While Everyone is Focused on Trump's Free Plane from Qatar... You may have Missed his Deal to build a Luxury Golf Resort There too
Written by La Co-Host
As reported by AP News, in addition to the $400 million plane that Trump accepted as a “gift” from Qatar, the Trump family company also made a deal with the foreign government to build a luxury golf resort north of Doha. The Trump-branded beachside villas and 18-hole golf course “will be developed by a Qatari company called Qatari Diar, which is owned by the Qatari government”. Ironically, Trump previously “forswore foreign deals in an extraordinary press conference surrounded by stacks of legal documents as he pledged to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.” But then again, we know the guy isn’t the best at “remembering” the pledges and oaths he takes. After all, this is the same person who when asked whether he is required to uphold the Constitution as the President of the United States, responded with “I don’t know”. You literally took an oath that verbatim said you would, but okay.
Anywho…
While many reports are sharing that even “Maga influencers have described the move as a ‘bribe’", the lawyer in me feels the need to clarify that the “gifted” plane and the massive luxury resort development deal technically hasn’t been legally deemed a bribe by a court. But I’m just going to flag this little thing we call the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
In regular speak, this says that the U.S. President is prohibited from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments without Congress’s consent. Congress’s website on the clause even mentions that though this clause has rarely been used in court cases, “a number of private parties, state attorneys general, and Members of Congress sued the President [Trump] based on alleged violations of both the Foreign Emoluments Clause and the Domestic Emoluments Clause.” But again, since technically the plane and development deal have not been legally deemed a bribe, I will let you make your own educated conclusions as to what is happening here (*insert upside down smiley face emoji that I haven’t figured out how to do yet*).
Oh and in case you needed a friendly reminder of Trump’s other personal investments, you know, just for giggles:
“The Trump Organization also owns much of the publicly traded parent company of social media platform Truth Social, which allows Trump to financially benefit from traffic to the site where his postings as U.S. president are widely followed. The family also has a stake in a cybercurrency trading platform called World Liberty Financial as Trump has pushed for less regulatory oversight on cybercurrencies.”
I leave you with this Vital Question - for someone who is so “America First” and has increased tariffs on most international countries, it begs the question - why is he building things out in Qatar?
(*LEGAL DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH A QUALIFIED ATTORNEY REGARDING ANY SPECIFIC LEGAL QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS YOU MAY HAVE.*)