WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday named Lebanese-American businessman Massad Boulos as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, the latest family member to be appointed to a key position.
“I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Adviser to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs,” Trump posted on Truth Social of the appointment, which puts his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law in a major White House position.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, touting Bolous as a “highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene.”
“He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” Trump continues.
“Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East,” the president-elect declared.
Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders during the election campaign.
He will likely work alongside Steve Witkoff, who Trump last month appointed as his special envoy for the Middle East.
A source familiar with the matter told media that Witkoff will focus more primarily on Israel, while Boulos’s portfolio will prioritise Arab countries.
It was the second time in recent days that Trump chose the father-in-law of one of his children to serve in his administration.
On Saturday, Trump said that he had picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, real estate mogul Charles Kushner, to serve as US ambassador to France.
In recent months, Boulos campaigned for Trump to drum up Lebanese and Arab American support, even as the US backed Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
