U.S. President-elect Donald Trump just turned down a $2 billion property deal with Dubai billionaire Hussain Sajwani, marking a shift in a close relationship between the two businessmen.
In the announcement, Trump called the Dubai business mogul "a very, very amazing man."
"Over the weekend, I was offered $2 billion to do a deal in Dubai with a very, very amazing man, a great developer from the Middle East," Trump said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The president-elect insisted he didn't have to.
Trump has faced intense media scrutiny due to his international business empire and the many conflicts of interest it could cause. Already, Bahrain and Kuwait have reportedly tried to build favor with Trump by hosting embassy events in his company's Washington D.C. hotel.
A spokesman for Sajwani's company – Damac Properties – confirmed that the offer had been made and that it had been turned down.
"These were proposals for different property deals," the spokesman told Bloomberg.
But, Damac would not clarify whether the properties were in Dubai or exactly when the discussions took place.
Trump and Sajwani have already worked together on several multi-billion dollar development projects, including two golf courses and the Beverly Hills of Dubai, a group of 100 luxury villas surrounding one of the golf courses.
Since the U.S. presidential election, Sajwani has talked openly about his family's close relationship with the Trumps and said he hoped to do more business with the Trump Organization moving forward.
He said that his personal business ties extend to Trump's children, saying: "Under their leadership we will have no issue in expanding and growing and maintaining our business relation."
Trump yesterday also announced that he has transferred ownership his business empire to his sons, Eric and Donald Jr.
"My wife and Ivanka are very good friends ... We've been in New York having lunch and dinners with them regularly," Sajwani added.
Sajwani and his family also attended Trump's New Year's Eve party in Florida, making headlines when Trump gave a special shout-out welcoming them and calling them "beautiful people."
The two businessmen's ties now seem as close as ever. Still, Sajwani's company appeared to remove Trump's branding from ongoing Dubai developments after his call for a Muslim ban in late 2015.
Despite the call for a Muslim ban and other Islamophobic remarks from the president-elect, Sajwani and Trump seem to be getting along just fine.