Trump Family's Business Ties to the Middle East Explained

As President Donald Trump prepares for his first formal diplomatic trip of his second term to the Middle East on Monday, renewed attention is turning to his family's business ties in the has reached out to The Trump Organization and several experts for comment via email on It MattersConcerns over blurred lines between politics and personal business have repeatedly surfaced during both Trump administrations. The Trump Organization—now run by the president's sons Eric and Donald Jr.—continues pursuing real estate ventures in the Middle East while Trump is in the Oval to Know The Trump Organization owns dozens of properties worldwide, with current and planned holdings in North America, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and the Middle East. The company operates hotels and golf courses, as well as domestic commercial real of real estate, the family has ties to crypto and financial investments in the Middle Family Ties to Saudi ArabiaTrump's first foreign trip as presidentin 2017 was to Saudi Arabia, where he laid down some of the groundwork for a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), whom he frequently praised as a reformer and strategic partner despite ongoing concerns over human rights abuses and the military campaigns in 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concluded was ordered by the crown prince, drew widespread condemnation from U.S. lawmakers and the public. Trump, however, continued to defend the Saudi leader, citing importanteconomic and strategic ties between the two Trump Organization frequently partners with Dar Global—the international arm of Saudi-based luxury developer Dar Al Arkan—on hotel, tower and golf course projects across the Middle December 2024, the Trump Organization released a press release about a new development in the coastal Saudi city of Jeddah. Ziad El Chaar, CEO of Dar Global, said in the press release that the firm is "delighted to strengthen our ongoing relationship with The Trump Organization and expand our portfolio by delivering premium properties to redefine Saudi Arabia's high-growth real estate market." The Jeddah Tower is estimated to cost $530 additional Trump Organization projects in the country's capital, Riyadh, are in the works, with Eric Trump telling Reuters in December it will at least include a tower and be developed in partnership with Dar addition to the organization's real estate ventures, Jared Kushner—Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser focusing on Middle East policy—secured a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund led by the crown prince just six months after leaving the White have criticized Kushner's dealings for his investment firm, Affinity Partners, claiming he blurred lines and potentially lobbied for personal gains during diplomatic trips. Kushner has maintained that he is running a "very legitimate business" and there has not been any conflict of late-October, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, both Democrats, wrote a letter to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint a special counsel to investigate Kushner's relations with Saudi addition, LIV Golf, which is Saudi backed, has hosted tournaments at Trump's Florida Family Dealings in United Arab Emirates (UAE) The Trump family is no stranger to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' commercial hub, where the Trump International Golf Club is located in the DAMAC Hills month, The Trump Organization announced plans for a new addition, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, a luxury high-rise slated to be in the heart of the city. The tower would be the first in the region and marks the fifth time Dar Global and The Trump Organization are Dubai tower is expected to be completed between 2030 and 2031, with a gross development value of $1 billion, according to Dar announcement came while Eric Trump was in Dubai where he spoke at a cryptocurrency conference. The tower will notably accept Bitcoin the April conference in Dubai, Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial and son of Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, announced that a UAE-backed fund had selected the Trump family's stablecoin, USD1, for a $2 billion investment into Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.A Trump business entity owns 60 percent of World Liberty, the crypto startup behind USD1, and is entitled to 75 percent of all revenue from coin sales. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are actively involved in the management of the company, and rely on three partners, Zachary Folkman, Chase Herro, and Zach Witkoff to maintain daily Family Deals in OmanA Trump International Hotel in Oman is under development and slated for completion by December 2028, according to the project's website. The venture underscores a broader surge in luxury real estate development across the Gulf recently brokered the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, with the fourth round of talks taking place in Muscat on Ties to QatarAt the end of April, The Trump Organization announced a new $5.5 billion Simaisma development of a luxury golf resort north of Doha. The development will include Trump-branded beachside villas and an 18-hole golf Sunday, ABC News and The New York Times both cited officials reporting that the president is to receive a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari government. The plane is expected to serve as Trump's Air Force One and is estimated to be around $400 , Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's Media Attaché to the U.S., told Newsweek in an email Sunday: "Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate. The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made."Trump Ties to Turkey Although he is not scheduled to visit Turkey on his Middle East tour, Trump shares corporate ties to the country, which has a set of licensed Trump Towers in Istanbul. They are filled with residential and commercial People Are SayingZach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, said of the UAE in April: "This is just one incredible country. One of the most innovative, if not the most innovative, countries on planet Earth today."Steven Cook, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations told NPR ahead of Trump's trip: "The Saudis, the Emiratis and Qataris are going to fall all over themselves over who can outdo themselves to welcome the president. And then they will outdo themselves over the number of deals that they can announce as the president is there."What Happens Next?Trump will depart for the region on Monday and is set to return on May 16.