Tiffany Trump's father-in-law learns embarrassing reality of his role in president's admin

Daily Mail​

05-05-2025

Tiffany Trump 's father-in-law is apparently overstepping his authority in her father's administration.
President Donald Trump had appointed Massad Boulos, the father of Michael Boulos - whom Tiffany married in 2022, to serve as a senior advisor on the Middle East one month before he took office.
In a statement at the time, Trump called the Lebanese-born businessman a 'dealmaker' and 'unwavering' supporter of Middle East peace.
But last month, Boulos' position apparently changed, and he is now an adviser to the president on African policy.
Still, officials within the Trump administration told Politico he has no clear responsibilities, and is purposefully left out of important discussions.
At the same time, they say, Boulos is handing out business cards that inflate his job title and is taking what they call 'freelance' jobs on the side - that can sometimes contradict the White House 's messaging.
'The job was more symbolic, but he didn't know,' one official lamented about Boulos' appointment.
'Everyone knew it but him.'
Those who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity have described how Boulos is trying to take on important issues in both Africa and the Middle East - even though an administration official said he is not supposed to actively work on Middle East issues.
They also note that Boulos has just become the top adviser to the president on Africa by default, as Trump has yet to name an assistant secretary of state at the State Department or the National Security Council.
And despite his lofty titles, officials say Boulos is kept in an office within the Africa bureau of the State Department - and must operate under the purview of senior diplomats.
Even when he does take action, Boulos is kept out of the limelight, Politico reports.
It claims he was weakened by earlier interviews in which he declared himself a dominant voice on Lebanese policy - irking some in Trump's inner circle who continue to question Boulos' affiliations in the region.
The business mogul has claimed he is not affiliated with any political party in the Middle Eastern country, but he apparently has close times with Lebanon's Christian political class - including Hezbollah's preferred candidate for president this year, Suleiman Frangieh.
Still, Boulos is said to claim he has more responsibility in the federal government than he does.
He reportedly hands out a business card that lists his State Department email and phone numbers, in which Boulos describes himself as a 'senior advisor to the president' - significantly inflating his official title.
Boulos has also reportedly given unsanctioned Arab-language interviews with Syrian and Lebanese media, sometimes causing confusion about the White House's policy.
In one instance, Boulos reportedly questioned the United States' recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory - a key feature of the President Trump's negotiations with Morocco to get it to formally start diplomatic ties with Israel.
The interview infuriated the Moroccan government, insiders said, and in the aftermath, Boulos was forced to release a statement on X about Secretary of State Marco Rubio 'unequivocally reaffirming US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.'
In another case, Boulos reportedly held a private meeting with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a recent visit to Paris, without notifying the State Department in advance - leaving US embassies in France and Nigeria to find out about the meeting from the meeting.
But senior government officials have denied this claim, saying the meeting was coordinated with the State Department and noting that the US embassy in Abuja posted about it afterward.
They officials say Boulos dug into tough foreign policy issues within just a few weeks, and had some significant wins.
Boulos successfully liaised with African heads of state in an effort to breach a deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to quell violence in the eastern Congo.
Rubio even praised Boulos for his efforts at a Cabinet meeting last week, saying he 'did something really great.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said he 'is doing an exceptional job, as evidenced by the deal... between the DRC and Rwanda.'
Other of Boulos' victories include lobbying to keep a Biden-era infrastructure project meant to counter China's infrastructure and rare earth minerals access in central Africa.
He also helped finalize a deal to secure the repatriation of three Americans from the Congo, where they were facing death sentences for their purported role in a botched coup attempt, according to three officials - all of whom noted the negotiations were already underway when Boulos took over last month.
And Boulos has met with over a dozen senior officials, including ministers and heads of state.
'In only a few short weeks of serving as the president's senior advisor for Africa, Mr. Boulos has done tremendous work to advance our America First diplomacy throughout the continent,' the State Department told Politico.
Another official added that Boulos has 'done what others haven't been doing. But also, there's no one else doing it.