Another group that holds a special position in President Donald Trump's orbit: his company's overseas business partners flew to Washington this week for the presidential inauguration, just like former presidents, foreign dignitaries, and industry leaders did.

On social media, a number of executives from international businesses that have collaborated with the Trump Organization were seen grinning beside the president, shaking his hand, or going to special events connected to the inauguration.

Government watchdogs claim that the way those partners celebrated Trump's win—some of whom have been bringing up his presidency frequently on social media feeds where they advertise their projects—highlights the moral dilemma that Trump has put himself in by failing to sell off his extensive business holdings.

Like during his first administration, Trump's assets are now held in a trust run by his kids. In order to prevent any ethical dilemmas, his son Eric, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, has declared that their company operations and the administration will be kept apart. However, Trump still stands to gain from those interests, which include licensing agreements with foreign developers who have paid millions of dollars annually to use the Trump brand in nations that will unavoidably overlap with Trump's foreign policy decisions, in addition to his cryptocurrency and social media businesses.

Following the election, one Indian developer of Trump-branded developments wrote, "We're building iconic landmarks, upholding Donald Trump's vision."

In a December interview, the chairman of another company that manages Trump properties in the Middle East stated in Arabic, "We celebrated the new American president, because we work on many projects with Trump's group."

According to Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, those continuing commercial relationships provide the impression—or perhaps the possibility—that Trump and his business partners could exploit the country's highest office to further their own financial interests. Bookbinder went on to say that Trump's economic ties also provide opportunities for anyone who wish to use those resources to try to influence him.

According to Bookbinder, "you have to wonder whether that's going to affect Donald Trump's decisions when there are these kinds of important business relationships between foreign individuals and the incoming president of the United States and the possibility that foreign governments could do things that affect those businesses one way or another."

Although several of his first-term initiatives were criticized for conflicting with his business, the president does not seem to have taken any overt actions in his first few days in office that would benefit Trump-branded enterprises. For instance, the White House initially chose to host the G7 at Trump's Doral, Florida, estate in 2019, but then changed their mind. House Democrats also discovered that foreign governments had spent a minimum of $7.8 million.

The Trump Organization has not ruled out signing new private international agreements while Trump is in office, unlike during his first term. However, the business has promised not to get into any new agreements with foreign governments in particular. However, Trump's company had started a project with Oman's tourist department prior to the November election, thus the Trump Organization is currently involved in an ongoing agreement with a foreign government.

The private developer Dar Global is part of the partnership to construct a Trump-branded resort on the Omani coast. The chairman of his parent firm, who was included in a Sunday photo with Trump, and the CEO of the company attended the opening festivities. Additionally, Dar Global has started Trump-branded projects in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

"A luxury real estate developer focused on delivering iconic projects in collaboration with globally recognized brands," was how Dar Global defined itself in a statement to CNN. Our collaborations are founded on our common ideals of innovation, quality, and providing our clients around the world with outstanding real estate ventures.

Trump is hardly alone in raising concerns about private interests using a president's name for their own ends. Such accusations were made against several members of the family of former President Joe Biden. Trump's ongoing commercial connections are "the most problematic in at least modern times and probably in the history of the presidency" because to their depth and breadth, according to Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a monitoring group.

As they did during his first term, several lawyers have cautioned that Trump's business dealings run the risk of breaking the US Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, which forbids federal officials from taking gifts from foreign governments without the approval of Congress. In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that cases alleging Trump had broken the clause during his previous term were irrelevant because Trump was no longer in office.

Trump will have "limited access" to the company's financial data, according to an ethics plan released earlier this month by the Trump Organization, which did not reply to a request for comment. The organization has hired an outside ethics counsel to keep an eye on significant activities.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed CNN that Trump cut his government pay and left his company to run for office.

According to her statement, "President Trump is fighting because he loves the people of this country and wants to make America great again—he didn't enter politics for financial gain like most politicians do."

However, as they have promoted their projects or pursued new economic endeavors, some of Trump's international business associates have persisted in highlighting their presidential ties.

The program states that a person can be eligible for a premium residency visa if they spend roughly $1.1 million in residential real estate in Saudi Arabia. The visa also allows overseas buyers to enjoy Saudi Arabia's advantageous tax regime, according to the Dar Global website.

The business goes on.

Hussain Sajwani, the CEO of DAMAC Properties, a company located in the United Arab Emirates that built a golf course in Dubai bearing the Trump name, is one business associate that went to a Trump inaugural event. On Sunday, Sajwani's business shared a video of him at the golf course, standing close to a Trump logo, talking about Trump's administration and his intentions to invest in US datacenters.

During a press conference in Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, Sajwani declared his intention to invest a minimum of $20 billion in these institutes. Under the heading "Sajwani: Open for New Trump Projects," his organization separately published a link to an interview in November wherein Sajwani stated that he was amenable to further agreements with the Trump Organization.

Sajwani characterized himself as a private businessman implementing the pro-business policies he expects under Trump in a CNN interview.

Although he stated that his company may think about collaborating with private organizations that could contribute value through land, electricity, or other resources, DAMAC intends to finance those datacenters, which would improve digital infrastructure in Sun Belt and Midwest states, without government support. Additionally, he claimed that Trump was not personally involved in the choice to invest in US datacenters.

Sajwani, whose business has holdings in more than 20 nations, declared, "I avoid politics." Regarding the proposed datacenters, he stated, "This is just an extension of our business in America."

Over the course of more than ten years, Sajwani's company has entered into licensing agreements with the Trump Organization on a number of properties. Under these agreements, Trump's company collects royalties from other businesses that pay to put his name on assets.

About $9 million in revenue from Trump-branded projects abroad, including in the United Arab Emirates, India, Oman, Turkey, and Uruguay, was listed in Trump's financial declarations from the previous year.

With the headline, "Trump’s victory sparks Indian real estate boom, six 'Trump Towers' planned across India," Tribeca Developers has been advertising plans for new Trump-branded projects in India and has included links to over a dozen articles and videos about the projects on its website since Trump’s election victory.

In an effort to promote the projects, the company also shared a news clip on social media with a picture of its founder, Kalpesh Mehta, standing alongside Trump. In an interview with a television anchor who launched the program under the news peg of Trump's victory, Mehta highlighted the developments a few days after the election.

This past weekend, Mehta shared a picture of himself with Trump at an inaugural celebration. Hary Tanoesoedibjo, the chairman and founder of Indonesia-based MNC Group, who negotiated contracts to use Trump's name on golf and residential facilities in the Southeast Asian country, was also present.

Tanoesoedibjo shared a video of Trump shaking his hand during an inaugural event.

Trump himself praises some of their “wonderful” initiatives in a different video that Tanoesoedibjo posted following the election and that seems to have been shot months earlier. This month, Tanoesoedibjo's business has been promoting to prospective purchasers the exclusive clubhouses at one of those Trump-branded developments.

Requests for response from Mehta, Tanoesoedibjo, and their companies were not answered.

"Something really unique"

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said of Oman congratulated Trump on his election win in November and expressed hope for improved investment ties between the two countries.

A request for response was not answered. Months prior, his son, the crown prince, met with Trump's sons, Eric and Don Jr., to celebrate the opening of a joint venture between the Trump Organization and Oman's tourism development section. The $500 million luxury resort project is scheduled to open in 2028.

The royal family of Oman shared a video of the three sons dining together at a June event where the words "The Ultimate Power Move" were placed above a stage. For that occasion, Trump recorded a statement in which he stated the

In recent weeks, Dar Global, the private developer the Trump Organization partnered with on the Oman project, has shared content mentioning President Trump and announced other Trump-branded ventures.

For instance, the corporation mirrored Eric Trump's remarks about optimism for "Donald Trump's next presidency" and uploaded content on X in December from a Saudi business group that announced the opening of another Dar Global project: a Trump Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The re-post featured the hashtag "#InvestmentOpportunities" and encouraged "economic development" in Saudi Arabia.

The price of Dar Global's shares on the London Stock Exchange has risen by around 60% since the company revealed plans for that Trump Tower last month.

High above the Red Sea, the tower's 47-story architectural wonder is depicted in the company's designs. It features a Trump exclusive club that is exclusive to members and a cigar bar.

During the launch event in December, Eric Trump declared, "We're building the best building anywhere in the Middle East."

Families and visitors went past the location on a recent day as they took advantage of the milder weather of the season along the Corniche, Jeddah's waterfront avenue. Only the Trump logo and Dar Global's website were visible to potential customers; no employees were there.

The business has used social media to market Trump Tower Jeddah to wealthy international investors. Dar Global's Facebook page features a post that highlights the advantages of purchasing an apartment in order to "unlock your Saudi residency." This relates to the Saudi government's premium residency program, which was extended by royal decree in January of last year in an effort to draw in international investors and encourage certain foreigners who were already residing in the nation to remain.

Ziad El Chaar, the CEO of Dar Global, noted in a blog post in September that he has been working with the Trump Organization since 2013 and that he finds value in the Trump brand beyond politics, calling it "an experience synonymous with luxury, exclusivity, and superior service."

Still, Bookbinder of CREW stated that Trump may face difficulties as a result of such agreements.

In the Middle East, a lot is happening. In the upcoming years, it will be a crucial arena for negotiations and foreign policy decisions, according to Bookbinder. "You want a president who makes those decisions solely on the basis of what is best for the country, not what is best for Donald Trump."