U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos will take on the role of senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
The announcement was made via Truth Social. Boulos, who is the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, engaged with Arab American and Muslim leaders multiple times during the election campaign.
This marks the second instance in a short period where Trump has appointed the father-in-law of one of his children to a position in his administration.
On Saturday, Trump revealed that he had selected Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to be the U.S. ambassador to France.
In the months leading up to the election, Boulos actively campaigned for Trump to garner support from the Lebanese and Arab American communities, despite the backdrop of the U.S.-backed military actions by Israel against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Boulos has significant connections in both Lebanon and the United States.
His father and grandfather were influential figures in Lebanese politics, and his father-in-law was a major supporter of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian political party associated with Hezbollah.
Boulos’s son Michael married Tiffany Trump in a lavish ceremony at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida in November 2022, following their engagement in the White House Rose Garden during Trump’s first term.
According to three sources who have spoken with him recently, Boulos has maintained communication with various stakeholders across Lebanon’s complex political landscape, a notable achievement in a country marked by longstanding factional rivalries.
His ability to maintain relations with Hezbollah is particularly noteworthy, according to sources. The Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim party holds a significant number of seats in Lebanon’s parliament and has ministers in the government.
Boulos is a close associate of Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian ally of Hezbollah and a candidate for the presidency of Lebanon. He also maintains connections with the Lebanese Forces Party, a strongly anti-Hezbollah Christian group, and has relationships with independent lawmakers.
Aron Lund, a fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, noted that Boulos is strategically positioned to influence Trump’s Middle East policy, having played a modest yet impactful role in broadening Trump’s appeal to Arab American and Muslim voters during the campaign.
“Boulos’ background in Lebanese politics does not reveal a clear geostrategic or national vision, but it does highlight his ambition and a network of political allies that will likely stand out in Trump’s inner circle,” Lund commented.
MICHIGAN VICTORY
Boulos, a billionaire with significant business interests in Nigeria, was born in Lebanon but relocated to Texas as a teenager. He attended the University of Houston, obtained a law degree, and became a U.S. citizen.
His son and Trump’s daughter, whose mother is Trump’s second wife Marla Maples, reportedly met on the Greek island of Mykonos at a club owned by actor Lindsay Lohan, as reported by People Magazine in 2022.
Trump’s victory in Michigan was partly attributed to Boulos’ efforts in converting some of the 300,000 Arab Americans and Muslims in the state, who had largely supported Biden in 2020 but were discontent with Biden’s policies regarding Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, according to Trump campaign officials and supporters who spoke to Reuters.
“Boulos was instrumental in the outreach to Muslim voters,” stated Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump.
Starting in September, the Trump campaign initiated weekly meetings, both in-person and via Zoom, with numerous Arab American and Muslim civic leaders and business executives.
Boulos dedicated several weeks to engaging with communities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and other states with significant Arab American and Muslim populations. During private lunches and dinners, he leveraged his connections with Lebanese American business leaders to reassure attendees of Trump’s commitment to ending conflicts in the Middle East.
In an interview with Reuters shortly after the election, Boulos revealed that the Trump campaign invested tens of millions of dollars to mobilize Arab American and Muslim voters.
Trump received endorsements from Muslim imams and the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, a city near Detroit with a substantial Arab American demographic, as well as support from the large Bangladeshi community. He also sought to engage Iraqi Americans, Albanian Americans, and other groups.
While events in Lebanon influenced opinions, economic concerns were also significant. Boulos noted that conservative Arabs and Muslims expressed apprehension regarding what they perceived as the Democrats’ “far left ideology,” which included support for transgender rights.
Boulos also engaged with members of Michigan’s 150,000-strong Albanian community.
Political Aspirations?
The new position may provide Boulos with the political influence he was unable to attain in Lebanon. He briefly campaigned for a seat in Lebanon’s parliament in 2018 alongside pro-Hezbollah candidates, but has since refrained from consistently aligning with any specific political party, according to sources in Lebanon. Coming from a Greek Orthodox background, his opportunities for a prominent government role, such as deputy speaker of parliament, are limited within Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing framework. The presidency, the highest position for Christians in the country, is designated for Maronite Catholics.
Although he used to visit Lebanon regularly, he has not returned in the past four years, as noted by one source.
Some individuals in Lebanon expressed optimism about having a familiar figure in Trump’s inner circle even prior to the announcement on Sunday.
“It’s a positive development – and we hope he will advocate for Lebanon. Trump might be the kind of person who keeps his promises and could potentially be more loyal to them than others,” remarked Hamdi Hawallah, a Lebanese man in his late 70s.
“We’re feeling hopeful about him. In these times, we cling to any semblance of hope.”
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