On 19/1/2021, the day before President Donald Trump left office after his first term, Michael Boulos, an ambitious businessman just a few years out of college, proposed to Tiffany Trump in the White House Rose Garden.

Almost immediately after Tiffany, Trump's youngest daughter, said "yes," Boulos, his family, and associates gained significant business opportunities due to their close relationship with the Trump family.

Michael Boulos and his wife, Tiffany Trump, at the inaugural ball during President Donald Trump's second inauguration in Washington in January. Photo: Reuters

Michael Boulos and his wife, Tiffany Trump, at the inaugural ball during President Donald Trump's second inauguration in Washington in January. Photo: Reuters

The first deal was a family affair. As a young yacht broker, Boulos had a knack for business development, according to his cousin, Jimmy Frangi. Boulos saw his future brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a potential client and brought Frangi in. They pitched an enticing investment: purchase a yacht at a favorable price, refurbish it, and then sell or charter it for a profit.

Documents show that in 6/2021, Boulos sent Kushner presentations about an unfinished 50-meter yacht, later named Solstice.

Frangi’s company told Kushner that the price to buy the yacht was 12.5 million euros, equivalent to about 15 million USD at the time. This included costs and a fixed commission of 1.2 million USD for Boulos, Frangi, and their associates.

But according to Frangi's messages at the time, his company made more than that, as the brokerage paid less for the yacht than what they reported to Kushner. "This deal made 3.5 million USD," Frangi told an associate.

The transaction was completed in early 2022. Frangi said he made about 400,000 USD from the commission and Boulos received 300,000 USD. Frangi also admitted he took more money from the transaction fees but insisted it was only a few hundred thousand USD, not millions, and the yacht's price wasn't inflated.

Boulos and Tiffany pose with Trump and his former wife, Marla Maples, during their wedding at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Photo: Instagram/dwp_congress

Boulos and Tiffany pose with Trump and his former wife, Marla Maples, during their wedding at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Photo: Instagram/dwp_congress

According to Taylor Howard, a lawyer for another broker, Kushner eventually realized he was overcharged by 2.5 million USD and confronted Frangi. "In fact, Frangi used that amount to increase his profit in the transaction," Howard wrote.

A spokesperson for Kushner declined to comment on the details of the agreement. The spokesperson said Boulos recently did "very well" finding potential clients for the yacht, and a deal is pending. The yacht remains unfinished and is moored in Greece.

These previously undisclosed deals, compiled by US media through contracts, court records, text messages, and interviews, show that Boulos, his family, and associates gained significant financial advantages shortly after his engagement to Tiffany, Trump's only daughter with his former wife, Marla Maples.

The wedding, held at Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida on 12/11/2022, significantly elevated the Boulos family's status and transformed Massad Boulos, Michael's father, into a key campaign supporter for Trump.

US media has described Massad Boulos as a billionaire, although there's no evidence he possesses such wealth from his business activities. Last year, reports revealed that his stake in his wife's family's trucking company in Nigeria was worth less than 2 USD.

Massad Boulos, Michael Boulos's father, at the Wall Street Hotel in New York in 9/2024. Photo: WP

Massad Boulos, Michael Boulos's father, at the Wall Street Hotel in New York in 9/2024. Photo: WP

Trump's second-term election victory in 2024 brought Massad Boulos into the administration. He became an advisor to the President on the Middle East and later a senior advisor on Africa at the US State Department.

According to former Guinean Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate, Michael Boulos is seeking business opportunities in Africa. Kouyate didn't elaborate but said Michael Boulos told him a few months ago that he was working to "connect investors from the US with some governments in Africa." According to the former prime minister, Michael Boulos's business is inseparable from his father's political role in the administration.

As the Boulos family's standing rose due to their connection with the Trump family, their associates also sought opportunities. Around the time of the presidential inauguration, Habib Saidi, a businessman and close friend of the Boulos family, was sitting with Michael Boulos at Mar-a-Lago when he saw Kacy Grine, a financier with extensive connections in Saudi Arabia, dining nearby.

Saidi left his table and introduced himself to Grine in front of others. According to a witness, Saidi said he and his friends wanted to capitalize on their proximity to the center of American power to do business in the Middle East.

Currently, Michael Boulos and Tiffany Trump are focused on their family. They welcomed their first child, Alexander, in May. Tiffany keeps her private life low-key but recently shared photos on Instagram of the family boating and scenes from their "vacation paradise" on the French Riviera.

Vu Hoang (Reuters, AFP, AP)