THE TRAITOR and TRADER IN CHIEF?

A retro-style political illustration showing Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shaking hands against a backdrop of oil rigs, dollar signs, and shadowy figures, used for a CivilHeresy.com investigative feature on Trump’s Middle East business dealings, foreign influence, and ethical conflicts. — Money Power and the Shadow Network

Money, Power, and the Shadow Network Behind Trump’s Middle East Deals**
A Special Investigative Feature

I. A Morning in Washington

On a cold Washington morning, Marine guards snapped to attention as the motorcade swept into the White House driveway. Cameras blinked awake, lenses trained on a figure stepping out into the sun: Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the de facto ruler of the world’s most controversial monarchy.

Inside, President Donald Trump greeted him with a broad grin and a handshake lingering just long enough to ignite a week’s worth of headlines.

Only years earlier, U.S. intelligence agencies had assessed that the same crown prince approved the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi—a killing so brutal that seasoned analysts reportedly recoiled at the grisly audio recordings. When asked about the murder during his presidency, Trump shrugged off the CIA’s findings with a line that would echo for years:

“Things happen.”

To many, the moment signaled not just diplomatic pragmatism, but something deeper, more transactional—an alignment of interests that stretched far beyond foreign policy and into the Trump Organization’s labyrinth of business arrangements across the Middle East.

This feature examines those arrangements, the political winds around them, and the ethical storm they continue to generate.

II. The Money Trail: Saudi Gold and the Trump Brand

When Trump entered politics, he repeatedly insisted the presidency would cost him money, not earn it. But financial disclosures, licensing deals, and public filings paint a more complicated picture—one critics say shows a pattern of foreign profit flowing alongside U.S. policy decisions.

The Licensing Engine

Unlike traditional real estate development, Trump’s Middle Eastern business relies heavily on licensing—high-profit, low-labor deals where the Trump name becomes the product.

In Saudi Arabia, two projects dominate investor buzz:

Trump Tower Jeddah
Trump Plaza Jeddah

Both are massive mixed-use developments envisioned as luxury anchors in a city undergoing radical modernization. Trump does not build, staff, or manage these complexes; he provides his name, brand standards, and minimal oversight.

Industry experts say such deals can bring 3–5% of gross revenues or multi-million-dollar upfront fees. That means tens of millions annually—sometimes more—without a single construction worker on the Trump payroll.

$50 Million and a New Maldives Deal

Financial records and watchdog analyses suggest Trump-affiliated ventures linked to Saudi investors brought in around $50 million in 2024—a figure that has become central to congressional ethics inquiries.

And then came the next move:
A new licensing partnership for a luxury hotel in the Maldives, announced shortly after bin Salman’s 2025 White House visit.

To critics, the timing looked less like coincidence and more like choreography.

III. The Kushner Factor: A Parallel Pipeline

No investigation into Trump’s Middle Eastern entanglements is complete without the shadow of Jared Kushner.

Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2021—despite objections from the fund’s own internal advisers about the lack of private equity experience.

With a reported 1.25% management fee, the structure could yield as much as $125 million in fees over five years. Critics call it a golden parachute. Supporters call it smart investing. The debate remains fierce, but the money is unquestionable.

IV. A History of Quiet Deals and Quieter Questions

The Trump family’s business interactions with foreign governments did not begin with Saudi Arabia nor end with it.

Old Deals, New Scrutiny

Analysts often point to earlier episodes:

The 1987 yacht deal involving figures tied to arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi
A 2001 sale of a Trump World Tower floor to buyers connected to Saudi interests
The 2022 $6 million licensing fee from Oman’s Dar Al Arkan

Individually, these deals may appear routine. In aggregate, they tell a different story: a decades-long pattern of foreign governments and sovereign wealth funds seeking proximity to the Trump name.

V. Qatar, China, Argentina: The Global Map Critics Want Answers On

Critics have laid out a mosaic of concerns—some documented, some speculative—about Trump’s relationships with other foreign governments.

Qatar

Reports and expert analyses have raised questions about Trump’s posture toward Qatar during his presidency, particularly regarding:

shifting positions on the Qatar blockade
the U.S. air base in Qatar
Qatari-linked investments in U.S. real estate

Some commentators highlight allegations—unproven but persistent—that a luxury plane linked to Qatari interests was made available to Trump-affiliated figures. These claims remain debated, often opaque, and heavily political.

China

Critics have likewise targeted:

past Trump Organization efforts to trademark the Trump name in China
Beijing’s approval of dozens of trademarks during his time in office
ongoing business interests held in foreign accounts

Argentina

Trump’s complicated dealings with Argentina’s government over permits for Trump Tower Buenos Aires resurfaced during both presidencies, prompting questions about whether U.S. diplomacy ever intersected with private development concerns.

In every case, Trump denies wrongdoing and insists his decisions align with national interest, not personal profit.

VI. The Pardons That Shocked the System

The investigative lens widens further when you reach Trump’s sweeping use of presidential pardon powers.

January 6 Pardons

Post-January 6th, Trump issued pardons to numerous individuals his critics describe as violent offenders or insurrectionists. One frequently cited case is Daniel Edwin Wilson, who, after being pardoned for charges related to the Capitol attack, was later arrested on unrelated weapons possession charges—charges made more serious because he was already a convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms.

Broader Concerns

A data review by multiple watchdog groups shows Trump issued clemency to people convicted of:

violent crimes
corruption
fraud
sexual offenses

Critics say the pattern reflects loyalty-based favoritism; supporters argue it reflects a willingness to challenge judicial overreach.

Either way, the list has become a flashpoint in debates about Trump’s ethical compass.

VII. The Cult of Self: Ballrooms, Coins, and the Mount Rushmore Whisper

Observers have long noted Trump’s fascination with presidential grandeur. But in his second administration, aides and critics have cited new examples:

A proposal for a gold-and-marble ballroom in presidential properties
Internal discussions about creating a “Trump coin”
Renewed talk of adding Trump’s likeness to Mount Rushmore—sometimes jokingly, sometimes not

These episodes feed a narrative critics describe as Caesarist, a self-styled leader sculpting a legacy in real time.

VIII. The Irony in Dearborn

While Trump courts Middle Eastern royalty—including leaders accused of human rights abuses—some of his most ardent supporters protest against Muslim Americans in places like Dearborn, Michigan.

The result is a tableau almost too contradictory for satire:
A president defending his alliance with a Muslim crown prince
while supporters chant anti-Muslim slogans at home.

The cognitive dissonance is staggering.

IX. Who Pays the Bill?

For millions of Americans, the Trump era is less about soaring towers in Jeddah and more about:

higher tariffs
rising consumer prices
taxpayer-funded presidential travel
ballooning security costs
a political climate as volatile as the global markets

They watch a president profiting from foreign partnerships—sometimes with governments the U.S. publicly condemns—while struggling to keep up with rent, groceries, and medical bills.

To them, the question is simple:
Why does the American taxpayer keep paying for the show?

X. The Final Question

As Trump and Mohammed bin Salman sit beside each other—two men accused by critics of blurring lines between power and personal gain—the optics become impossible to ignore.

Does the Trump Organization’s sprawling network of foreign deals influence U.S. policy?
Or is this all business as usual, merely magnified by Trump’s fame and polarizing aura?

The truth may lie in a murky space between.

But the stakes are clear:
Democracy cannot thrive when presidential power and private profit share the same balance sheet.

And as long as the president’s business interests remain entangled with foreign powers—some adversarial, some authoritarian—the country remains trapped in a dangerous riddle:

Whose interests does the president serve—America’s, or his own?

Why It Matters

Because foreign governments shouldn’t be able to buy influence over U.S. policy, especially from a sitting president.
Because democracy cannot survive when the commander-in-chief is also the CEO of his own shadow empire.
Because national loyalty cannot be auctioned.

Key Takeaways

Trump’s business interests create massive foreign conflicts of interest.
Saudi, Qatari, Chinese, and Argentinian entanglements raise serious ethical flags.
Pardons aligned with loyalty, not justice, expose a corrupt governing ethos.
Trump’s personal profit often appears to move in tandem with his public policy.
A democracy cannot function when foreign money and presidential power merge.