Trump’s Corruption Business Officially Expands in Saudi Arabia
The Trump Organization on Wednesday announced a new project in Saudi Arabia: Trump Tower Jeddah.
Eric Trump announced the move in a post on X, writing, “Incredibly proud to officially launch a project that has been underway for many months, Trump Tower – Jeddah!” He thanked the project’s partner, Dar Global, a real estate developer headquartered in Dubai but under the umbrella of Dar Al Arkan, the largest developer in Saudi Arabia.
Trump added that the tower will be the company’s fifth project with Dar Global. The two companies have spent about $532 million on this residential apartment site, which is expected to be completed in four years. The Trump Organization relies a lot on Saudi Arabia, as the company’s real estate deals in the United States have fallen off since Donald Trump’s first presidential term ended amid a backlash over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
The tower is a long-stalled project for the Trumps, as they had planned to build one of their signature towers in the Middle East before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. After that, the Trump family pledged not to sign new international deals while he was president. But now, after being elected a second time, the elder Trump doesn’t seem to care about the appearance of a conflict of interest, raising questions of corruption.
The president-elect has a long business relationship with Saudi Arabia and claimed in a deposition that he could sell his properties to buyers in the country for any amount he wants. Trump has hosted Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournaments at his clubs, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s investment fund accepted $2 billion from Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund but has yet to turn a profit itself.
Kushner and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have spoken several times in the last four years, continuing a close relationship that began when Kushner advised his father-in-law on the Middle East during Trump’s first term.
At the moment, Kushner has not accepted a formal job in Trump’s new administration, but his business interests still don’t look good for the president-elect. Coupled with the Trump Organization’s Saudi deals, it seems that Trump isn’t worried about being accused of corruption, or being beholden to a foreign state.
