U.S. President Donald Trump's sons were in Dubai over the weekend to open the newest Trump branded golf course. And, as is their father's style, they lavished praise on the wealthy emirate and it's ruler.
"To see the incredible vision Sheikh Mohammed has been able to put forward for this country is truly awe-inspiring," Donald Trump Jr. said, referring to Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported.
"It is truly incredible to be part of that vision," he said.
Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric Trump >were the guests of honor at the opening, which was the first of a Trump branded property since their father became President of the U.S. in January.
President Trump, who was just a business man and reality TV star at the time, visited the site of the $6 billion development in 2014 with his daughter Ivanka. Back then, he said: "I think there's great, great future in Dubai."
Damac Properties, the UAE-based developer of the project, has close ties with the U.S. president and his family.
>During a New Year's Eve speech at his home in Florida, Trump called Hussain Sajwani, Damac's billionaire chairman, and his family, who were attending his party, "beautiful people."
Sajwani has also highlighted his close personal ties with the Trumps, telling NBC News: "We've been in New York having lunch and dinners with them regularly."
But, before taking office in January, >Trump announced that he turned down a new $2 billion deal business deal with Sajwani. Trump made the decision as he was faced with intense media scrutiny due to his international business empire and the many conflicts of interest it could cause.
>Bahrain and Kuwait have reportedly tried to build favor with Trump by hosting embassy events in his company's Washington D.C. hotel.
Trump's global business empire, which is now managed by his children, includes more than 500 companies with ties to more than 20 countries, according to Bloomberg.
Regionally, and in addition to the UAE, Trump has business interests in Qatar, Turkey and Israel. The U.S. president also opened eight companies in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of his presidential campaign, but they were shut down before he took office.
Despite his repeated calls and efforts to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., Trump's new Dubai golf course and his other regional business ventures demonstrate that he's definitely >not interested in banning Muslim money anytime soon.
The UAE's foreign minister previously defended Trump's "Muslim ban", which targeted refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim majority countries, saying it is not Islamophobic. Similarly, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has expressed optimism about Trump's presidency, saying on Sunday that he believes Trump is "a friend to everybody, potentially," according to CNBC.