Corruption and Enrichment: The Trump Family’s Middle East Business Boom
The Trump administration’s intertwining of public office and private profit has reached new heights in the Middle East. As President Donald Trump and his family expand their business empire across the Gulf, critics and ethics watchdogs warn of unprecedented conflicts of interest, with U.S. foreign policy and personal enrichment increasingly difficult to separate.
The Trump Family’s Expanding Middle East Empire
Since Trump’s return to the White House, the Trump Organization-now run by his sons Eric and Donald Jr.-has dramatically ramped up its business in the Gulf. The family’s portfolio now includes:
Trump Tower Riyadh and Trump Tower Jeddah: Two major real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, including a $530 million luxury skyscraper on the Red Sea coast, developed in partnership with Dar Global, a Saudi government-linked developer.
Trump International Golf Club & Villas in Qatar: A new luxury golf resort and residential development, built in partnership with Qatari Diar, a real estate firm owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
Trump Tower Dubai: An 80-story hotel and residential tower in the UAE, developed with a Saudi-affiliated firm, featuring luxury amenities and apartments priced up to $20 million.
Oman Hotel and Golf Resort: A partnership with Dar Global to build a Trump-branded hotel and golf course on state-owned land, with the Omani government sharing in the project’s revenues.
These ventures are expected to generate millions in licensing fees for the Trump family, even as the president negotiates U.S. policy with the same governments backing these projects.
Cryptocurrency, Defense Deals, and the $2 Billion Mystery
The Trump family’s business dealings now extend into digital finance. In early 2025, a company backed by the Emirati government agreed to invest $2 billion in World Liberty Financial, a Trump family-affiliated cryptocurrency venture. The investment, announced in Dubai, is reportedly being used to fund a massive stake in Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.
Simultaneously, the Trump administration has signed off on billions in arms sales to Gulf states, including:
$1.6 billion in helicopters and aircraft parts to the UAE
$1.9 billion in Predator drones to Qatar
Senators and ethics watchdogs allege that these deals are timed to coincide with new business investments in Trump family ventures, raising questions about whether U.S. foreign policy is being “corrupted” for personal gain.
The Kushner–Qatar 666 Fifth Avenue Saga
Jared Kushner’s infamous 666 Fifth Avenue deal remains a case study in the blending of public and private interests. After overpaying for the Manhattan skyscraper, Kushner Companies (run by Jared and his father Charles) desperately sought refinancing from Qatari investors. After years of financial struggles with 666 Fifth Avenue, the Kushner family sought a bailout from Qatari investors, who declined amid concerns about political optics as Jared Kushner served in the White House; shortly afterward, Kushner supported a Saudi- and UAE-led blockade of Qatar, but in 2018, Brookfield Asset Management-a firm whose investment fund included significant Qatari sovereign wealth-acquired a 99-year lease on the building for about $1.2 billion, effectively rescuing the Kushners from their debt and raising ongoing concerns about the intersection of business interests and U.S. foreign policy
The $400 Million Jet from Qatar: Tip of the Iceberg
While much attention has focused on Qatar’s offer of a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 to serve as a temporary Air Force One-and later, Trump’s personal presidential library jet-the real story is the scale and brazenness of the Trump family’s enrichment in the Gulf. Critics from both parties have called the jet a “bribe for future influence,” and experts say it likely violates the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. Yet, as watchdogs note, the jet is only the most visible symbol of a much larger pattern.
Ethical and Geopolitical Risks
Ethics experts argue that the Trump family’s deepening business ties in the Middle East create a dangerous feedback loop: foreign governments can curry favor with the U.S. president by investing in his family’s ventures, while Trump’s administration shapes policy in ways that benefit those same governments and his own bottom line. This blurring of public and private interests is especially acute in the Gulf, where extravagant gifts and opaque investments are often the norm.
Conclusion
The Trump administration’s business dealings in the Middle East represent a historic convergence of public office and private profit. From luxury towers in Riyadh and Dubai to crypto deals and arms sales, the Trump family’s enrichment is inseparable from the president’s foreign policy. As the deals pile up, so too do the ethical questions-and the risks to American democracy. When the American populace chooses a president, they anticipate that individual will serve their interests, not personal gain.
