Trump Affirms No Talk About Golf And Real Estate On Saudi Arabia's Visit

US President Donald Trump while in Saudi Arabia/PHOTO via Instagram @whitehouse

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump, whose family has big business interests in the Gulf countries he visited this week, insists there is no talk of Trump Tower's development in Syria or playing golf during his meetings in Saudi Arabia.

Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his first stop in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Qatar.

Trump made a surprising announcement on Tuesday saying the US would lift old sanctions against Syria. However, the next day, Trump said the possibility of building Trump Tower in Damascus was not discussed in their meeting.

"We have to wait a while until things calm down," he said, according to a joint report from the Washington Post.

Trump also said he didn't know how the deal for the Abu Dhabi government-backed company would go into using the Trump family's digital coin for a $2 billion investment in crypto exchanges.

"I really don't know anything about it, but I'm a big crypto fan, I'll tell you," he told reporters over Air Force One as he traveled to Qatar.

When asked if PGA or LIV golf appeared in his meeting with Salman, Trump told reporters, "No."

Trump, whose company owns a number of golf courses trying to broker an agreement between the warring PGA Tour and the LIV Golf backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

The Trump family struck a billion-dollar business deal in the Gulf, steps Democrats and other critics say could pave the way to influence the president improperly.

Qatar is considering giving Trump a $400 million plane, which raises constitutional and ethical questions even from some of his Republican counterparts.

The White House said there was no conflict. The president is said to have acted in the interests of the American public and not his own interests.