President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that he had named Christian Lebanese businessman Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter, Tiffany, as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Boulous had already been serving in that role during the 2024 presidential campaign, famously promising that President-elect Trump would end the war in Lebanon before he took office — a promise on which he delivered.
Boulos has also reached out to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, even as the Trump transition team has deepened its ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said:
I am proud to announce that Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Massad is an accomplished lawyer and 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. Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!
Boulos joins a team of advisers that is staunchly pro-Israel — a curious combination, but a reflection of the fact that Trump won a historically large percentage of Jewish votes while also picking up Arab and Muslim votes in Michigan.
The common ground between these two camps is a desire to see peace in the Middle East, which Trump has advanced in the past by supporting Israel strongly while reaching out to Sunni Arab monarchies to build alliances against Iran.
Boulos comes with some personal connections that may draw scrutiny, including roots in arcane Lebanese politics, and family business interests in Nigeria, which is a difficult country to do business in while remaining above board.
However, what is most important is that the pro-Israel and Arab wings of the Trump coalition now each have family connections to Trump — with the pro-Israel side represented by son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is not joining the administration but advising from outside. That means leaders in the Middle East will have clear access to Trump, and can trust the credibility of his envoys. It also means the Trump family itself has a keen interest in promoting peace.
