Donald Trump names Massad Boulos, his daughter’s father-in-law, as Middle East adviser
Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born billionaire and father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, will serve as Donald Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, adding another person with family ties to his foreign-policy roster.
President-elect Donald Trump named Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born billionaire and father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, to be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, adding another person with family ties to his foreign-policy roster.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Boulos helped court Arab-American voters in Michigan for Trump, playing on widespread dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social-media platform.
“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” Trump wrote. “Massad is a dealmaker and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East.”
The president-elect’s announcement came a day after he nominated Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ambassador to France.
Jared Kushner played an instrumental role during Trump’s first term in crafting the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized ties between Israel and several Arab states. He isn’t expected to play a formal role during Trump’s second term.
Trump didn’t say how Boulos would divide responsibilities with another businessman, real estate mogul Steven Witkoff, whom he has named to be his overall Middle East Envoy.
The Middle East presents both challenges and opportunities for the incoming president. The Israel-Gaza war continues to rage, Iran has threatened to retaliate for Israeli airstrikes in October, and the Houthi militia continues to attack international shipping in and around the Red Sea.
Trump has given strong rhetorical support to Israel, but also at times has urged it to “finish the job” of destroying Hamas following the Palestinian militants’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The president-elect also seems likely to try to broaden the Abraham Accords, agreements for diplomatic recognition between Israel and Arab Gulf states, to include regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
Boulos was born in Lebanon to a Christian family, and later moved to Texas. He has extensive business interests, many based in Nigeria.
Tiffany Trump married Boulos’s son Michael in 2022.
The Wall Street Journal
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