In reality Trump's move to help Saudi Arabia obtain nuclear energy was roundly criticized when the details leaked out.
Mr. Art of the Deal Trump gathered officials on Wednesday at the downtown headquarters of the Energy Department to unveil his civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia known as the 123 agreement.
It didn't take long, a mere 24 hours, before Trump decided the signed document had some problems.
What happened you may reasonably ask?
For starters the kingdom was not required to sign a standard agreement called the Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In short, there would be no inspections by foreign countries on the progress of the 123 agreement. In order to get Congress to approve the agreement there had to be that major guardrail.
Then there's the fact that Israelis who hate Saudi Arabia would never stand for the possibility of an enemy with weaponized nuclear capability. It would be a major threat to the country.
Despite the wording in the agreement assuring that the uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing program would only be used for peaceful means, skeptics point out it would give the Saudis the means to produce nuclear bombs.
Finally, some lawmakers and experts signaled their opposition to the deal the moment they became aware of it. Sen. Ed Markey argued that the 123 agreement represented a "potentially enabling nuclear proliferation in Saudi Arabia and igniting an arms race in the region."
The overall consensus was Trump was screwing up once again in a foreign deal. Whatever convinced Trump to turn around a day later and say that the new deal was subject to a new condition isn't clear. He declared that the 123 agreement now needed Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords.
That was a non-starter for Saudi Arabia. They didn't trust Israel and joining them in any agreement was simply out of the question.
After a flurry of criticism from conservative media outlets like Fox News, Trump decided to blame his own Energy Department for the screwup. He claimed they (Energy Department officials) had informed the media too soon, allowing critics to pan it before the deal was complete despite the White House signing ceremony the day before.
The result of Trump's poorly conceived plan to help his Saudi billionaire buddies (quid pro quo?) was a screwup, something he's demonstrated repeatedly in his foreign nation relations throughout his second term.
As it Stands, you have to wonder how much Trump and his family would have benefited financially if this deal would have gone through.
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