GOP Senator Breaks With Trump Over Saudi Nuclear Deal

A Republican senator is publicly disagreeing with President Donald Trump over a new deal involving nuclear technology and Saudi Arabia. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said on Sunday that the timing of the agreement is all wrong. He made his comments on the TV news show 'Face the Nation' on CBS. The deal was signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and is meant to help Saudi Arabia build a civilian nuclear energy program. Saudi Arabia does not currently have nuclear weapons, but the deal has raised concerns from some U.S. lawmakers.

Kennedy's main concern is that the U.S. is fighting a war against Iran partly to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. At the same time, Kennedy said, the U.S. is helping Saudi Arabia develop nuclear technology. He thinks this sends a confusing message to the rest of the world. When asked directly if he was comfortable with the Saudi deal, Kennedy simply answered: 'Nope.'

The senator warned that the world is in a dangerous moment when it comes to nuclear weapons. He said many countries are already thinking about building their own nuclear stockpiles because they feel unsafe. He called this trend a mistake and said the U.S. should be working to slow it down, not speed it up. 'It's just not good timing,' Kennedy said.

The deal also comes with a condition set by Trump himself. Trump said Saudi Arabia must first normalize, or officially make peace with, Israel before the deal can fully move forward. But Saudi Arabia has said it will only do that if a free Palestinian state is created. Israel is strongly against that idea, which means the two sides are very far apart. Kennedy said he does not think the deal will actually happen for this reason.

Kennedy's pushback is part of a bigger problem for Trump inside the Republican Party. Several GOP senators are upset with the president over the ongoing war with Iran, which has now lasted nearly five months. Trump and his team had promised the war would be over in just a few weeks, but it is still going on. A ceasefire that Trump signed last month has already fallen apart, and a key shipping lane called the Strait of Hormuz has become dangerous again for global trade.

The war has also hurt Americans at home by causing gas prices to rise. Republicans are worried about what this means for the upcoming midterm elections, where voters will choose members of Congress. Trump's name will not be on the ballot this time, so the party cannot rely on his personal popularity to win votes. Some Republicans fear voters will blame the party for the war and high gas prices.

Trump has also made things worse with some members of his own party by endorsing candidates against two sitting Republican senators. One of those senators, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, confronted Trump directly at a meeting last month. Cassidy called the war in Iran a mistake right to the president's face. Trump, however, has stood by his decision, saying that stopping Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon is worth the political cost.