It’s no secret that Donald Trump is heavily involved in the world of golf between his vast empire of golf courses and golf resorts around the world and his relationship with LIV Golf. But as he tries to secure another presidential bid, those business dealings are causing a lot of scrutiny.
As the Wall Street Journal reported this month, Donald Trump has been growing his international business dealings ever since he left office in 2021.
“Since 2021, the Trump Organization, which had paused or pulled back from ventures during his presidency, has revived its global expansion efforts. The company is building a second golf course in Scotland and has branding deals with residential projects in India and resort developments in Indonesia,” the Wall Street Journal wrote.
“In late 2022, the Trump Organization agreed to manage and brand a $1.6 billion golf and resort project in Oman, teaming up with Dar Al Arkan, a Saudi real-estate firm. Trump reported more than $5 million in income from that partnership in his 2022 financial-disclosure form. He also has golf courses, hotels, resorts, condominiums and other ventures in more than 10 countries on four continents.”
In addition to the golf courses and real estate business, Trump also has a strong relationship with LIV Golf, which is backed by the Public Investment Fund controlled by the Saudi Arabian government. Trump has hosted several LIV Golf events at his golf courses, meaning he effectively has a business relationship with Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Additionally, Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, received $2 billion from the Public Investment Fund for his private equity firm.
Needless to say, Trump and his family have a strong connection to foreign governments as a result of his golf business, and it’s led to a lot of criticism.
“To have the president of the U.S. influenced by foreign money is extremely dangerous,” Richard Painter, who was chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush, told the Wall Street Journal.
Obviously, it’s pretty terrible news that Trump has so many strong financial ties to foreign governments, and it’s led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Trump has said that he will pause the expansion of his golf empire if he wins the presidential election, but he will still have a strong financial relationship with several foreign governments, so the conflict of interest will still exist.
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