A Visit Entwined with Business Interests
President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East is drawing scrutiny not only for its diplomatic agenda but also for the expanding business and cryptocurrency ventures of his family in the region. While Trump frames his trip partly as a strategic diplomatic tour — highlighted by a luxury $400 million plane gifted from Qatar and promises of massive foreign investment — critics argue that the visit also spotlights an uncomfortable overlap between his presidency and his family’s growing Middle Eastern commercial ties.
Long before Trump set foot in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. had been active across the region, pushing business deals for The Trump Organization. These efforts have included plans for an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai, announced by Eric Trump last month, as well as participation in a cryptocurrency conference in the UAE alongside Zach Witkoff, a co-founder of the Trump family’s crypto company, World Liberty Financial.
“We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” Eric Trump said, heralding the start of construction on Trump Tower Dubai this fall. Yet the timing of these ventures — while the president is engaged in official diplomatic talks — has raised concerns about the mixing of personal profit and public service.
Expanding Footprint Across the Middle East
The Trump Organization’s footprint in the Middle East is extensive and expanding rapidly. In Qatar, the family has partnered with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to build a luxury golf resort. In Saudi Arabia, the family leases its brand to two real estate projects in Riyadh, working with Dar Global, a London-based developer linked to Saudi firm Al Arkan. Another Trump Tower is planned for Jeddah, with additional ventures like a Trump International Hotel and golf development underway in Oman.
The family’s crypto interests are entwined with regional investments as well. At the Abu Dhabi conference, a state-backed investment company selected USD, the stablecoin launched by World Liberty Financial, to back a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Critics suggest this allows Trump-aligned interests to benefit financially from each dollar invested. When asked about this, Trump replied, “I don’t know anything about it.”
Further complicating matters is the relationship with Saudi government-backed LIV Golf, which has close ties to Trump enterprises and has hosted tournaments at Trump’s South Florida resort. Jon Hoffman of the Cato Institute called this nexus “a pretty glaring conflict of interest,” citing the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), a massive investor aiming to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy beyond oil.
Conflict of Interest Questions and White House Response
The White House has dismissed suggestions of conflicts of interest as “ridiculous.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted, “The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws,” emphasizing that Trump’s assets are held in a trust managed by his children and that The Trump Organization voluntarily restricts direct deals with foreign governments.
Still, the trust’s agreement allows partnerships with private foreign companies, a loophole critics argue leaves ample room for business dealings to influence policy. Unlike Trump’s first term, when deals with foreign companies were also barred, this more permissive arrangement allows his family to maintain and grow their commercial empire abroad while he is president.
“The president is a successful businessman,” Leavitt said. “I think, frankly, that it’s one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office.” Yet Timothy P. Carney, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, worries about the blurred lines. “Even if he’s not running the company, he profits when the company does well,” Carney noted. “When he leaves the White House, the company is worth more, and his personal wealth goes up.”
Investments Shape the Trip’s Itinerary
Trump openly acknowledged that promises of foreign investment helped shape his travel plans. He chose Saudi Arabia as his first stop because the kingdom pledged to invest $1 trillion in U.S. companies over four years, a figure later revised to $600 billion. The UAE has pledged $1.4 trillion in U.S. investments over the next decade.
Trump dismissed security and ethical concerns over accepting a Boeing 747 from Qatar’s ruling family, calling the gift a “no-brainer.” His confidence in these deals contrasts with worries about how such close ties might affect U.S. foreign policy.
A History of Middle Eastern Ties
The Trump family’s relationship with the Middle East dates back to 2005, when a Trump Tower Dubai project was first envisioned but never materialized. The commercial breakthrough came in 2017 with Trump International Golf Club Dubai, developed with DAMAC Properties, a firm led by Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, who has been a longtime Trump partner.
In January, Sajwani joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago to announce a $20 billion investment in U.S. data centers. Trump called it a boost for American technology and the economy, though the deal’s roots in a long-standing personal partnership highlight how business and politics remain intertwined.
As President Trump navigates a trip marked by promises of foreign investment and diplomatic gestures, the parallel expansion of his family’s business empire in the Middle East raises enduring questions about where the lines between governance and personal gain are drawn.
