Diplomatic Dance vs Conflict of Interest: Trump's Middle East Dilemma

The King of Greenbacks: Trump's Middle Eastern Extravaganza

Basking in the limelight of his preferred playground, our beloved President, Donald Trump, struts his stuff: a staggering $600 billion investment promise from Saudi Arabia, the very land that kick-started his latest globe-trotting adventure. This grand tour, a golden opportunity not just for the United States and its diplomatic relations with the kingdom of Riyadh, but also for Trump's personal family fortunes, tangled as they are with Middle Eastern petroleum monarchies.

This not-so-secretALT collusion, now brazenly flaunted during Trump's second term, could quite possibly herald a chapter of unprecedented folly in the annals of American presidencies, with the Oval Office transformed into the personal commercial playground of its resident.

In a New York Times podcast, Eric Lipton, an intrepid investigative journalist, summed it up thus: "The Middle East currently serves as the goldmine for the Trump Organization. It's their leading profit center. Their wealth has accumulated over years from petroleum and gas revenues, fueling sovereign funds now striving to extend their influence globally and boost their status as key economic players, often right here in the States and through the Trump family."

The odor of conflict of interest wafts heavily. It's not just the enticing smell of wealth coating the populist these days; this week, the air was filled with the glamour of a $400 million Boeing 747-8, a heavyweight gift from Qatar for Trump—a pulsating replacement for his loyal but aged Air Force One, which he would inherit, post-presidency, through his presidential library.

Ah, Qatar, the seemingly benign Gulf state that Trump, back in 2017, bashed from the White House lawn as a "lofty financier of terrorism." But all that changed when the emirate waltzed into Trump's family's commercial circle. As recently as last month, an agreement for the construction of a Trump Tower luxury golf complex, courtesy of developers Dar Global and Qatari Diar, was signed. The project, valued at a jaw-dropping $5.5 billion, includes an 18-hole golf course and Trump-brand residences, nestled comfortably at the heart of a larger Qatari government-orchestrated development.

Qatar, not content with supporting the artificial intelligence company xAI of Elon Musk, a trusted advisor to Trump, also invests in Kushner's capital investment group, Jared, Trump's son-in-law.

Concrete and cryptocurrencies

Prior to Trump's official visit, various family members engaged in lower-key yet essential visits. Eric Trump, for instance, touched down in Dubai last month to revive the construction project for an 80-story Trump Tower in the United Arab Emirates' largest city. Construction, expected to commence this fall, is more prosperous than the failed 1999 attempt to erect a Trump-branded hotel on the famous palm-shaped island of this city.

A billion dollars were injected into Trump International Hotel and Tower in Dubai by a Saudi real estate company with close ties to the government, with plans to build additional hotels, golf courses, and luxury towers in Saudi Arabia and Oman, generating substantial income for the Trump family annually, thanks to their illustrious name.

But that's not all. Since the beginning of the year, the government of Abu Dhabi has pumped an astronomical $2 billion into World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency company. The ambition behind this move is to build the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange platform, relying partly on a system of stablecoins to facilitate deposits and loans in cryptocurrencies with dollar-stable values.

Established last October by the Trump family with help from Zachary Witkoff, son of Steve Witkoff—a ubiquitous populist raconteur—this company has skyrocketed to unparalleled success. It has emerged as the world's largest stablecoin depository, and the Trump entourage anticipates earning millions annually in interest and commission, including on the $2 billion deposit from Dubai.

The Burden of Disguise

Given the overwhelming overlap between Trump's personal commercial dealings and the political, economic, and societal fabric of the Middle East, it's no wonder this region has become a preferred stomping ground for the aspiring American autocrat. Yet, the White House has writhed a bit lately under suspicions of collusion and the appearance of corruption, as media speculation swirled around Trump before he embarked on his luxurious journey to the Middle East aboard his aging Air Force One.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt deemed such accusations "laughable," claiming that "President Trump obeys all laws concerning conflicts of interest."

But critics, including fiery Republicans, such as his most fervent cheerleader, influencer Laura Loomer, sniffed a "stain" on the Trump administration if he accepted such gifts without consulting Congress. Commentator Ben Shapiro, on the other hand, questioned Trump's crusade against Washington corruption: "Embracing mountains of gifts from those linked to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, and others—that's not putting America first... If you want President Trump to triumph in his battle against corruption, such shady practices must cease."

The political relationships between the Trump administration and Middle Eastern countries have extended to business dealings, as seen in the $600 billion investment promise from Saudi Arabia and the planned construction of a Trump Tower luxury golf complex in Qatar.
The Trump Organization's wealth, a significant portion of which comes from Middle Eastern petroleum and gas revenues, has fueled sovereign funds that aim to increase their global influence and economic standing, often through investments in the United States.
The overlap between Trump's personal business dealings and the Middle East's political, economic, and societal fabric has being criticized as a potential conflict of interest, with Trump's acceptance of gifts, such as a $400 million Boeing 747-8 from Qatar, drawing scrutiny.
The White House's responses to these allegations have been defensive, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt asserting that President Trump adheres to all laws concerning conflicts of interest, while critics have argued that the acceptance of such gifts without consulting Congress could appear corrupt.