President-elect names Lebanese-American adviser for the region. He was the main architect of victory in the ‘swing states’. For the magnate, he is a ‘good negotiator’ and an ‘unwavering defender’ of peace, but at the same time he is considered an ‘ardent defender of the United States and its interests.’
Beirut () – The Lebanese, for the most part, are exultant over the appointment of one of their own to President-elect Donald Trump’s team, which he himself made during the weekend that has just ended: it is the American businessman -Lebanese Massad Boulos, father of one of the sons-in-law of the next occupant of the White House, architect of the victory in the swing states and called to serve as advisor for the Middle East.
This appointment comes just days after the November 27 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. “The two presidential administrations worked together on this agreement,” Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berry told LBCI on December 1, before dashing hopes that a new head of state would be elected during the vote scheduled for the January 7th. “Those who waited two years can wait another two months,” added the Shiite leader, suggesting that it would be preferable for the election to take place after the inauguration of the new head of the White House, while the Lebanese presidential seat has been vacant since on October 31, 2022.
Skilled negotiator
“Massad is a good negotiator and a firm defender of peace in the Middle East,” wrote the president-elect of the United States when announcing the news, while Israel’s war in Gaza has bloodied the region for more than a year. “He will be a strong defender of the United States and its interests,” he added.
Massad Boulos, 54, is a Maronite Christian from the village of Kfar Aqqa, in the Qaḍāʾ [subdivisión administrativa de segundo nivel en Irak y Líbano, ed] from Koura, in northern Lebanon. Born into a family dedicated to politics for more than a century, he graduated in International Law from the University of Houston. He regularly visits the Country of Cedars, where his mother and his brother Philippe, a restaurant businessman, still live and where he owns a villa.
In the past, Boulos made his fortune selling cars in Nigeria. Today he also runs a dozen companies in the United States, registered in the State of Washington. He has Lebanese, Nigerian, French and American nationality. In 2009, he attempted to stand in the general election in his home constituency, before withdrawing from the race.
The connection with Trump
The wedding in 2022 of his son Michael Boulos with one of Donald Trump’s daughters, Tiffany, has propelled him into the inner circle of the billionaire, who has just been elected for a second term – not consecutive – as president of the United States. The trick of this modern fairy tale is that Tiffany Trump is expecting a child and that this child of Lebanese origin will be the grandson of the American president.
In a post on -Le Jour. Salam called to ‘take advantage of the historic opportunity’ that Massad Boulos’ position represents alongside the 47th president of the United States, stating that the Lebanese and the Arab world ‘have never been as close as they are today to the White House and the decision-making center. decisions’.
Hezbollah and Iran
As demonstrated by the ceasefire decision in Lebanon, Massad Boulos shares President Trump’s stated aspiration to “end wars.” He is considered very close to all Lebanese communities and does not adopt extreme positions regarding the different political parties. He is in favor of the unity of Lebanon and against federalism. He is in favor of dialogue between all Lebanese. He does not have a militia spirit,” says a source from the Free Patriotic Movement (CLP), with which he was very close, quoted by the French-speaking press.
Speaking about Hezbollah, Boulos said that there is no problem with “individual and medium-sized weapons” for all Lebanese, but “with strategic weapons.” He went on to insist that the Trump administration intends to work on a new nuclear deal with Iran that is “acceptable” to the United States, neighboring countries and the Islamic Republic.
During the presidential campaign, the next White House occupant repeatedly stated that he would end the conflict between Israel and Hamas, without ever revealing a plan to do so. In an interview with Sky News in October, Boulos explained that the Jewish state “has military objectives to achieve, which consist of getting rid of Hamas’s infrastructure and its ability to launch new attacks.” However, he concluded, “it must be done very quickly [… porque] “This cannot last indefinitely.”
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