Trump’s foreign licensing business booms to $59.5 million as Gulf developers pay
Foreign licensing income climbed as Gulf developers paid premium fees for Trump-branded projects, with four new LLCs driving most of the increase, CNBC reported.
- President Donald Trump's foreign real-estate licensing revenue reached $59.5 million in 2025, a 71% increase from 2024, driven by new licensing LLCs concentrated in Gulf projects across developers like Saudi-linked Dar Al Arkan and UAE-based Damac.
- This surge follows the Trump Organization's reversal of its first-term pledge to pursue "no new foreign deals whatsoever," with four new licensing LLCs accounting for 82% of the increase.
- More than 60% of the income originated from Gulf projects, including $25.8 million tied to Dar Global and $11.3 million from Damac-linked developments, with previously inactive LLCs generating an additional $9.64 million.
- Ethics experts including Kedric Payne, ethics director at the Campaign Legal Center, warn the deals create an "appearance of an ethics problem" and raise unresolved questions about the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause.
- A Damac subsidiary paid $36.5 million for Ohio land near Canton in December while the administration concurrently accelerated permitting for data centers, prompting critics to question whether business ties influence official policy decisions.
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The international real estate licensing business of US President Donald Trump increased spectacularly in the first year of the second term, generating revenues of $59.5 million in 2025, as developers around the world paid to use Trump's name for luxury residential towers, golf courses and resorts.
Trump Made $60M Via Foreign Licensing In 2025
CNBC reports: President Donald Trump’s foreign real-estate licensing business boomed during his first year back in office, generating $59.5 million in 2025 as international developers paid a premium to brand luxury towers, golf courses and coastal resorts with the Trump name. Foreign licensing revenue, including for the use of the Trump name on properties around the world, rose 71% from 2024. The sum was nearly 10 times higher than in 2023, acco…
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