After forcibly shoving his family members in our face for the past few years, Donald Trump has yet again flaunted his nepotism in the form of his choice for a high-ranking adviser role.
The president-elect announced over the weekend that Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos — whose son, Michael, is married to Trump’s daughter, Tiffany — would serve as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs as part of his upcoming second administration. While the selection has some basis in Boulos’ record — having campaigned for Trump during the election to sway the Arab American vote — it has done little to help the president-elect dodge all those nepotism allegations, which have dogged him ever since his first presidency.
Boulos has increasingly entered Trump’s orbit since Michael and Tiffany’s wedding at Mar-a-Lago (where else?) in 2022, though the announcement that his in-law would have a place in cabinet made no mention of the family connection. “[Boulos] is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene,” Trump wrote of the new appointment on Truth Social. “He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, [and was] an asset to my Campaign.”
People responded to the news with the same brevity as Trump chowing down a Big Mac meal, with many pointing out the seeming favoritism Trump displays for members of his family and extended family. “More nepotism and corruption in the incoming Trump admin,” one user wrote on X, “They are going to sell America short.” Another said the appointment of Boulos is part of Trump’s plans as a grifter, which has become his “signature policy.” Elsewhere, users revisited Trump’s calls to “drain the swamp” of Washington, saying his selection of Boulos is evidence that he “came to rule the swamp [and] came to enrich himself off the swamp.”
Adding fuel to the nepotism fire, Boulos’ appointment comes just days after Trump selected Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka, to be the US ambassador to France. It should come as no surprise, given Trump’s other nominations for his cabinet, that Kushner’s appointment has more to do with his loyalty to Trump than any actual political experience. What’s especially troubling about the choice — beyond the fact that we will regrettably be seeing more of the Kushner’s — is the pivotal role that the ambassador will play in managing Trump’s fraught relationship with French president Emmanuel Macron.
With Kushner at the helm, I wouldn’t bank on any baguette-filled care packages from France anytime soon. Of course, it’s not the first time Trump has been accused of favoring his family members to a level that borders on corruption. Throughout Trump’s first presidency, both Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump faced criticism for their prominent role in the White House, which even included Ivanka’s attendance to G20 meetings and nuclear talks with Kim Jong-Un.
More recently, it has been reported that Donald Trump Jr., has emerged as an influential adviser as his father continues to assemble the nightmare blunt rotation that is his incoming administration. According to The Guardian, Trump has become increasingly reliant on his eldest son as a go-to voice on White House strategy, which might explain the sheer chaos of Trump’s choices over the last few weeks.
Alongside Boulos and Kushner, other names floating around Trump’s cabinet include Kristi Noem, RFK Jr., Linda McMahon, and Dr. Oz, so we absolutely have nothing to worry about and everything will turn out fine.