Tucker Carlson, during a recent episode of his podcast, echoed concerns raised by his guest about the overlap between President Trump’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and the expansion of the Trump Organization’s operations in that region, suggesting it “seems like corruption.”
Speaking with Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and current podcast host, Carlson prompted a discussion about how the Trump administration is performing. Ryan began by applauding Trump’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as certain reforms at the Department of Government Efficiency. However, he admitted there may have been excesses.
Despite his praise, Ryan expressed growing disillusionment with the administration, citing what he viewed as problematic optics around recent Trump Organization developments coinciding with diplomatic engagements abroad. “I’m going to get blasted for this, but, you know, I mean, I see all these negotiations going on in the Middle East and then — I don’t know when these buildings were approved or when these deals got done — but then I also see, like, oh, there’s a brand new hotel going up in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and another one going up in Doha, I think,” Ryan said.
He continued, “And I’m like, did these just get done — also with the deals which just happened over there — or was this earlier?”
The Trump Organization has recently undertaken a series of new ventures in the Middle East. These include a high-end golf resort in Qatar, developed with Qatari Diar, a company linked to the country’s sovereign wealth fund. Additionally, the Trump name is being used in two separate real estate projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Plans are also in motion to construct a Trump Tower in Jeddah and a hotel-golf complex in Oman.
At the same time, President Trump made stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, announcing major defense and economic partnerships. Among the most prominent was a new agreement with the UAE to establish what will be the largest artificial intelligence data center outside of the United States, located in Abu Dhabi. He also confirmed the easing of export restrictions on AI chip technologies to the region.
“That stuff kind of worries me,” Ryan said during the discussion.
“Well, it seems like corruption, yeah,” Carlson replied.
Ryan lamented the current polarized climate in the U.S., where he said political loyalty often trumps independent thought, making it difficult to offer honest critiques without facing backlash. He said people are “just blindly falling in line with ‘whatever that tribe says they’re going to do.’”
“I agree with every word,” Carlson responded.
Mediaite was the first outlet to bring attention to the segment.
In response to questions about whether President Trump’s recent trip might have overlapped with his business interests, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea. “Ridiculous” was how she characterized any suggestion that Trump’s foreign visits were connected to his family’s private ventures. “The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws,” she said.
Administration spokespeople have maintained that there is a clear separation between Trump’s public role and his family’s business dealings, explaining that his holdings are placed in a trust managed by his children. Furthermore, The Trump Organization released a voluntary ethics pledge stating that the company will not enter into any direct business agreements with foreign governments.
{Matzav.com}