Trump golf course deal announced in Qatar ahead of US presidents visit

In two weeks' time, US President Donald Trump will embark on his first working foreign trip to three Arab Gulf countries, and all of them have now directly partnered with the Trump Organization on real estate deals. 

On Wednesday, Reuters was first to report that Qatari Diar, a government-administered real estate firm in Doha, is partnering with the Trump Organization to build the Trump International Golf Club and villas in Simaisma, a resort town some 30 kilometres north of the Qatari capital. 

Qatari Diar CEO Ali Mohamed al-Ali told Doha News on Wednesday that the "unique" project, in what has been dubbed the "Land of Legends" zone of Simaisima, will bring in around $3bn of investment. 

The Trump Organization, Ali indicated, is one of the "best operators" in the world. 

Its chief, the president's son Eric Trump, vowed that while his father is president, there would be no "transactions with foreign governments".

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In this case, Saudi firm Dar Global is the one that bought the land in Qatar for the resort, The New York Times reported, citing the younger Trump. 

Trump properties outside the US are typically constructed by foreign firms. The Trump Organization sells them the Trump name, and with it, the reputation. 

Saudi companies in particular have developed strong business ties with the Trump Organization after the president's 2017 visit there during his first term.

The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has opted to remain a private citizen for Trump's second term, brought in $2bn in Saudi investments to his private equity firm after he left his role as Trump's senior adviser. 

Next door in the UAE, an 80-storey Trump hotel is in the works, featuring "the highest outdoor pool in the world", according to a Dar Global press release. 

Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE from 13-16 May. 

middleeasteye.net