The Trump Organization is seeking to pursue more real estate projects in the Middle East, but it is unclear if this strategy will continue if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The company has agreements with the Saudi Arabian real estate company Dar Global to develop a luxury resort in Oman and to develop a Trump Tower in the Saudi city of Jeddah. The company has teamed with UAE-based developer Damac on a golf course in Dubai.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Eric Trump – the former president’s son who oversees the business with his brother Donald Trump Jr. – viewed the Middle East as a growth area for real estate development.
“We will definitely be doing other projects in this region,” Trump said. “This region has explosive growth, and that’s not stopping anytime soon.”
When asked if the company’s Middle East presence is setting the stage for conflicts of interest, Trump stated, “I don’t really deal with foreign governments. I’m a hotel operator and I’m on the operations side…I’m not walking down to a local municipal building to get a permit for a golf club. But now, it’s not a conflict of interest.”
Trump added that the family business hit “a long pause” during his father’s presidential administration, although the former president’s detractors pointed to more than $7.8 million in bookings by foreign governments at Trump properties during his administration. Eric Trump stated that money was donated back to the U.S. Treasury.
While Eric Trump’s sister Ivanka and his brother-in-law Jared Kushner held advisory roles in the Trump administration and his wife Lara is co-chairperson of the Republican National Committee, he was uncertain if he would take a White House role if his father won the presidential election.
“I never rule anything out in life,” he said. “I happen to really love the real estate side. I tend to not like the political side nearly as much. I can operate very well in that field, and I do.”
