President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos will take on the role of senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Trump shared this news on Truth Social. Boulos, who is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany, engaged with Arab American and Muslim leaders throughout the election campaign.

This marks the second occasion in recent days where Trump appointed a parent of one of his children to a position in his administration.

On Saturday, Trump revealed that he chose Charles Kushner, the father of son-in-law Jared Kushner and a well-known real estate figure, to be the U.S. ambassador to France.

Boulos actively campaigned for Trump to garner support from Lebanese and Arab Americans, even as the U.S. supported Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He has influential connections in both Lebanon and the U.S.

His father and grandfather held prominent positions in Lebanese politics, and his father-in-law was a significant benefactor of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian faction aligned with Hezbollah.

His son Michael wed Tiffany Trump in a lavish ceremony at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida in November 2022, following their engagement in the White House Rose Garden during Trump’s first term.

Boulos has managed to connect with various political factions in Lebanon, a challenging task given the entrenched rivalries among its groups, according to three sources familiar with his activities.

Notably, he has maintained connections with Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed Shi’ite party seizes a significant number of seats in Lebanon’s parliament and holds ministerial positions in the government.

Boulos is associated with Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian ally of Hezbollah and presidential candidate in Lebanon. He also maintains communication with the Lebanese Forces Party, an anti-Hezbollah Christian faction, and has connections to independent lawmakers.

Aron Lund, a fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, mentioned that Boulos is well positioned to impact Trump’s Middle East strategy due to his role in enhancing Trump’s appeal to Arab American and Muslim voters during the election.

“Boulos’ Lebanese political background does not provide insight into a larger geostrategic vision, but it does display ambition and a network of political allies that may stand out remarkably in Trump’s entourage,” Lund elaborated.

Victory in Michigan

Boulos, a billionaire with strong business connections in Nigeria, was born in Lebanon but moved to Texas as a teenager, attending the University of Houston, where he earned a law degree and gained U.S. citizenship.

Michael and Tiffany’s meeting occurred on the Greek island of Mykonos at a club owned by actress Lindsay Lohan, as reported by People Magazine in 2022.

Trump’s success in Michigan was partly credited to Boulos’ efforts in securing support from the state’s 300,000 Arab American and Muslim residents, who previously leaned towards Biden in 2020 but were disillusioned with his policies concerning Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, according to Trump campaign officials and supporters.

“Boulos was instrumental in reaching out to Muslim voters,” stated Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump.

Starting from September, the Trump campaign organized weekly discussions in person and via Zoom with various Arab American and Muslim community leaders and business professionals.

Boulos dedicated weeks to campaigning in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, where there are significant populations of Arab Americans and Muslims, assuring them during private gatherings that Trump was committed to ending ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

The Trump campaign invested millions in efforts to mobilize Arab American and Muslim voters, as Boulos mentioned in an interview following the election.

Trump received endorsements from Muslim leaders and the mayor of Hamtramck, a city close to Detroit that hosts a large Arab American community, as well as support from the Bangladeshi community, Iraqi Americans, Albanian Americans, and others.

While Lebanon’s situation was certainly a factor, economic concerns also played a role. Conservative Arab and Muslim voters expressed worries about what they perceived as the Democratic Party’s “far-left ideology,” including their support for transgender rights, according to Boulos.

Boulos also interacted with members of Michigan’s 150,000-strong Albanian community.

Future political aspirations?

This new position could grant Boulos the political influence he has been unable to achieve in Lebanon. He had a short-lived attempt at securing a seat in Lebanon’s parliament in 2018 alongside pro-Hezbollah candidates, but he has not consistently associated himself with any specific party since, sources in Lebanon indicated. He comes from a Greek Orthodox background. Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing framework, this limits his prospects for prominent government roles, such as deputy speaker of parliament, and the presidential position — traditionally reserved for Maronite Catholics.

Although he once visited Lebanon frequently, he hasn’t made a trip in the last four years, reported one source.

There was some optimism among people in Lebanon about having a friendly figure in Trump’s administration, even before the recent announcement.

“It’s a positive development, and we hope he can advocate for Lebanon. Trump might be the type of leader who keeps his promises and demonstrates loyalty,” expressed Hamdi Hawallah, a Lebanese man in his late 70s.

“We remain hopeful; in these times, we cling to what little optimism we have.”