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By Sam Bright
Donald Trump has been in the Middle East this week, meeting with some of his favourite dictators as he attempts to flog the Trump brand to the Gulf.
As the U.S. economy reels from the president’s trade war, Trump’s coffers have never been healthier. At least $2 billion has flowed to Trump’s companies in just the last month, much of it from Gulf petrostates. Qatar is even offering to buy him a new Air Force One.
The president has made it clear: if you want your country or company to trade freely with America, you have to kiss the ring, and possibly finance a new Trump golf resort.
Britain paid its dues last week, announcing a “trade deal” that reduced tariffs on UK steel and aluminium, in exchange for U.S. agriculture firms being allowed access to our market.
And, as revealed by DeSmog and The Lever, one of the people at the heart of the deal has a vested interest in the success of this sector.
Trump’s ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens has at least $250 million invested in food and agriculture companies – including the biggest U.S. exporter of beef – via his family’s investment firm.
The UK’s ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson paid special tribute to Stephens’ role in the negotiations, stating in the Oval Office that Stephens helped to get the trade deal “over the line”.
Now, we’re not saying that Stephens orchestrated a deal to benefit the financial interests of his investment firm and the companies in its portfolio.
Rather, in my opinion, this story is indicative of a Trump presidency in which political and personal interests are intertwined – raising serious questions about who exactly is benefitting from the administration’s policies.
These are especially pertinent questions, given both Stephens and Mandelson have financial interests (Stephens to the tune of $800 million) in the industry next in line for a UK-U.S. trade deal: big tech.
Sam Bright is DeSmog’s UK deputy editor
Source: DeSmog