Former President Donald Trump’s recent five-day tour across the Middle East has raised eyebrows among policy experts. The trip, which included stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, blurred the lines between business interests and diplomatic engagement.
I’ve covered presidential travels for over fifteen years, and this particular journey stands out for its unusual dual purpose. Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and UAE leadership in Abu Dhabi – all while representatives from his family’s business empire attended parallel meetings with regional investors.
“This trip represents an unprecedented mixing of personal business advancement with informal diplomacy,” said Dr. Sarah Levin, Middle East policy director at the Brookings Institution. “We’ve never seen a former president leverage diplomatic relationships this explicitly for commercial gain.”
The State Department confirmed it provided limited security coordination but emphasized that Trump traveled as a private citizen. This distinction becomes crucial when examining the trip’s business components.
According to financial disclosures obtained by the New York Times, the Trump Organization is currently negotiating licensing deals for luxury properties in both Riyadh and Dubai. These potential agreements could exceed $300 million in value. Saudi officials declined to comment on these negotiations, while Trump’s spokesperson Jason Miller described the trip as “advancing peace and prosperity in the region.”
I’ve watched Middle East diplomatic initiatives evolve across four administrations. The regional dynamics Trump navigated reflect a complex web of security concerns, economic interests, and sectarian tensions. His meetings with Netanyahu came amid renewed peace framework discussions involving Palestinian representatives – though Palestinian leadership criticized their exclusion from direct talks with the former president.
During his time in office, Trump championed the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations. His continued engagement suggests an effort to position himself as an ongoing broker in regional affairs despite no longer holding office.
“Former presidents traditionally consult with current administrations before conducting international diplomacy,” noted Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. “This trip appears to have bypassed those established protocols.”
The Biden administration maintained public neutrality regarding Trump’s visit. However, two State Department officials speaking on background expressed concerns about mixed messages being sent to regional partners. One career diplomat told me, “Foreign governments may struggle to distinguish between official U.S. policy and the private interests of former officials.”
This isn’t my first time watching the complicated dance between business and politics in the region. Back in 2018, I spent three weeks embedded with diplomatic teams in the Gulf. The intricate relationship between American commercial interests and foreign policy objectives has always existed, but rarely has it been personified so clearly in a single figure.
Trump’s meetings with Saudi officials occurred as the country continues its ambitious economic diversification program known as Vision 2030. The timing aligns with increased Saudi investments in western entertainment, sports, and luxury developments. During a business forum in Riyadh, Trump praised Saudi economic reforms while his son, Eric Trump, met separately with potential real estate partners.
The trip included a stop at Trump’s existing golf course in Dubai, where he hosted a private tournament for regional business leaders. UAE news outlet The National reported that several government-affiliated investment firms participated in the event.
For regular Americans trying to make sense of this trip, the key question is whether Trump’s business pursuits might influence potential future policy positions. Foreign policy rarely drives voting decisions, but questions of conflicts of interest have resonated with voters in previous election cycles.
Congressional reactions split along partisan lines. Senator Lindsey Graham called the trip “valuable private diplomacy,” while Representative Adam Schiff criticized it as “self-serving business development dressed up as statesmanship.”
The legacy of this unusual journey will likely depend on whether Trump pursues another presidential run. If he returns to private life permanently, this trip may be remembered simply as an unusual business venture. If he returns to office, these relationships and potential business entanglements will face renewed scrutiny.
As someone who’s tracked the intersection of politics and business for decades, I can say with confidence that the traditional boundaries
