President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has appointed Christian Lebanese businessman Massad Boulos, father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, as senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Boulas has already served in the role during the 2024 presidential campaign, and President-elect Trump famously promised to end the Lebanon war before taking office, a promise he followed through on.
While the Trump transition team is deepening ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Boulos has also been in touch with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
in post President Trump said of Truth Social:
I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will become Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. Massad is an accomplished attorney and a highly regarded leader in the business community with extensive experience in the international arena. He is a long-time supporter of Republican and conservative values, has been an asset to my campaign, and has been instrumental in forging new and greater alliances with the Arab American community. Mr. Massad is a trader and a staunch supporter of peace in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States and its interests. I'm happy to welcome him to our team.
Boulos joins an advisory team that is staunchly pro-Israel. It's an odd combination, but it reflects the fact that while Trump won a historically large percentage of the Jewish vote in Michigan, he also won Arab and Muslim votes.
What these two sides have in common is a desire for peace in the Middle East, which President Trump has promoted in the past by strongly supporting Israel while reaching out to Sunni Arab monarchies to build an alliance against Iran. Ta.
Mr. Boulos has roots in esoteric Lebanese politics and connections that could draw scrutiny, including family business interests in Nigeria, a country where it is difficult to do business while remaining at the top of the boardroom. There are several.
But most importantly, the pro-Israel and Arab factions of the Trump coalition each have family ties to Mr. Trump—the pro-Israel side is represented by his son-in-law Jared Kushner; Kushner is not a member of the administration, but he is providing advice from outside. This means Middle East leaders have clear access to Trump and can trust the credibility of his envoys. It also means that the Trump family itself has a strong interest in promoting peace.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days in office?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
