Trump: 'Very little' of me isn't a crook

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Michael Beschloss @BeschlossDC 6h
New York Daily News today 1973:



___Donald Trump played down his family’s business ties with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, saying in an Oval Office meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman his family has “done very little” with the Middle Eastern ally despite ongoing deals with Saudi Arabia.

When asked by an ABC News reporter if he felt it was appropriate for his family to do business with Saudi Arabia while he is president, Trump initially responded, “Fake news. ABC Fake News.”

The president then said he has “nothing to do” with his family business, saying it has “done very little” with Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s comment comes less than a day after the Trump Organization announced it is partnering with Saudi-based developer Dar Al Arkan to license its name to a luxury hotel in the Maldives.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/11/18/trump-downplays-business-ties-to-saudi-arabia-what-to-know-about-his-familys-dealings/


____The Trump Organization and Dar Global said Trump International Hotel Maldives, with its 80 beachfront villas, would be the world’s first “tokenized” hotel development project, according to a press release issued Monday morning, meaning it would allow investors to use digital currencies to finance their positions.

“This pioneering collaboration not only brings the Trump brand to one of the world’s most exclusive destinations but also introduces an unprecedented financial innovation, tokenizing the development of a luxury hospitality project for the first time,” the release stated.

Last month, the Trump Organization also announced plans for a Trump Plaza to be built in Saudi Arabia, complete with “a vibrant green spine inspired by Central Park that brings Manhattan-style vibrancy to the heart of Jeddah.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/with-saudi-prince-visit-foreign-affairs-intersects-with-trumps-personal-fortune/ar-AA1QEBgm


“For the record,” Donald Trump tweeted on Oct. 16, 2018, one day after parroting a claim from Saudi Arabia’s king that he did not know what happened to murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!”

Trump may not have had any interests in Saudi Arabia at the time, but he had done sporadic business with Saudi Arabia, offloading the Plaza Hotel to a Saudi prince in 1995 and selling a set of condos to the Saudi government in 2001. Trump’s ties to the Arab nation grew stronger in the wake of the Khashoggi murder, however, especially after his first term in office ended. Since then, the president and his family struck at least nine deals with Saudi investors, pushing millions into the president’s golf properties, tens of millions into his licensing business and billions into private-equity funds, according to Forbes calculations. In 2024 alone, Trump and his extended family collected an estimated $50 million from deals connected to Saudi Arabia.

All that money may help explain why Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the man the U.S. intelligence community believes approved a plan to capture or kill Khashoggi, is expected to receive a warm welcome when he returns to the White House on Tuesday. The prince, who has said he did not order the murder, will surely want to focus on other matters. There’s much to discuss: military equipment, oil supplies, peace negotiations and—of course—money, the topic that has bound Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia for decades.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/11/14/how-trumps-finances-got-tangled-up-with-saudi-arabia/


2024, Trump's businesses received millions from foreign entities during his presidency, House report says
Democrats say the payments defied the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trumps-businesses-received-millions-foreign-entities-presidency-house/story?id=106106433

Maddow Blog | Shrugging off Pentagon concerns, Trump to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/maddow-blog-shrugging-off-pentagon-concerns-trump-to-sell-f-35-fighter-jets-to-saudi-arabia/ar-AA1QFZbg


Eric and Donald Jr., are again running the business while Trump is in office. And though the White House says he is not involved in its day-to-day decisions, the trust he has established continues to profit. He promotes his resorts, merchandise and the family’s crypto ventures while residing in the White House, often from his account on Truth Social, the social media company he and his allies launched.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-businesses-trump-organization-white-house-conflicts-of-interest-b970b5681b27f86dcd461ff473be23fa