Power, Profits, and the Presidency: Trump’s Middle East Tour Under Fire

As President Donald J. Trump conducts a high-profile diplomatic tour across the Middle East, his stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have reignited a central question of his presidency: Where does governance end and personal gain begin?

With billions in investments, arms deals, and flashy real estate projects announced, ethics experts and foreign policy analysts are once again scrutinizing Trump’s motives—not only for their constitutional implications but also for their staggering reversal of past positions.

Qatar: From Accused Terror Financier to Trusted Partner

Perhaps the most jarring shift lies in Trump’s current embrace of Qatar, a country he once publicly accused of funding terrorism, including direct support for Hamas.

“Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said in 2017.

At the time, he backed a Saudi-led blockade against Qatar and demanded it cut ties with extremist groups. Fast forward to 2025, and Trump has landed in Doha to a warm welcome—and left with a package of lucrative economic and defense agreements. Among them: a major Qatari deal to purchase Boeing jets, and expanded cooperation on energy and tech investment.

Just as notably, Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial announced that its stablecoin will back a $2 billion investment through a partnership with Binance, brokered by Qatari financiers. Eric Trump, who continues to help lead the Trump Organization, is also reportedly involved in plans for a Qatar-based luxury golf resort bearing the Trump name (AP News).

“These aren’t diplomatic about-faces rooted in strategic shifts—they’re profit moves,” said Walter Shaub, former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. “To accuse a country of supporting terrorism, then turn around and make private business deals while leading U.S. foreign policy is not only ethically bankrupt—it’s dangerous.”

Syria Sanctions Lifted in Surprise Deal

Trump also made headlines with a surprise announcement in Riyadh, where he met with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa—the first direct contact between U.S. and Syrian leaders in a quarter-century. The meeting resulted in Trump lifting all remaining U.S. sanctions on Syria, a move that stunned even members of his own administration.

Al-Sharaa, who helped oust Bashar al-Assad in 2024, has a shadowy past and reported links to extremist factions. Despite this, Trump praised him as “a young, attractive guy” and claimed Syria agreed “in principle” to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords—a promise not yet confirmed by Syrian officials.

The policy shift was backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as a counterweight to Iranian influence, but it alarmed Israeli alarmed Israeli officials and foreign policy experts alike.

Behind the scenes, Trump-affiliated contractors have already begun exploring potential reconstruction investments in post-war Syria—raising further questions about the motivations behind the policy shift.

Constitutional Violations in Plain Sight

Trump’s Middle East tour may once again violate the Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

• The Foreign Emoluments Clause (Article I, Section 9) prohibits federal officials from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever” from foreign states without congressional approval.
• The Domestic Emoluments Clause (Article II, Section 1) bars the president from receiving anything beyond a fixed salary from the United States or any individual state.

While defenders argue that no payments went directly to Trump, critics contend that his continued control of the Trump Organization—coupled with lucrative international partnerships—violates the spirit and letter of the Constitution.

“It’s the definition of self-dealing,” said Laurence Tribe, Harvard constitutional law scholar. “Qatar isn’t giving Donald Trump a bag of money—they’re giving him licensing rights, real estate profits, and influence.”

What’s Happening in the Emirates?

While Trump’s business interests in Qatar and Saudi Arabia have drawn public scrutiny, his financial activities in the United Arab Emirates remain murky. Trump met with top Emirati leaders behind closed doors, and the Trump Organization already has known partnerships in the region—including past dealings tied to Dubai golf properties and luxury developments.

But in contrast to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, no new business announcements were made public during this leg of the trip still don’t know what deals—if any—were made in the Emirates,” said Sarah Chayes, a former anti-corruption advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “But the opacity of those relationships, and the intertwining of private enrichment with public power, should alarm anyone concerned with democratic integrity.”