Economy

Eric Trump: the Gulf is dependent on a strong America

By Reuters

April 30, 2025, 10:35 AM

Eric Trump was in Dubai representing the Trump Organizaton to launch a new luxury tower in partnership with real estate developer Dar Global

US president’s son in Dubai
Trump Organization launches tower
UAE ‘less exposed’ to tariffs

The Gulf region is dependent on a strong United States and wants security so local economies can flourish, the US president’s son Eric Trump said in an interview with Reuters.

In Dubai as an executive of the president’s family business, the Trump Organization – which launched a new tower in the city in partnership with luxury real estate developer Dar Global – Eric Trump was commenting on the reception of President Donald Trump‘s policies in the region.

“This whole region is dependent on a strong America. And I hear that time and time again. I hear that from the biggest leaders in the Gulf,” Eric Trump said.

“Dubai, like the entire world, thrives on a healthy, safe world, and that’s what President Trump wants,” he added.

Asked how a tariff war set off by the US administration affected the Gulf region, he said the UAE was less exposed to tariffs because of its service-oriented, capital-intensive economy. “They can largely avoid that and I think that’s good for so much of the Gulf.”

The 80-story tower in Dubai will host a luxury hotel, premium residential apartments and two penthouse residences.

Its official launch comes just weeks before Donald Trump’s trip to the Gulf, when the president will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, returning to a region where he had fostered close ties during his first term.

An arms package for Saudi Arabia worth well over $100 billion could be announced during the trip, Reuters reported last week, citing sources.

The bulk of the Trump Organization’s business is in the US, but it has significant interests overseas, including in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Trump Organization said ahead of the president’s inauguration that he would hand over the control of the company to his children, replicating an arrangement from his first term, though it has not dispelled all concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Eric Trump said on Tuesday he would not be part of a business delegation that will travel with Trump during the Gulf visit.

“I won’t be part of it, no… I keep total separation. I want nothing to do with politics or policy,” he said, adding that his father “loves the region” and that “he’s got a lot of friends over here”.

The Trump tower in Dubai will feature the world’s highest outdoor swimming pool once completed, and buyers will be able to pay with bitcoin, Eric Trump said.

Trump’s family has launched cryptocurrency meme coins, and the president also holds a stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform.

“You’re seeing two worlds that I love so much finally blend together, and that’s very exciting,” Eric Trump said, pointing to real estate and cryptocurrency investment.

The Dubai tower, due to be completed between 2030 and 2031, is expected to have a gross development value of $1 billion, Dar Global CEO Ziad El Chaar told Reuters earlier.

Dar Global, the international arm of Saudi Arabia’s Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Company, has already unveiled several projects in partnership with the Trump Organization.

These include plans for a Trump tower in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and major hub Jeddah, real estate projects in Oman and further expansion in Abu Dhabi.

The company and developer Qatari Diar are to announce an agreement to develop a Trump International Golf Course and Trump Villas in Qatar, a source with knowledge of the plans told Reuters on Tuesday.