From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 24, 2026
Trump said to fume at energy secretary for announcing Saudi deal without coordination
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US President Donald Trump was reportedly furious that his energy secretary announced a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, leading him to the shock move of then making it conditional on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords.
According to a CNN report, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright had not told Trump that he would be announcing the deal, and the move left many in the White House shocked and angry.
Trump was reportedly further riled after watching criticism of the deal roll in from many conservative outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
While many suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lobbied Trump into adding the condition, the White House spokeswoman said the pair had not spoken in the interim.
CNN pointed out that Trump’s post on Truth Social announcing that the already signed deal was conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords came just minutes after a Fox News panel which questioned the wisdom of the agreement.
The Times of Israel Community.