Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) has expressed support for former President Donald Trump’s criticism of the United Kingdom’s decision to transfer control of the Chagos Islands, which includes a joint U.S.-U.K. military base on Diego Garcia. Kennedy released a statement following Trump’s comments on Truth Social, where Trump said, “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”
Kennedy stated, “President Trump is absolutely right to condemn the United Kingdom’s down-to-the-marrow stupid decision to give away the Chagos Islands—including our joint military base. There’s no excuse for sidelining American security and handing a massive gift to China just to appease woke critics—and that’s exactly what the U.K. government has done with this deal. It’s not too late to stop it, and I’m proud to stand with the Trump administration in all their efforts to block this nonsense.”
Diego Garcia is home to one of the only bases in the world where the U.S. military can reload submarines. The United Kingdom has decided to cede control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, an island nation over 1,200 miles away from the archipelago. According to Kennedy, Mauritius has developed closer ties with China, and its prime minister Navin Ramgoolam has expressed intentions to strengthen diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Kennedy has consistently opposed the proposed transfer since its announcement in October 2024. He previously described it as “dangerous and irresponsible” and wrote opinion pieces criticizing the move in national publications such as The Hill and The Telegraph. He also sent a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking clarification about U.S. involvement in the agreement.
From November 2024 through February 2025, Kennedy spoke multiple times on the Senate floor urging both governments not to proceed with the deal. In January 2025, he hosted British critics Baron Dean Godson and Julia Mizen at his office before later participating in a Wall Street Journal documentary about the issue.
Senator Kennedy represents Louisiana in the United States Senate and leads initiatives related to national security among other policy areas according to his official website. He chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and serves on several other committees including Appropriations, Budget, and Energy and Natural Resources.
