US President-elect Donald Trump appointed his daughter Tiffany Trump‘s father-in-law and a Lebanese-born billionaire Massad Boulos as senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Trump announced via Truth Social, commending Boulos’s legal expertise and his dedication to Middle Eastern peace initiatives.
“I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene,” Trump wrote. “Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests.”
This is for the second time, a family member has been assigned with a role in Trump’s new cabinet. Earlier, Trump offered a position in his administration to Charles Kushner, his daughter Ivanka’s father-in-law, to serve as ambassador to France.
Trump has long turned to his family members to serve in political roles, raising questions about conflicts of interest and nepotism.
Who is Massad Boulos?
Born in Lebanon, Boulos relocated to Texas during his teenage years to study at the University of Houston. His professional journey began in Nigeria, where he advanced to leadership positions at SCOA Motors and Boulos Enterprises, Newsweek reported.
Reports about Boulos’s political involvement in Lebanon have been contested. While some sources suggested he contested a parliamentary seat in 2009 and maintained connections with Lebanon’s Christian political establishment, Boulos clarified to Newsweek that he holds no party affiliations, though he acknowledges acquaintance with Christian leaders.
During a June interview with AP, Boulos acknowledged his friendship with Suleiman Frangieh, who leads the Marada Movement and received Hezbollah’s endorsement for the Lebanese presidency. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, who supported Frangieh’s candidacy in 2023, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut in September.
What is Boulos role in Trump campaign?
Before the election last month, Boulos played a major unofficial role in the Trump campaign, courting Arab American voters who Republican strategists hoped would support Trump out of frustration with President Biden’s support for Israel. Despite Trump’s own defiantly pro-Israel policies during his first term as president, Boulos worked to build support for him in heavily Arab American and Muslim corners of Michigan, New York Times reported.
Who are there in his family members?
Although there are very less information about his private space, but his connection with Donald Trump is surely on every internet posts. Boulos’ son Michael is married to Tiffany Trump in 2022. Boulos has recently focused on garnering Arab American support for Trump’s campaign, particularly in Michigan. Sources indicate he has also facilitated communications between Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.