Trump's Middle East Trip Calls Attention to His Personal Business Ties
This week, President Donald Trump made the first official state trip of his second term to the Middle East, where he hoped to announce a series of high-profile deals with the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The deals, which include a commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S., an arms package with Qatar, and commercial deals with the UAE, involve countries where the Trump family itself has significant business ties.
During his first term in office, the Trump Organization, which is owned privately by Trump and jointly controlled by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., refrained from pursuing new foreign business deals. However, the organization did not renew that commitment after Trump's election in November, and his sons have already initiated several foreign deals since January.
Potential conflicts between the president's personal business and official duties emerged even before Trump left the United States, when reports emerged that the administration was preparing to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family to use as a new Air Force One. On May 11, ABC News reported that the plane would be given to the U.S. Air Force for Trump's use during his presidency, but would then be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library at the end of his term, suggesting the $400 million aircraft could be used by Trump as a private citizen following his presidency.
ABC News reported that lawyers in the administration had reviewed the deal and determined it did not violate U.S. law. 'Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the outlet. The White House and Department of Justice reportedly believe that, because the gift is being made to the U.S. Air Force—not Trump directly—and is not being made in exchange for an official act, there is no violation. Ethics experts, however, question whether the deal violates the Emoluments Clause—a provision of the Constitution that generally prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts and other objects or services of value from foreign governments, officials, or representatives without congressional consent.
'I don't buy the explanation at all,' professor Richard Painter, who served as the chief ethics adviser to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007, told The Dispatch. 'The Emoluments Clause is in the Constitution to prevent any gifts from foreign governments, whether or not there's a bribe.'
Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel, and senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, agreed. 'It's almost impossible to mask the fact that this is a foreign government giving a gift to a president, which falls squarely into the Emoluments Clause,' Payne told The Dispatch. 'So they can try all the legal gymnastics of explaining how this deal is structured, but, at the end of it all, the foreign government is giving a gift to the president, and that raises huge constitutional questions about how the Emoluments Clause applies.'
Some legal experts, however, think the case is less clear—especially if the aircraft is decommissioned once given to Trump's presidential library foundation. 'Assuming that the reporting is correct that the Qatari jet will be decommissioned and will not keep flying once Trump is out of office, then that is not at all clear cut,' Jed Shugerman, professor of law at Boston University, told The Dispatch. While Shugerman believes that there were many Emoluments Clause violations during Trump's first term—such as foreign governments spending lavishly at hotels owned by the Trump Organization—and that the administration is likely violating the Emoluments Clause again through its involvement with cryptocurrencies, he does not think that the gift of a Qatari aircraft necessarily falls in the same bucket. 'I doubt a court would call that a violation of the Emoluments Clause.'
In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a pair of lawsuits over potential violations of the Emoluments Clause during Trump's first term, saying that the cases were moot after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and left office.
The Qatari jet deal is not the only potential conflict of interest with the nations Trump visited this week. His family's business ties with the three Persian Gulf states run the gamut from real estate to cryptocurrency to his son-in-law's involvement with foreign sovereign wealth funds.
In December, the Trump Organization announced that it was licensing its name to several real estate projects in Riyadh—Saudi Arabia's capital—and Jeddah—a port city on the country's Red Sea coast. The projects are being developed by London-based Dar Global, the international subsidiary of Dar Al Arkan, a Saudi luxury real estate developer with close links to the Saudi government. The Trump Organization has previously worked with the firm on other projects across the Middle East, including a golf community in Oman.
The Trump Organization's foreign real estate deals are mostly licensing agreements, in which a developer pays a fee to the organization for the right to market and operate a property under the Trump brand. (Other agreements, like its Oman project, also pay the Trump Organization to manage the properties.)
The Trump Organization is also linked to the Saudi government through its partnerships with LIV Golf, a professional golf tour owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. The effort, like Qatar's bid to host the 2022 World Cup and Saudi Arabia's prolific spending on its professional soccer league, has been criticized by some as a form of 'sportswashing'—a term describing the use of popular sporting events to distract from human rights abuses and corrupt state behavior. Trump's Miami and Bedminster, New Jersey, golf clubs both hosted LIV events during the tour's inaugural 2022 season, and, in 2023, three Trump clubs—Miami, Bedminster, and Washington, D.C.—hosted the series. Trump's Doral club in Miami has since hosted two additional LIV tournament events in April 2024 and April 2025. LIV Golf reportedly paid a site fee 'of around seven figures' to Trump's courses, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
'The deals connected with the president's company are clear violations of the ethics norm that a president should not have financial interests that present a conflict,' Payne explained. 'Presidents, in the past, have made sure that they don't have financial interest and conflict with their job to avoid this appearance of a problem.'
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has another connection to the Trump family through Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. In 2022, the fund invested $2 billion with Affinity Partners, a private equity firm founded by Kushner in 2021. Last year, the fund's assets under management increased by 60 percent to nearly $4.8 billion following additional capital injections from two of its existing investors: Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and Lunate, an investment manager based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Though the invested capital does not belong to Kushner himself, it is standard practice in the private equity industry for firms to earn management fees applied to total assets and performance fees applied to investment profits. Democrats have questioned whether the arrangement could allow foreign governments to influence Kushner and other individuals close to the Trump administration.
'Kushner got that $2 billion from the Saudi royal family against the advice of their own financial advisers,' Painter said, citing a 2022 New York Times article that reported that the panel that reviews investments for Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund had serious reservations about investing with Kushner's firm before being overruled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 'It really creates a bad impression that they're trying to screw around the ethics rules and get personal benefits and profit from the presidency.'
Kushner, who served as Trump's top Middle East negotiator during his first term, has not taken a formal role in his father-in-law's second administration. However, Kushner reportedly began advising the administration quietly in preparation for negotiations with Arab leaders during this week's tour. According to CNN, Kushner has been 'heavily involved' in discussions with Arab nations surrounding diplomatic normalization agreements with Israel—an issue he also took the lead on during Trump's first term.
In April, Qatari Diar—a real estate firm established by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund—and Dar Global announced that they would partner to develop a Trump-branded real estate project in Qatar. The project reportedly will include a golf course and villas and is part of a larger $5.5 billion development project in the coastal town of Simaisma.
Qatari links also extend directly to the Trump administration. Attorney General Pam Bondi—who, with White House lawyer David Warrington, determined that Qatar's gifting of an aircraft was legally permissible—was formerly a lobbyist on behalf of the Qatari government. According to Foreign Agent Registration Act disclosures, Bondi represented the Embassy of the State of Qatar 'providing advice, counsel, and other assistance with respect to efforts to combat
human trafficking,' while working for the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, for which she was paid $115,000 per month.
Bondi departed her role at Ballard Partners in November 2019 to take up a temporary position in the Office of White House Counsel during Trump's first term. Once that job ended, however, Bondi rejoined Ballard Partners and resumed lobbying on behalf of Qatar in 2020.
The UAE is closely involved in the Trump Organization's ventures in both real estate and cryptocurrency.
On April 30, the Trump Organization announced that it and Dar Global were developing the Trump International Hotel & Tower in downtown Dubai. A similar Dubai project in partnership with UAE state-owned real estate company Nakheel was previously announced by the Trump Organization in 2005, but the project was canceled in 2011.
Earlier this month, Zach Witkoff—co-founder of World Liberty Financial (WLF), a crypto firm controlled by the Trump family—also announced at a cryptocurrency conference in Dubai that WLF's stablecoin, USD1, would be used by the Emirati state-owned investment firm MGX to close a $2 billion investment in Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Zach Witkoff is the son of Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump ally who currently serves as the United States special envoy to the Middle East. The deal grants the early-stage stablecoin increased legitimacy in the crypto industry, and, if Binance decides to hold onto the $2 billion worth of USD1 used for the investment, would allow WLF to earn tens of millions of dollars in yield from the U.S. Treasury bonds used as USD1's underlying reserves.
In April, Emirati crypto investment firm DFW Labs also purchased $25 million worth of WLF's governance tokens, which grant the firm a right to vote on changes to WLF's underlying digital platform. (See this previous Dispatch piece on the administration's involvement in cryptocurrency for a primer on stablecoins and governance tokens.)
The investments only scratch the surface of the Trump family's deepening entrenchment into the world of cryptocurrencies, which also includes a series of digital NFT trading cards, a viral 'memecoin,' and other cryptocurrency investment products. 'Cryptocurrency could be used to pay bribes—it's used for money laundering and bribes all the time because cryptocurrency transactions are so difficult to trace,' Painter explained. 'So, this is a situation where we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.'
While no evidence has emerged that the Trump family or administration has explicitly violated the law through its involvement with cryptocurrency, the violation of broader presidential norms is still problematic. 'Whether you're violating an ethics norm or you're violating the Constitution, you are still violating the public's trust and their expectations of what their highest elected official is doing in office,' Payne said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer calls for negotiations after US attacks Iran's nuclear sites
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Iran to return to negotiations after Donald Trump launched US air strikes on the regime's nuclear facilities. The Prime Minister said Iran's nuclear programme is a 'grave threat' which the US military action would 'alleviate'. There is understood to have been no UK involvement in the action, which comes after Sir Keir and Foreign Secretary David Lammy had pushed for a diplomatic solution rather than US action which could further destabilise the region. The Prime Minister said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. 'We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.'
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Confirms US Launched Strikes Against Iran In Major Escalation Of Middle Eastern War
Donald Trump has confirmed that the US struck Iran overnight and 'obliterated' its key nuclear facilities, marking a major escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict. Just days ago the US president gave himself two weeks to make a decision over joining the war in the Middle East, but clearly chose to strike long before that self-imposed deadline passed. The shocking move comes after UK prime minister Keir Starmer urged Trump not to strike Iran, noting that the region needs de-escalation. He warned that Iran's future held 'either peace or tragedy' and that there were many other targets he could hit unless Tehran agrees to end the war. Tensions soared in the Middle East earlier this month when Israel unexpectedly attacked Iran over fears it was developing nuclear weapons – a claim Iran has denied, insisting that it is only for peaceful purposes. The two countries then continued to exchange fire over the course of a week. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his 'bold decision' of striking Iran, which he claimed would alter the course of history. According to CBS News, the States contacted Iran on Saturday to confirm the attacks had come to the US and that it is not looking for regime change. During a three-minute speech confirming the attacks, Trump said: 'Massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. 'Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. 'Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. 'Tonight I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. 'Iran's key nuclear facilities and been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. 'If they do not, future attacks will be far greater – and a lot easier.' — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025 As Trump Weighs Up Joining Israel's War Against Iran, Here's A Reminder How We Got Here Keir Starmer Urges Donald Trump Not To Bomb Iran Obama Says US Moving 'Dangerously Close' To Autocracy Under Trump
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US strikes Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran warns of ‘everlasting consequences'
The United States has attacked three sites in Iran, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear programme in a risky gambit to weaken a long-time foe which has prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites had been 'completely and fully obliterated', in an address to the nation from the White House. There was no independent damage assessment. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted its nuclear programme will not be stopped. Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there are no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes. It is not clear whether the US will continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a nine-day war with Iran. Mr Trump acted without congressional authorisation, and he warned there will be additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against US forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's top diplomat, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, warned in a post on X that the US attacks 'will have everlasting consequences' and that Tehran 'reserves all options' to retaliate. Hours later, Iranian missiles struck areas in northern and central Israel, according to an Israeli rescue service. Initial reports suggested at least 16 people suffered minor injuries and several buildings were damaged. Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had 'swiftly neutralised' the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes towards military targets in western Iran. Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Mr Trump and Israeli leaders have argued Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But US and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb that only they have been configured to carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear programme buried deep underground. Mr Trump appears to have made the calculation – at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republicans – that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear programme, perhaps permanently. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Mr Trump said in a post on social media. 'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.' Mr Trump later added: 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced on Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation but an update is expected on Sunday morning. But one US official said the attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding. In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another US official. The decision to attack was a risky one for Mr Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But he has vowed he will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and he had initially hoped the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear programme peacefully.
