Newly elected US President Donald Trump has chosen his close friend Massad Boulos for the post of adviser on Arab and Middle East affairs. Massad is the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany. He is a citizen of Lebanese origin.
Assigning this important responsibility to Masad, Trump wrote on social media that he is a capable businessman. He has been instrumental in building relationships with the Arab American community.
It is worth mentioning that during Trump's election campaign, Masad held dozens of meetings to get the votes of Arab American and Muslim leaders. Massad was a major contributor to Trump's victory in the swing state of Michigan. According to Gulf News, Massadan tried to get 300,000 Muslim voters in Michigan to vote for Trump.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump announced the nomination of his second ally, Charles Kushner, as ambassador to France. Charles is the father-in-law of Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka.
Trump with Samdhi Massad while campaigning in Michigan on November 1.
Masad has a deep grip on Lebanese politics Trump's daughter Tiffany got engaged to Massad's son Michael in 2021 at the White House. Trump left the presidency after this. After this both got married in 2022.
According to news agency Reuters, Masad has a strong influence in both the US and Lebanon. Massad's father and grandfather played an active role in Lebanese politics.
Massad was born in Lebanon, but a few years later moved with his family to Texas, where he became a US citizen after earning a law degree from the University of Houston. After this, Masad moved to Nigeria and took over the family business there.
Endorsed a pro-Hezbollah presidential candidate According to the New York Times, Masad's political ties to Lebanese leaders are also somewhat questionable. In 2009, Massad attempted to gain a seat in the Lebanese parliament and described himself as a 'friend' of presidential candidate Michel Aoun. Aon was backed by Hezbollah. He was criticized for this at the time.
However, Massad has denied running for parliamentary elections in Lebanon or being affiliated with any political party.
Trump's No. 2 friend goes to jail in tax case, now Massadne will be ambassador to France Trump nominated Charles Kushner as ambassador to France just a day before handing over the new responsibility. Charles Kushner was convicted in 2005 of filing false tax returns and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
Kushner spent more than 16 months in prison in the case. In 2020, Trump used the power of the President to pardon him.
Donald Trump with his brother-in-law Charles and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Accusations of nepotism against Trump Trump is giving important positions to many members of his family. Because of this they are being accused of nepotism. During Trump's first term, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner were his key advisers.
Kushner also played a big role in getting the Abraham Accord done. This improved Israel's relations with the countries of the Middle East. Before the election, Trump made his daughter-in-law Lara Trump the chairperson of the Republican National Committee. It is being said that Trump can also hand over big responsibilities to his sons.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
