Trump's business empire grows after leaving White House

Former US president, billionaire Donald Trump, after leaving office over the past four years, has been able to expand his business empire by concluding new deals in various countries, including South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

The foreign media claims that during his first term as President of the United States, Donald Trump was subjected to constant scrutiny of his foreign companies and business ties for potential conflicts of interest.

By 2020, the Trump Organization had 52 assets. While he was president, Trump decided not to promote projects in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. After leaving the White House, the companies resumed their overseas expansion and now manage 49 assets, eight of which are new projects.

The ex-president's business empire includes at least 17 residential projects, 12 golf courses and 12 hotels or resorts. The newspaper also cites an example of the Trump Organization's $1.6 billion agreement with Oman's Dar Al Arkan on branding and management of a golf resort in Oman.

Nevertheless, Trump's critics argue that he did not do enough in his first term to separate politics and business interests. "The influence of foreign money on the president of the United States is extremely dangerous," said Richard Painter, chief ethics lawyer at the White House during the George W. Bush administration.

Trump himself denied any ethical wrongdoing on his part and noted that the Trump Organization was involved in real estate projects and other foreign enterprises long before he entered politics.

According to Forbes, Trump's fortune now stands at $2.6 billion. While in 2016, before his election, he had $4.5 billion, but during his presidential term, by 2020, he had lost more than half of his fortune. The value of his assets went up only after leaving the White House. By 2023, he had already dropped out of the list of the 400 richest people in America.