Trump’s inner circle pushing for support of Biden’s potential Saudi deal - report

Jared Kushner and Sen. Graham urged Trump to support a potential agreement

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is being urged by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to lend his support to a potential agreement with Saudi Arabia, Axios reported on Thursday.

President Joe Biden would need a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate for the treaty and would need significant Republican support since many Democrat senators hold negative views of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the report, Graham has been talking with Trump about the deal since April, when the senator visited Saudi Arabia and talked to MBS.

“I told President Trump, listen, this is the natural extension of the Abraham Accords and if we can do it, let's do it. It doesn't matter how it gets done, on whose watch it gets done. It'd be a good thing for the stability of the Middle East and our own national security and President Trump deserves his fair share of credit,” Graham said to Axios.

The fact that the Biden administration sought to replicate Trump’s policy is “the highest sign of flattery,” Graham told Trump, adding that the former president appreciated the sentiment.

Trump's spokesperson declined to comment on the report.

Kushner also told Trump that he should view an agreement with Saudi Arabia as a vindication of his policy.

"Jared Kushner has been very helpful. He had some ideas for the Palestinians (in the context of an Israeli-Saudi deal). I know that he's offered to help, I think the White House sees him as helpful,” Graham said.

Kushner, one of the main architects of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states, is reportedly close to the Saudi crown prince.

His private equity fund Affinity, which is backed by $2 billion from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, recently invested $150 million for a 15% stake in the Israeli auto services unit of Shlomo Group, in what is seen as the first Saudi-sponsored investment in an Israeli company.