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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive: Don Jr. and Eric Trump's Middle East jaunt cost US taxpayers over $40,000 in hotel rooms and rental cars
Amid wanton budget cuts by the Trump Administration that put thousands of government employees out of work, canceled school lunch programs for needy kids and zeroed out funding for crucial research into cancer, U.S. taxpayers shelled out for rental cars and hotel rooms as the president's two eldest sons pursued private business deals in the Middle East. Federal procurement data reviewed by The Independent shows more than $40,000 in disbursements by the Secret Service, whose agents accompanied Don Jr. and Eric Trump to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this spring, underwritten by the American public. One transaction, a $13,984 payment arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and funded by the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, describes the outlay as: 'ERIC TRUMP Protective USSS Visit – 4 rental vehicles.' It was prepared on April 20, and approved on May 13, 2025, the same day President Trump arrived in the kingdom. However, Eric, 41, was not part of the official delegation, according to reports. A second transaction, for $26,813.24, was arranged by the State Department and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Doha, covered a room for Donald Trump Jr., 47, at The Ned, a 5-star hotel and members-only club located in a building formerly occupied by the Qatari Interior Ministry. 'Trump Jr Visit – May 25 – Team X,' reads the expenditure, which was prepared on May 11 and approved on May 18, 2025, nearly a week after the president was in town. 'Expect tactile furnishings, classical details, and all the essentials for a comfortable home away from home,' the property's website tells prospective travelers. 'Guests enjoy access to Ned's Club Spa and Gym throughout their stay. Airport transfers in our BMW 7 Series can be arranged upon request.' Together, lodging and local transportation for Trump's two adult sons cost taxpayers at least $40,797.24, a figure that does not include air travel, agents' salaries, meals, and other significant outlays. Donald Trump, Jr. and brother Eric Trump are entitled to round-the-clock Secret Service protection and a recent trip to the Middle East cost taxpayers (AFP via Getty Images) A Secret Service spokesman on Monday told The Independent, 'We support any of our protectees, that go anywhere in the world, including foreign trips. For these foreign trips, we have personnel on the ground before a protectee gets there, so we may be on the ground several days in advance, working with the local government and local authorities.' The contracts themselves, such as the hotel rooms and rental cars required for Don Jr. and Eric, are executed on behalf of the Secret Service by U.S. embassies in the destination countries, according to the agency spokesman. He said the members of the Trump family 'are our protectees, we protect them, regardless of where they go. When you're a protectee, you have round-the-clock protection anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter what type of trip it is, they're getting protection.' The Trump Organization, which is being nominally run by Don Jr. and Eric while their father serves a second term in the White House, recently partnered with a Qatari real estate firm – backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund – to build a Trump-branded luxury golf resort in the emirate. The deal was announced two weeks before Trump made the jaunt to Qatar, which subsequently 'gifted' the president a $400 million Boeing 747 for his own use. The Trump family is also developing two new real estate projects in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, as well as a Trump Tower to be erected in Jeddah. 'Combining coastal elegance with urban sophistication, Trump Tower Jeddah delivers an unmatched lifestyle,' read an April 30 press release issued by the Trump Organization. 'From refined residences to world-class amenities and personalized service, every detail reflects the signature Trump standard of excellence.' Trump was in Saudi Arabia and Qatar while his sons were there drumming up new business for the family company, which cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in travel expenses (Getty Images) Two weeks later, the White House formally announced that Saudi Arabia had committed to buying at least $100 billion worth of military equipment from the U.S., and said Qatar had agreed to purchase $200 billion worth of U.S.-built jets from Boeing, as well as some $3 billion in American-made drones from General Atomics and Raytheon. The trips by Don Jr. and Eric raised numerous questions about the Trump family's aggressive monetization of the presidency, which administration officials attempted to minimize as a non-issue. During the president's first term, the Trump Organization vowed not to pursue any foreign deals while the company's namesake was in office – a promise promptly broken, according to an investigation by anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness. When Trump returned to the White House in January 2021, he released an ethics agreement that said the Trump Organization would not directly strike any deals with foreign governments. However, it included no prohibition on doing business with private companies abroad, and the president's family business is now involved in no fewer than 21 Trump-branded projects throughout the world, according to CItizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Still, prior to Trump's Middle East sojourn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the notion Trump would personally benefit from his family's private business pursuits was, in a word, 'ridiculous.' 'The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws,' Leavitt said. 'The president is a successful businessman, and I think, frankly, that it's one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office.' In October 2018, U.S. taxpayers were hit with a $90,000-plus hotel bill for First Lady Melania Trump and her Secret Service detail, who were in Cairo for six hours but did not spend the night. A vacation to Berlin the previous year by Tiffany Trump, the president's youngest daughter, cost taxpayers at least $22,000 in hotel stays for the Secret Service agents accompanying her and her boyfriend. But when the Secret Service traveled with members of the Trump family to Trump-owned hotels, the agency was reportedly charged 'exorbitant' markups far above the usual room rate, contradicting Eric Trump's previous claim that agents were provided lodging 'at cost.' At the same time, a vindictive Trump has sought revenge on officials he believes wronged him during his first term by revoking Secret Service details assigned to protect President Joe Biden's adult children, along with those looking after former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and a host of others. During Barack Obama's time in office, before Trump's foray into national politics, he raged on Twitter about the cost of providing security for the president and his family, taking aim at supposed 'taxpayer funded vacations' costing the American people 'millions of dollars.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Exclusive: Don Jr. and Eric Trump's Middle East jaunt cost US taxpayers over $40,000 in hotel rooms and rental cars
Amid wanton budget cuts by the Trump Administration that put thousands of government employees out of work, canceled school lunch programs for needy kids and zeroed out funding for crucial research into cancer, U.S. taxpayers shelled out for rental cars and hotel rooms as the president's two eldest sons pursued private business deals in the Middle East. Federal procurement data reviewed by The Independent shows more than $40,000 in disbursements by the Secret Service, whose agents accompanied Don Jr. and Eric Trump to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this spring, underwritten by the American public. One transaction, a $13,984 payment arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and funded by the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, describes the outlay as: 'ERIC TRUMP Protective USSS Visit – 4 rental vehicles.' It was prepared on April 20, and approved on May 13, 2025, the same day President Trump arrived in the kingdom. However, Eric, 41, was not part of the official delegation, according to reports. A second transaction, for $26,813.24, was arranged by the State Department and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Doha, covered a room for Donald Trump Jr., 47, at The Ned, a 5-star hotel and members-only club located in a building formerly occupied by the Qatari Interior Ministry. 'Trump Jr Visit – May 25 – Team X,' reads the expenditure, which was prepared on May 11 and approved on May 18, 2025, nearly a week after the president was in town. 'Expect tactile furnishings, classical details, and all the essentials for a comfortable home away from home,' the property's website tells prospective travelers. 'Guests enjoy access to Ned's Club Spa and Gym throughout their stay. Airport transfers in our BMW 7 Series can be arranged upon request.' Together, lodging and local transportation for Trump's two adult sons cost taxpayers at least $40,797.24, a figure that does not include air travel, agents' salaries, meals, and other significant outlays. A Secret Service spokesman on Monday told The Independent, 'We support any of our protectees, that go anywhere in the world, including foreign trips. For these foreign trips, we have personnel on the ground before a protectee gets there, so we may be on the ground several days in advance, working with the local government and local authorities.' The contracts themselves, such as the hotel rooms and rental cars required for Don Jr. and Eric, are executed on behalf of the Secret Service by U.S. embassies in the destination countries, according to the agency spokesman. He said the members of the Trump family 'are our protectees, we protect them, regardless of where they go. When you're a protectee, you have round-the-clock protection anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter what type of trip it is, they're getting protection.' The Trump Organization, which is being nominally run by Don Jr. and Eric while their father serves a second term in the White House, recently partnered with a Qatari real estate firm – backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund – to build a Trump-branded luxury golf resort in the emirate. The deal was announced two weeks before Trump made the jaunt to Qatar, which subsequently 'gifted' the president a $400 million Boeing 747 for his own use. The Trump family is also developing two new real estate projects in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, as well as a Trump Tower to be erected in Jeddah. 'Combining coastal elegance with urban sophistication, Trump Tower Jeddah delivers an unmatched lifestyle,' read an April 30 press release issued by the Trump Organization. 'From refined residences to world-class amenities and personalized service, every detail reflects the signature Trump standard of excellence.' Two weeks later, the White House formally announced that Saudi Arabia had committed to buying at least $100 billion worth of military equipment from the U.S., and said Qatar had agreed to purchase $200 billion worth of U.S.-built jets from Boeing, as well as some $3 billion in American-made drones from General Atomics and Raytheon. The trips by Don Jr. and Eric raised numerous questions about the Trump family's aggressive monetization of the presidency, which administration officials attempted to minimize as a non-issue. During the president's first term, the Trump Organization vowed not to pursue any foreign deals while the company's namesake was in office – a promise promptly broken, according to an investigation by anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness. When Trump returned to the White House in January 2021, he released an ethics agreement that said the Trump Organization would not directly strike any deals with foreign governments. However, it included no prohibition on doing business with private companies abroad, and the president's family business is now involved in no fewer than 21 Trump-branded projects throughout the world, according to CItizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Still, prior to Trump's Middle East sojourn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the notion Trump would personally benefit from his family's private business pursuits was, in a word, 'ridiculous.' 'The president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws,' Leavitt said. 'The president is a successful businessman, and I think, frankly, that it's one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office.' In October 2018, U.S. taxpayers were hit with a $90,000-plus hotel bill for First Lady Melania Trump and her Secret Service detail, who were in Cairo for six hours but did not spend the night. A vacation to Berlin the previous year by Tiffany Trump, the president's youngest daughter, cost taxpayers at least $22,000 in hotel stays for the Secret Service agents accompanying her and her boyfriend. But when the Secret Service traveled with members of the Trump family to Trump-owned hotels, the agency was reportedly charged 'exorbitant' markups far above the usual room rate, contradicting Eric Trump's previous claim that agents were provided lodging 'at cost.' At the same time, a vindictive Trump has sought revenge on officials he believes wronged him during his first term by revoking Secret Service details assigned to protect President Joe Biden's adult children, along with those looking after former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and a host of others. During Barack Obama's time in office, before Trump's foray into national politics, he raged on Twitter about the cost of providing security for the president and his family, taking aim at supposed 'taxpayer funded vacations' costing the American people 'millions of dollars.'
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kimberly Guilfoyle gets support of ex Don Jr.'s son during Senate hearing to become Trump's Greek 'belle'
President Donald Trump 's 16-year-old grandson came out to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to support Kimberly Guilfoyle, 56, during her confirmation hearing to be ambassador to Greece. Donald Trump III – son of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump – sat in the front row behind Guilfoyle for her joint five-nominee hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was seated alongside Guilfoyle's son, Ronan Villency, 18, and her younger brother, Anthony 'Tony' Guilfoyle Jr., 53. The stylish nominee known for her affinity for colorful, tight dresses opted for a more refined look to take on lawmakers on Capitol Hill. She donned wide-framed specs and a black wide-legged pants suit with a white blouse featuring a neckline bow detail. Guilfoyle's years-long engagement to Don Jr. abruptly ended last year. The former Fox New host has been in the lives of his five children for their most formative years and was almost their step mother. Palm Beach insiders tell the Daily Mail that she still has a relationship with Don Jr.'s children. 'I would like to offer special thanks and love to my son, my brother, Tony, and to Donnie Trump for their steadfast support,' Guilfoyle said during her opening remarks before the Senate panel gathered for her confirmation hearing on Wednesday. White House Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor also came to Capitol Hill to support Guilfoyle. He left the hearing room promptly after her opening remarks. Guilfoyle was introduced by Sen. Bill Haggerty (R-Tenn.) and was joined in the hot seats by four other nominees for the joint hearing. The hearing was also for the questioning ahead of voting to move confirmations to the floor for Anjani Sinha to be ambassador to Singapore; Jeffrey Bartos to be representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform; Lynda Blanchard to be representative to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture; and Jennifer Locetta to be representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN. President Trump announced in December his intention to nominate his almost-daughter-in-law and key campaign surrogate to be ambassador to Greece in his second term. 'I extend my sincerest gratitude to the president for his faith in my abilities,' Guilfoyle said during Wednesday's remarks before a group of senators. Her nomination came just a few months after news broke that the president's eldest son was dating Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson and was no longer in a relationship with Guilfoyle. Still, Don Jr. posted to X his congratulations to his ex-fiancée on her nomination. Guilfoyle, before her relationship with Don Jr., was married for five years to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom while he was mayor of San Francisco. She spent years as a co-host on the Fox News program The Five. During the short confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Guilfoyle faced a few questions from senators related to Greece's relationship with the U.S., Israel, Cyprus and the rise in tensions with Turkey. No Democrats who directed questions at Guilfoyle on Wednesday appeared particularly opposed to her confirmation, though not every member of the panel decided to show up for the hearing.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Eric Trump drops big time hint about possible successor to father's presidency in 2028
Donald Trump 's second son has fueled speculation that his family is seeking to establish a multi-generational political dynasty, saying he and other relatives may run for public office. Eric Trump told the Financial Times that a political career would be 'would be an easy one' for family members, as they look beyond President Trump's second term that ends in 2029. Eric, 41, is a fierce defender of his father on television networks, while older brother Don Jr. is a key player in the Trump inner circle, using his podcast and social media presence to fire up the president's base. 'The real question is: "Do you want to drag other members of your family into it?"' Eric Trump said in an interview. 'Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I've lived? 'If the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it,' he said. 'And by the way, I think other members of our family could do it too.' Trump's children and his close family have long been involved in his business life, and have also taken major roles as he moved into politics and took the White House in 2017. In Trump's first term, his daughter Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner held senior administration posts, though they have retreated from the political frontlines for now. Donald Trump Jr., 47, has been at the forefront of his father's political operation for many years with conservative candidates coveting his endorsements. Eric's wife Lara Trump co-led the national Republican Party during the last election campaign receiving lavish praise from the candidate, and she now has her own show on Fox News. Barron Trump, the president's only child with wife Melania, is aged 19, but his father says he is interested in politics and helped him to draw in young male voters via podcasts and TikTok. Kai Trump, 18, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, spoke at last year's Republican National Convention and is a competitive junior golfer. Eric Trump told the Financial Times he was 'wholly unimpressed by half the politicians I see' adding 'I could do it very effectively.' Asked if a Trump would stand for election in future, he replied 'I don´t know... Time will tell. But there's more people than just me.' Eric and Don Jr. run the Trump family business, which now includes a growing cryptocurrency portfolio. Eric Trump denied any conflicts of interest, saying 'if there's one family that hasn't profited off politics, it's the Trump family. Eric's wife Lara Trump co-led the national Republican Party during the last election campaign receiving lavish praise from the candidate, and she now has her own show on Fox News Trump family members including Kai, Don Jr, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, Eric and his wife Lara Trump, surround the family patriarch to close out last year's convention 'The opportunity cost, the legal cost, the toll it's taken on our family has been astronomical.' The Trumps are widely believed to have taken the monetizing of their powerful status to unprecedented levels for US first families. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has agreed to finance a film about Melania Trump, reportedly netting her $28 million. Other close family are involved in multi-billion-dollar real estate deals abroad, and Don Jr. is launching a Washington club where membership reportedly costs more than half a million dollars. In May, President Trump hosted a dinner at one of his golf clubs for investors in his $TRUMP cryptocurrency, which he launched shortly before reentering the White House.
Fast Company
21-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Gold phones, meme coins, and instant pots: Trump's MAGA economy is taking shape
Winning the 2024 election came with lots of benefits for Donald Trump: more Cabinet secretaries to fire via tweet, more grimacing sit-downs with foreign heads of state, and more time beyond the reach of the criminal legal system, thanks to a generous assist from the conservative justices on the Supreme Court. It also bought him (and his family) four additional years to fulfill the primary goal of the presidential campaign he launched a decade ago this month: extract as much money as possible from his adoring followers, for as long as they are willing to part with it. Trump and his eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, wasted little time getting back to work, unveiling a dizzying array of cryptocurrency ventures that have netted hundreds of millions of dollars and counting, according to The Washington Post. (Another benefit of being the president: the power to set the regulatory agenda for the speculative assets in which you happen to be investing heavily.) But they are also working hard on what might be an even more ambitious project: creating an alternative Trump-themed economy full of shoddy, overpriced consumer goods, betting that his acolytes will happily pay a premium for anything with his name slapped across the packaging. The latest offering is Trump Mobile, a wireless plan priced at $47.45 per month. (Do you get it? 47 and 45? You get it.) The Trump Organization says Trump Mobile's unlimited talk-and-text plan—the '47 Plan,' in case the price was too subtle a reference—will come bundled with roadside assistance and device protection, as well as virtual medical care and prescription medication benefits at 'no additional cost.' Sure enough, a graphic posted on the Trump Mobile website promised subscribers '27/7' [sic] access to doctors from the comfort of their 'own homw' [sic]. The copy has since been corrected, but still, there is no better encapsulation of the modern Republican Party ethos than its leader promoting scammy-looking, typo-ridden healthcare via smartphone app while GOP lawmakers strip Medicaid for parts. The Trump Organization is not actually operating a wireless network—like most Trump-branded products, Trump Mobile is a licensing deal with a business partner—but Don Jr. and Eric both featured prominently during the rollout. For prospective users uninterested in using the 47 Plan with their regular smartphones, Trump Mobile is also offering (of course) a gold Trump-branded smartphone, the T1, for $499. The website says the T1 is 'Proudly Made in America,' but after enough annoyed supply chain experts noted its similarities to an existing Chinese-made smartphone—and explained in detail why domestic production of a smartphone at that price point is more or less impossible—Eric Trump backed off this promise a bit: The phones, now available for preorder, can be built in the U.S. 'eventually,' he said. As detailed in Trump's financial disclosures released earlier this week, Trump Mobile's products are only the beginning of what you can purchase if, in your estimation, the market's usual offerings are simply too woke. You can buy Trump-branded watches, some of which allegedly feature a baseball card-style snippet of the suit Trump wore for his mugshot in 2023, for as little as $499 or as much as $100,000 (not a typo). You can buy Trump fragrances, which the website advertises as 'Your Rallying Cry In A Bottle.' There are Trump-branded guitars, Bibles, and sneakers. There is an entire publishing house, Winning Team, which is most famous for printing a Marjorie Taylor Greene book in Canada. These deals are nowhere near as valuable as Trump's crypto holdings, but still, in 2024, they earned him around $10 million in royalties—a pretty nice annuity, in the event that the market for his meme coin collapses overnight. These ventures have been successful enough that others are eager to get in on the action. Instant Pot reportedly has a collection of Trump-branded kitchen appliances in the works; Lenox has pitched a line of Trump dinnerware, flatware, drinking glasses, snow globes, and Christmas ornaments; and a pair of home goods companies have proposed to sell Mar-a-Lago and White House sheet sets. (A spokesperson told Semafor that proceeds from sales of these products would go to Trump's presidential library, a maneuver often employed by people who want to give presidents money but would prefer to avoid doing so directly.) A February trademark filing by the LLC that manages Trump's licensing agreements illustrates the potential breadth of his burgeoning consumer goods empire. Among many other things, the application mentions 'virtual training services in the field of hotel and real estate management'; 'virtual personal coaching services in the field of public speaking and fundraising'; and 'virtual reality-based virtual worlds in which users can exchange digital goods and crypto currencies using only those images, texts, videos, and sound files authorized by the 45th and 47th President of the United States.' (Authenticated by NFTs, naturally.) Trademark applications are often drafted broadly, so the filing is not necessarily evidence that a MAGA-branded metaverse is about to launch. But it does suggest that there is basically no type of deal Trump won't make to squeeze more money from his followers. If people like Mike Lindell can cash in on grievance politics by linking it to a bedding brand, Trump and his sons figure they might as well take over the market while the market is hot. Trump has spent most of his life as a freewheeling branding guy, as aficionados of Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, and Trump Ice Natural Spring Water can attest. But the market for stuff with his name on it is considerably more robust today than it was back when he was a tabloid-fodder reality TV host. These newer ventures are also not luxury-golf-resort tee times or penthouse hotel suites or condominiums in midtown residential towers; they are low-risk, low-effort deals seeking to capitalize not just on his celebrity, but also on the political movement he represents. A discounted USA-themed phone plan is the exact sort of thing that might appeal to his supporters, and especially to the lower-income people and seniors among them. What better way to celebrate the triumphs of a candidate you voted for three times than paying for the privilege of seeing his logo every time you take your phone out of your pocket? Perhaps the grimmest throughline of the emerging Trump economy's offerings is just how much contempt they evince for prospective buyers. As The Verge points out, Trump Mobile is a straightforwardly bad product relative to the major carriers' prepaid brands, and even worse when compared with smaller alternatives. A Wired analysis found that Trump Mobile's baffling privacy policy—which claims that the just-announced company has somehow already 'collected' consumers' 'mail, email, or text message contents'—appears to have been lifted from the Trump Organization's privacy policy. At 404 Media, Joseph Cox called attempting to preorder a T1 'the worst experience I've ever faced buying a consumer electronic product.' A Washington Post columnist who tried to sign up for Trump Mobile discovered that the plan's $47.45 monthly cost tag does not include a $17.25 'plan telecom tax,' which sort of defeats the purpose of setting a novelty price point in the first place. Even if Trump Mobile is not about to make the sitting president into the world's next telecom mogul, his willingness to enter the market is part of a quantity-over-quality strategy designed to turn political supporters into loyal customers. And, as his approval ratings slide, the sooner the better: If he spends the next three-plus years tanking the economy, waging a wildly unpopular war in the Middle East, and/or deploying the military on U.S. soil, even his target audience might decide that, come to think of it, their current phone plan isn't so bad after all. The final deadline for Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech Awards is Friday, June 20, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
