Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law has apparently not realized his job in the president’s administration was largely symbolic – and holds no real power.
Former President Donald Trump appointed Massad Boulos, the father of Michael Boulos, who married Tiffany in 2022, to be a senior advisor on the Middle East a month before his presidency started.
In a statement at the time, Trump called the Lebanese-born businessman a ‘dealmaker’ and ‘unwavering’ supporter of Middle East peace.
But last month, Boulos’ position apparently changed, and he is now an adviser to the president on African policy.
However, insiders from the Trump administration revealed to Politico that Boulos lacks defined duties and is intentionally excluded from critical discussions.
Moreover, they claim Boulos is distributing business cards that exaggerate his official role and undertaking side ‘freelance’ tasks, which can occasionally conflict with the White House’s positions.
‘The job was more symbolic, but he didn’t know,’ one official lamented about Boulos’ appointment.
‘Everyone knew it but him.’
President Donald Trump had appointed Massad Boulos to serve as a senior advisor on the Middle East one month before he took office
Boulos (second from right) is the father of Michael Boulos – whom Tiffany Trump married at a ceremony in Mar-a-Lago in 2022
Those who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity have described how Boulos is trying to take on important issues in both Africa and the Middle East – even though an administration official said he is not supposed to actively work on Middle East issues.
They also note that Boulos has just become the top adviser to the president on Africa by default, as Trump has yet to name an assistant secretary of state at the State Department or the National Security Council.
And despite his lofty titles, officials say Boulos is kept in an office within the Africa bureau of the State Department – and must operate under the purview of senior diplomats.
Even when he does take action, Boulos is kept out of the limelight, Politico reports.
It claims he was weakened by earlier interviews in which he declared himself a dominant voice on Lebanese policy – irking some in Trump’s inner circle who continue to question Boulos’ affiliations in the region.
The business mogul has claimed he is not affiliated with any political party in the Middle Eastern country, but he apparently has close times with Lebanon’s Christian political class – including Hezbollah’s preferred candidate for president this year, Suleiman Frangieh.
Still, Boulos is said to claim he has more responsibility in the federal government than he does.
He reportedly hands out a business card that lists his State Department email and phone numbers, in which Boulos describes himself as a ‘senior advisor to the president’ – significantly inflating his official title.
Boulos’ position apparently changed, and he is now an adviser to the president on African policy
Boulos has also reportedly given unsanctioned Arab-language interviews with Syrian and Lebanese media, sometimes causing confusion about the White House’s policy.
In one instance, Boulos reportedly questioned the United States’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory – a key feature of the President Trump’s negotiations with Morocco to get it to formally start diplomatic ties with Israel.
The interview infuriated the Moroccan government, insiders said, and in the aftermath, Boulos was forced to release a statement on X about Secretary of State Marco Rubio ‘unequivocally reaffirming US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.’
In another case, Boulos reportedly held a private meeting with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during a recent visit to Paris, without notifying the State Department in advance – leaving US embassies in France and Nigeria to find out about the meeting from the meeting.
But senior government officials have denied this claim, saying the meeting was coordinated with the State Department and noting that the US embassy in Abuja posted about it afterward.
Boulos has scored several victories since taking over as an advisor on Africa
The officials say Boulos dug into tough foreign policy issues within just a few weeks, and had some significant wins.
Boulos successfully liaised with African heads of state in an effort to breach a deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to quell violence in the eastern Congo.
Rubio even praised Boulos for his efforts at a Cabinet meeting last week, saying he ‘did something really great.’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said he ‘is doing an exceptional job, as evidenced by the deal… between the DRC and Rwanda.’
Other of Boulos’ victories include lobbying to keep a Biden-era infrastructure project meant to counter China’s infrastructure and rare earth minerals access in central Africa.
He also helped finalize a deal to secure the repatriation of three Americans from the Congo, where they were facing death sentences for their purported role in a botched coup attempt, according to three officials – all of whom noted the negotiations were already underway when Boulos took over last month.
And Boulos has met with over a dozen senior officials, including ministers and heads of state.
‘In only a few short weeks of serving as the president’s senior advisor for Africa, Mr. Boulos has done tremendous work to advance our America First diplomacy throughout the continent,’ the State Department told Politico.
Another official added that Boulos has ‘done what others haven’t been doing. But also, there’s no one else doing it.
‘He’s a nice person with a good demeanor and Lord knows the administration needs someone, anyone in the field, to work on Africa policy since the bench is so shallow,’ the unnamed official said.
