THREAD: As a NYT reporter, I've been investigating Trump family international deals since 2016. India, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Panama. I have never seen anything like the Oman deal, re the potential for a conflict of interest. Let's take a look nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/…
Trump has sold his name to real estate developers in spots around the globe. But in Oman, a partner in this giant deal is the government of Oman itself. Here is Eric Trump in Oman in Feb. 2023, meeting with Oman government officials, as his dad is running for re-election
And it is not just Eric Trump. Donald J. Trump, just as he was kicking off his re-election bid, went to Trump Tower in NYC as this deal was being signed.
Here is a video of that event from Nov. 2022. Clearly, the sponsors of the deal, a Saudi-real-estate company named Dar Global, wanted Trump in person for this event.
I went to Oman in late May. Beautiful country. Super friendly people. But was amazed at how big the Trump brand is as part of this deal. His name is key part of sales effort at showroom and at the project site.
The government of Oman owns the land where the project is being built. This is the site. The developer, Dar al Arkan, is a Saudi real-estate company with close ties to the Saudi royal family.
Oman is enormously important player in the Middle East. Close ties with Saudi Arabia & Iran. US has sold F-16s/other military equipment. It is now involved in negotiations between US & Iran. Image adding a multi-billion real-estate deal to that mix as a president decides policy.
I met many of the migrant workers at the site during a visit to the remote location. It was 103 degrees. They were working 10-hour shifts. Hundreds of them lived in cramped trailers right at the work site. They are from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
A presidential candidate in the U.S. is part of a multi-billion-dollar project in the Middle East with Sultan of Oman that will have hundreds of migrant, low-wage workers in harsh working conditions??? That was just one of many issues I identified.
During my reporting I found a financial filing that detailed the 30-year deal with the Trump family--DT Marks Oman LLC (as in Donald Trump)--and that the government of Oman will share in the profits. Here is a piece of it. Opening payment to Trump: more than $5 million
It was great to work with Dubai-based photographer @andreadicenzo. And thanks for NYT readers for supporting this work. Please read and share the story. nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/…
The scene in Yiti, the one-time fishing village at the entrance to the megalopolis Trump Org is helping build in Oman. This town is dying--as luxury townhouses/golf course rises. More goats/donkeys in town than people. Workers taken over some houses. See TRUMP sign in background.
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