This Nuclear Deal with Saudi Arabia Could Go Down as the Worst Idea Trump Has Ever Had

2 min readI realize I am not a stable genius, but on the surface this seems like a very terrible idea. From The Wall Street Journal:President Trump has formally approved a landmark agreement with Saudi Arabia that will provide the country with a civilian nuclear program and potentially open the door to uranium enrichment in the kingdom’s territory, according to administration officials. The new deal, which would last 30 years, is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. It is designed to give American companies a central role in developing Saudi Arabia’s nuclear infrastructure while shutting out other foreign competitors.A key provision of the new accord would have U.S. companies build a uranium-enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia if a joint U.S.-Saudi study determines such a step would be warranted. That stipulation would give the U.S. influence over the Saudi nuclear program and, Trump administration officials argue, a way to prevent it from being misused for military purposes. To the outside observer, there’s no reason to trust either end of this deal. The American side is being run by grifters and incompetents. The Saudi side is being run by people who have settled accounts with bone saws and beheadings and who also are sharper about money than the Americans ever will be. The idea that the current Saudi regime will be able to resist the temptations of enriching uranium without using it to build weapons feels laughable. I wouldn’t trust any government on earth that far, let alone an authoritarian theocracy with murder in its heart.The accord would be difficult for lawmakers to block. An override of a presidential veto would require a joint resolution and a two-thirds majority vote of both the House and Senate. Trump greenlighted the agreement late last week, and the accord is expected to be signed Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who discussed the deal during his first overseas trip to the region in April 2025 with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who will also sign the deal.“The agreement could help revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry, strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties and deny Russia and China a strategically important role in the Saudi nuclear program,” said Robert Einhorn, a former longtime senior State Department official who advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on nonproliferation issues. “But unless it contains adequate constraints, including on enrichment, it could increase nuclear proliferation risks in the Middle East and beyond,” Einhorn added. Saudi officials have long argued that the deal is necessary to enable the kingdom to develop a nuclear industry, which would draw on unproven uranium ore deposits to try to meet energy needs at home. That would free up more of its oil production for export and boost revenues. Saudi Arabia insists its intentions are peaceful, although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the country, said in 2018 that if Iran ever develops a nuclear weapon, his nation would follow suit.The Art of the Deal is a bit Dada-esque on this one.