President Donald Trump has kicked off his first major foreign trip of his second term with a tour of the Middle East — a region where his family’s business interests have rapidly expanded. The timing and destination are drawing renewed scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest.
Trump’s itinerary includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — all countries with Trump-branded properties or high-value real estate projects in development, including hotels and golf resorts worth billions.
The visit has drawn criticism from Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who described it from the Senate floor on Wednesday as resembling “a private business venture.” He cited, in particular, Trump’s use of a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 provided by Qatar. Schumer, of course, isn’t the only one to have criticized this move‚ which went viral. Ethics watchdogs have also flagged potential issues. Meghan Faulkner, communications director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, says there’s “no question” that the jet could be interpreted as a form of foreign influence. “It raises concerns about whether a country could be receiving special access, benefits, or favorable treatment because of a gift like that,” she tells Katie Couric Media.
With these overlapping interests in play, Trump’s Middle East tour is reviving questions about the intersection of his public duties and private ventures, which was a frequent topic of conversation during his first time. Here’s a closer look at the business ties behind the headlines — and why they’re drawing attention now.
Trump’s business dealings in the Middle East
United Arab Emirates
The Trump Organization’s ties to the Middle East began during Trump’s first term, with the 2017 Trump International Golf Club opening in Dubai. A second course is reportedly in the works, though its development has faced delays. That hasn’t slowed the pace of new ventures: Just a week before President Trump’s scheduled visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his son Eric Trump announced a $5.5 billion project to build an 80-story hotel and residential tower in the region, calling it a development that would “redefine luxury.”
Beyond real estate and golf, Eric and his business partner, Zach Witkoff — the son of Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East — recently announced a major cryptocurrency deal with a venture fund backed by the government of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest emirate in the UAE. The fund plans to invest $2 billion through a digital currency issued by World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto enterprise.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the Trump Organization has inked branding agreements for two significant real estate developments: a Trump Tower in the capital, Riyadh, and a $530 million residential high-rise in the coastal city of Jeddah. Announced just weeks after Trump’s reelection, the deals don’t involve any financial investment from the Trump family business, but they are expected to generate millions in licensing fees for the use of the Trump name.
Qatar
Last month, the Trump Organization announced a new golf resort and real estate development in Qatar called the Trump International Golf Club & Villas. According to The New York Times, the 18-hole course will be built in partnership with Qatari Diar, a real estate company established by the country’s sovereign wealth fund and chaired by a government minister.
Oman
In Oman, the Trump family has partnered with Dar Global on a hotel and golf resort project being developed on state-owned land. According to the Times, the Omani government will receive a share of the project’s revenues — a financial arrangement that further blurs the lines between Trump’s private interests and his role on the world stage.
Why Trump’s Middle East deals are drawing scrutiny
The Trump Organization’s expanding business ventures in the Middle East — along with the president’s merchandise and media enterprises in the U.S. — are once again sounding the alarm about potential violations of the U.S. Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause. This essentially prohibits presidents from accepting payments or gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval. Despite these concerns, the Republican-led Congress has so far taken no formal action to address them during Trump’s time in office.
“The Emoluments Clause is intended to prevent a president from using the power of the office for personal financial gain,” Hans Noel, Ph.D., a political scientist and professor at Georgetown University, tells us. “While no illegality has been definitively established, Trump’s actions — and those of his family — arguably conflict with the spirit of the law.”
That concern isn’t theoretical. During Trump’s first term, his businesses reportedly received $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments, according to a congressional report released by Democrats last year. But government watchdogs estimate the true total was closer to $13.6 million, and they warn that, with Trump back in office and his business expanding abroad, those figures could climb even higher in his second term.
“Much of our system to prevent this kind of corruption has depended on presidents voluntarily doing the right thing — honoring the Constitution without being forced to,” says Faulkner.
How does this compare to past presidential norms?
Historian Douglas Brinkley told The Washington Post that Trump’s approach to blurring the lines between public office and personal gain could eclipse anything seen in modern presidential history, calling his actions a “wrecking ball to convention and norms.”
Typically, public officials work hard to avoid not just actual corruption but even the appearance of it. While not legally mandated by the Constitution or federal law, many presidents have chosen to divest from or place their assets in a blind trust — like Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush — before taking office to prevent any real or perceived conflicts of interest. “It was about the principle, the optics,” says Dr. Noel.
Trump, however, broke from this tradition in both his first and second terms. Upon taking office in 2017, he pledged to keep his private financial interests separate from his public role. Initially, he appeared to make gestures in that direction — turning over day-to-day management of the Trump Organization to his sons and selling off individual stock holdings ahead of his 2016 campaign. However, he did not divest from the business itself; instead, he retained full ownership and continued to profit from its operations. Over time, the line between his public duties and private interests became increasingly blurred. Ethics watchdogs documented more than 3,400 potential conflicts of interest during his first term alone.
“Trump’s case is different,” says Dr. Noel. “What sets it apart is that it’s all happening so openly. Corruption is typically thought of as hidden — backroom deals, secret favors. But here, it’s out in the open, which, paradoxically, makes it seem almost normal, even though the concerns remain very real.”
Other presidents have also faced scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest tied to foreign business connections. House Republicans, for instance, launched extensive investigations into whether President Joe Biden was involved in his son Hunter Biden’s overseas ventures, including business ties to Chinese investors and a board position at a Ukrainian energy company during the time Biden was overseeing U.S. policy on Ukraine. While the probes raised ethical questions about Hunter’s activities, they never uncovered direct evidence implicating the then-president in any wrongdoing.
What sets Trump apart in his second term, however, is the scale and visibility of his family’s business activities — and the degree to which they overlap with his official duties. “This reflects two broader trends,” says Dr. Noel. “First, a growing number of ways for outside interests to influence the president. And second, a pattern of the president acting as though the rules simply don’t apply. If these trends continue unchecked, it’s a deeply concerning situation.”
