Trump’s Deepening Ties To The Middle East Raise Ethical Alarms

 

Donald Trump’s business empire is booming once again in the Middle East, with deals more than tripling since his first term in office. Now, as he embarks on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, concerns are mounting over whether the President is prioritizing U.S. interests — or his own.

Trump’s presence in the Gulf this week comes amid an aggressive expansion of Trump-branded projects in the region. These include luxury skyscrapers, golf courses, and cryptocurrency ventures — many involving licensing agreements with foreign developers. Ethics watchdogs argue these deals create troubling opportunities for foreign governments to curry favor with the U.S. president through business partnerships that directly benefit his family’s enterprise.

“When Americans elect a president, they expect him to work for the country, not his bank account,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen. Critics warn that foreign entities may be leveraging Trump’s commercial interests to influence U.S. policy.

Trump, however, appears unfazed by the criticism. “I’ve always had an instinct for making money,” he said during a February event organized by a Saudi-backed investment group. There, he promoted not only American economic prospects but also his own business record.

While most former presidents placed their financial assets in blind trusts to avoid conflicts of interest, Trump took a different path. His business empire is now managed by his children, with his son Eric Trump continuing to helm operations. Despite the Trump Organization’s pledge not to engage in new deals with foreign governments, a recently announced Trump-branded golf course in Qatar involves Dar Global — a developer that purchased land from Qatari Diar, a firm backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

The Trump Organization denies any direct affiliation with the Qatari government, claiming its deal is solely with Dar Global. Nonetheless, the partnership raises questions about blurred lines between private business and public office.

Trump’s administration has been vocal about attracting foreign investment, often boasting about commitments from Gulf states. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. investments, with Trump openly calling on these nations to inject even more.

But critics argue that these diplomatic overtures are difficult to disentangle from the president’s personal financial pursuits. The overlap has fueled concerns that Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself — and that some Gulf leaders are encouraging it to further their own agendas.

At a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns, calling them “ridiculous” and insisting the administration holds itself to the “highest ethical standards.”

After the Capitol insurrection in January 2021, much of the American business world distanced itself from Trump. Yet support from Middle Eastern allies remained strong. Hussain Sajwani, head of DAMAC Properties and a longtime Trump partner in Dubai, reaffirmed his commitment to working with the Trump brand just days after the riot.

Soon after, Trump struck a deal with Saudi-backed LIV Golf to host tournaments at his properties. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, also secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for his private equity firm. Though no longer a formal White House adviser, Kushner has reportedly remained involved in diplomatic conversations with Arab leaders.

Other deals include a major resort development in Oman and multiple new Trump-branded towers in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, all spearheaded by Dar Global, a real estate firm tied to the Saudi government’s economic modernization strategy. Speaking at a recent event, the company’s CEO urged investors to “keep believing in the Trump brand.”

Eric Trump, too, hinted at more Middle East ventures on the horizon, praising Gulf nations for resisting “woke cancel culture” and embracing pro-development policies.

Trump’s crypto company, World Liberty Financial, has also received financial backing from the region. UAE-based DWF Labs recently purchased $25 million in tokens, while another Emirati firm committed to using Trump-branded cryptocurrency in a multi-billion-dollar investment in Binance. The chairman of that firm is the UAE’s deputy ruler and national security adviser — yet another indicator of the blurred lines between Trump’s political role and private interests.

These developments have prompted calls for scrutiny. Senators Jeffrey Merkley and Elizabeth Warren have urged the Office of Government Ethics to investigate, warning that such deals risk opening U.S. governance to foreign influence.

As Trump prepares for high-stakes diplomatic meetings in a region rife with complexity — from military decisions to peace negotiations — critics argue that his business ties may distort U.S. foreign policy.

Trump’s cozy relationship with Saudi Arabia is especially concerning for many observers. His decision to travel there as his first official trip abroad mirrors his 2017 visit, where he received a lavish welcome and signed an arms deal. His continued defense of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even after the CIA linked the prince to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, underscores the transactional nature of the relationship.

“The concern is real,” said Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute. “There’s a risk that personal interests are trumping national interests.”

In a region where American leadership must navigate sensitive and consequential decisions, the expansion of Trump’s business empire threatens to cast a long shadow over U.S. foreign policy — one shaped less by strategy and more by profit.