wisdom of letting Saudi Arabia walk down the nuclear road.