Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon WhitehouseHillicon Valley: Murky TikTok deal raises questions about China's role | Twitter investigating automated image previews over apparent algorithmic bias | House approves bill making hacking federal voting systems a crime House approves legislation making hacking voting systems a federal crime LWCF modernization: Restoring the promise MORE (D-R.I.) early Thursday criticized President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying it could harm the United States’ relationship with Mideast nations including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

“I think what’s really dangerous is what this means for our relationship with Turkey, which we still depend on for a lot of basing for our military efforts in the Middle East, and with the Saudis, who the Trump White House have bent over backwards to accommodate as our new best friend in the region,” Whitehouse said on CNN’s “New Day.”

Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announced plans to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

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Prior to the announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that Ankara could sever diplomatic ties with Israel if the U.S. declared Jerusalem the capital. Erdoğan called the decision a “red line for Muslims.”

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court, meanwhile, issued a statement Wednesday calling Trump’s announcement “unjustified and irresponsible,” according to Reuters.

Whitehouse suggested on Thursday that Trump’s decision was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to appeal to his base of evangelical voters.

“I think it’s a dangerous idea to let those religious beliefs get ahead of our national interests and our diplomatic interests,” Whitehouse said.

He added that if Turkish and Saudi leaders push back on the decision, “it can really degrade our ability to be effective in that area.”