Trump's Saudi Expansion: Profiting From Authoritarianism
Published
- 3 min read
The Facts
London-based real estate developer Dar Global, the international arm of Saudi developer Dar Al Arkan, has announced plans for a $1 billion Trump Plaza development in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This marks the second collaboration between Dar Global and the Trump Organization, following the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah in December last year. The new project will include residences, serviced apartments, office space, and townhouses in the Red Sea city.
This development continues a pattern of overseas real estate licensing deals by the Trump Organization, which previously established Trump-branded properties in Canada, Dubai, Mexico, India, and Turkey before Donald Trump entered the White House in 2017. The article highlights Trump’s close ties to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which drew significant criticism following the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who had written critically about the Saudi monarchy. Notably, Saudi Arabia was the destination for the first major foreign trip of Trump’s second term.
Dar Global claims to have $7.5 billion worth of projects under development across multiple countries including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. The company represents the international expansion ambitions of Saudi real estate interests while maintaining business relationships with the Trump Organization.
The Opinion
This continued business relationship between the Trump Organization and Saudi interests represents a profound ethical failure and a dangerous normalization of relationships with authoritarian regimes. The timing and nature of this expansion are particularly troubling given the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi—a journalist who was killed for daring to criticize the Saudi monarchy. That any American entity, particularly one connected to a former president, would choose to deepen business ties with a government responsible for such a heinous act against free speech and press freedom is nothing short of appalling.
As someone who deeply values democracy, freedom, and liberty, I find this development deeply concerning. The United States should be championing human rights and democratic values worldwide, not enabling profiteering from relationships with regimes that suppress basic freedoms. The fact that this represents the second major Trump-branded project in Saudi Arabia suggests a pattern of prioritizing financial gain over ethical considerations and American values.
What message does this send to the world about American commitment to human rights and journalistic freedom? How can we credibly advocate for democracy and liberty abroad when our former leaders are actively profiting from relationships with governments that violate these very principles? This business expansion undermines the moral authority of the United States and demonstrates a shocking disregard for the foundational values of our nation.
The Constitution and Bill of Rights that we hold sacred are built upon principles of freedom, transparency, and accountability—values that are fundamentally incompatible with doing business with regimes that murder journalists and suppress dissent. We must demand higher ethical standards from our leaders and their business enterprises. Profit should never come at the cost of our nation’s values or basic human dignity.