Sen. (R-S.C.) offered high praise for President on Wednesday, arguing that a successful effort to expand Middle East peace agreements could earn the president recognition far beyond the Nobel Peace Prize.
During an appearance on Fox News’ Hannity, Graham pointed to ongoing discussions surrounding a broader regional agreement tied to peace efforts with Iran. According to Graham, Trump has insisted that any larger arrangement should include countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Qatar joining the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic framework aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Arab nations.
Graham suggested that bringing Saudi Arabia into a formal relationship with Israel would represent a historic breakthrough in one of the world’s longest-running geopolitical disputes.
“If he can pull this off, if he can get Saudi Arabia, the center of Islam for the entire world, to recognize the Jewish state Israel, he’ll have ended the Arab-Israeli conflict that’s been going on for thousands of years,” Graham said. “They should change the Nobel Prize to the Trump Prize.”
The South Carolina Republican argued that such an agreement would reshape the Middle East in ways that extend beyond diplomacy. He described a future in which cooperation and economic development replace instability and confrontation.
“If he can do that—and I think he can—it’s the biggest change in the modern history and in the ancient history of the mid-east, where the Arabs and the Jews live together, where it becomes a center of power economically, not a powder keg,” Graham said.
The senator also connected the prospects for broader regional peace to efforts aimed at limiting Iran’s influence. Graham expressed confidence that the administration could achieve both objectives, paving the way for a new relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
“And once you put Iran in a box, and he’s going to do that, we’re going to have peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Nobody thought that was possible. I believe it’s possible. And there’s one guy can do it: Donald Trump,” he added.
Graham’s comments come as the Trump administration continues to pursue diplomatic efforts in the Middle East amid ongoing tensions in the region. Supporters of the president have frequently pointed to the Abraham Accords as one of the signature foreign policy achievements associated with Trump’s time in office, arguing that expanding those agreements could further alter the political landscape of the Middle East.
The senator’s remarks also touched on a longstanding complaint from Trump himself. The president has repeatedly argued that he has not received sufficient recognition for diplomatic achievements he credits to his administration. Over the years, Trump has maintained that he deserved consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize based on what he describes as multiple international breakthroughs during both of his terms in office.
Trump has also frequently compared his record to that of former President, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
For Graham, however, the potential significance of a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement would go even further. In his view, transforming a region long associated with conflict into one focused on economic cooperation and stability would constitute a diplomatic achievement worthy of unprecedented recognition.
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