The family business · Before politics · № 4
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia buys the 45th floor of Trump World Tower
- Date
- , Reported by The Washington Post and the Associated Press
- Subject
- Saudi Arabia
- Benefit
- Real estate and licensing
- Government
- Saudi Arabia
- Beneficiary
- Donald Trump
- Amount
- $4.5 million
- Topic
- Ethics & conflicts
- Era
- Before politics
What happened
In 2001 Trump sold the 45th floor of Trump World Tower, across from the United Nations in New York, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Washington Post, CNBC and a 2024 House Oversight Democratic staff report give the price as $4.5 million; the Associated Press, citing the brokerage site Streeteasy, reported $12 million and called it the biggest purchase in the building to that point. The House report said Saudi Arabia still owned the floor throughout Trump's first term and that the units incurred $134,270 in base charges in 2018, the one year for which the committee obtained records. On October 16, 2018, two weeks after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, Trump wrote on Twitter that "I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia." Freedom House rated Saudi Arabia Not Free in its 2001-02 survey.
Sources
- 'I like them very much:' Trump has long-standing business ties with Saudis, who have boosted his hotels since he took office
- 'I love the Saudis': Trump business ties to kingdom run deep
- White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump
- Trump claims he has 'no financial interests in Saudi Arabia' — but he makes lots of money from it
- Country and Territory Ratings and Statuses, 1973-2024