Trump's visit to the Middle East comes when his family business grow there

Washington (AP) – It is not just the “gesture” of a luxury plane of 400 million US dollars, the President Donald Trump says He's smart Accept from Qatar. Or that on his first big trip abroad he effectively auctioned off the first goal and drove to Saudi Arabia because the kingdom was ready to make large investments in US companies.

It is not even the case that the Trump family has rapidly growing business bonds in the Middle East that are profound and offer the potential of large profits.

Instead, it is the idea that the combination of these things and more – deals that show the close relationships between a family whose patriarch monitors the US government and a region, and a region whose guide likes to prefer the favor by money and wasteful gifts when it comes to the United States when it comes to American affairs of the state.

Before Trump began his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. had already traveled with the Middle East in the past few weeks. They drummed up for the business for The Trump organizationWhat they run on the place of their father while he is in the White House.

Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump tower in Dubai, the largest city in the VAE. He recently visited a cryptocurrency conference with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump Family Crypto Company. World Liberty Financialand son of Trump's do-all-ended in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

“We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” said Eric Trump last month In announcement This Trump Tower Dubai should start building this autumn.

The visit to the presidential in the region, while its children work for the same part of the world for the family's money connection options Foreigner During the White House, even in the face of growing concerns, that this could tempt him to shape the US foreign policy in a way that benefits from the profit of his family.

Nowhere is the potential overlap more common than in the Middle East

The Trump family's business interests in the region include A To build new -deal A luxury golf resort in QatarPartnership with Qatari Diar, a real estate company that is supported by the sovereign asset fund of this country. The family is too Leasing of his brand To two new real estate projects in Riad, the capital of Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with Dar Global, a luxury real estate developer and subsidiary of the private Saudi property company Al Arkan.

The Trump organization has combined with Dar Global in a Trump tower set to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and an upcoming Trump International Hotel and luxury golf development in neighboring Oman.

During the crypto conference, a state-supported investment company in Abu Dhabi announced that it was selected for USD, World Liberty Financial's StablecoinTo support an investment of 2 billion US dollars in BinanceThe largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. Critics say that it enables the family devices to essentially take a reduction in every dollar invested.

“I don't know anything about it,” said Trump when I was asked by reporters about the transaction on Wednesday.

Then there is LIV-Golf supported by the government, which established close business relationships with the president and organizes tournaments in the Doral Resort of Trump in Südflorida.

“In view of the extensive relationships between LIV Golf and the PIF or between Trump Enterprises in general and the Golf, I would say that there is a rather blatant conflict of interest here,” said Jon Hoffman, a research scholarship in defense and foreign policy in the Libertar Think The Cato Institute. He referred to that of Saudi Arabia Public investment fundsWhat has invested strongly in global sports giants to Video playmaker Nintendo With the aim of diversifying the kingdom of the kingdom beyond oil.

Trump said he didn't talk about Liv Golf during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

The President announced in January An investment of 20 billion US dollars for US data centers promised by Damac Properties, an Emirati company led by the billionaire Dubai developer Hussain Sajwani. Trump invoices that benefit from the country's technological and economic reputation rather than the family business. But Sajwani was a close business partner of Trump and his family long before the 2016 elections.

The white house bristles consider in conflicting interests

Before he went to the Middle East, if Trump could use the trip to meet people who were connected to the business of his family, said the Press spokesman for the White House, Karoline Leavitt, that it was “ridiculous” to “suggest President Trump to his own advantage”.

“The president adheres to all laws of conflicts of interest,” she said.

Administrative officials have wiped such concerns about the political decisions of the president into the business interests of his family by realizing that Trump's assets lies in a trust in a trust managed by his children. A Voluntary ethics agreement The organization published by the Trump organization also prohibits the company from striking business directly with foreign governments.

However, the same agreement continues to enable business with private companies abroad. In Trump's first term, the organization published a Ethics pact Prohibition of business with foreign governments and foreign companies.

According to the second -term ethics contract, the president is not involved in a daily decision -making for the family business. But his political and corporate brands remain inseparable.

“The president is a successful businessman,” said Leavitt.

Timothy P. Carney, Senior Fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said he doesn't want Trump's US foreign policy to be affected by other countries.

“Even if he does not lead the company, he benefits when the company cuts off well,” said Carney. “When he leaves the white house, the company is worth more, its personal wealth increases.”

Promises of US investments have shaped Trump's trip

Apart from his family business, the president did not shyly shot that he would shape the travel route of his first extended trip abroad on Quid Pro Quo.

Trump's first stop was Saudi Arabia, just like during his first term. He chose the goal after saying that the kingdom had undertaken to spend $ 1 trillion for US companies over four years. The white house has announced this since then The actual number is 600 billion US dollars. It remains to be seen how much of this will actually be new investments – or will come into play.

The President also continues in the United Arab Emirates, which has promised $ 1.4 trillion for US investments in the next 10 years, and in Qatar, in which Trump is the adoption of a Boeing 747 of the ruling family, is a child's play, the security and ethical concern that was expressed by democrats and even some conservatives.

Trump's business bonds in the Middle East are in front of his presidium

Trump's first commercial foray in the Middle East took place in his second year in his second year the leading role on “The Apprentice”. A Trump Tower Dubai project was called a palm tree on the artificial island of the city as a tulip-shaped hotel.

It never came about.

Instead, in February 2017, the announced opening of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai was opened with the Damac properties of Sajwanis. Just a month earlier, Trump said that Sajwani had tried to conclude a 2 -billion dollar deal with him: “And I rejected it.”

“I didn't have to reject it, because as you know, I have a non -conflicting situation because I am president,” said Trump at the time.

In January there was a radiant Sajwani, who triumphed from Trump's side on Trump's Mar-Lago estate in Florida to announce the investment of Damac in US data centers.

“It was astonishing news for me and my family when he was elected in November,” said Sajwani. “We have been waiting for this moment in the past four years.”