Dec. 1 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Massad Boulos, the father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, as his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Boulos, born to a Christian family in Lebanon, unofficially aided Trump during the presidential election cycle to court Arab American voters and had even met in September with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, who had barred Palestinian officials from meeting with the Trump administration during his first term as president.
The billionaire businessman told The New York Times after the conference with Abbas that it was purely a personal meeting and that he did not advise Trump about it before or afterward. Still, it has been seen as a beacon for the possibility of increased communication between Palestinians and the next Trump administration.
“Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene,” Trump said in his announcement of the selection on his Truth Social platform.
“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 called Boulos a “dealmaker” who he noted is “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!” Trump said. He did not make any references to Boulos’ familial relationship to him in the announcement.
Though Boulos will be aiding the president in overseeing his Middle East policies, Trump has already stacked a very pro-Israel diplomatic team, including nominating Sen. Marco Rubio, for secretary of state and Mike Huckabee as his ambassador to Israel.
