Donald Trump raked in nearly $10 million from Middle Eastern nations during his presidency, according to a government watchdog.
The former president famously declared he would donate his government salary, although it's not clear he actually did, but he made at least six times that amount – or $9.6 million – from "side income" from the Middle East while serving in the White House, according to an analysis of his tax returns by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
"After Trump was elected president, he made the unprecedented decision not to divest from his business interests, and remained very much involved in the Trump Organization, creating an endless number of conflicts of interest by blurring the lines between the government and his businesses," CREW reported. "The profiteering paid off, and Trump raked in tens of millions from international business interests during his time in office."
Trump had business dealings with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Kuwait while serving as president and continues to boast about his ties to those foreign nations while running again for re-election.
"The $9.6 million that we know Trump made from Middle Eastern countries during his presidency is likely just the tip of the iceberg," the watchdog reported. "CREW tracked conflicts of interest involving multiple countries that are not even present on his tax returns. For example, officials from Iraq, Oman and Yemen made visits to Trump properties while he was president. Because we don’t know the total cost for these visits, we did not include them in the tally."
"As the 2024 election creeps closer, foreign interests including those in the Middle East are already buying access to Trump and pouring money into his pockets," CREW added.