United States President-elect Donald Trump shared some high praise for the founder of Dubai's DAMAC Group at his New Year's Eve party.

Trump gave a shout-out to his billionaire business partner Hussain Sajwani, who was in attendance at the event, and the "whole family" from Dubai, calling them "beautiful people." The video was recorded by someone at the celebration in Florida and reported by CNN.

Trump previously partnered with Sajwani to open the Trump International Golf Club in Dubai.

Sajwani's company also collaborated with the Trump Organization on the $6 billion development "the Beverly Hills of Dubai." But in November, after Trump called for a "total and complete" ban on Muslims visiting the U.S., DAMAC removed Trump's name from billboards promoting the project.

Although many speculated that Trump's Islamophobic remarks were hurting his business ties in Dubai and the Middle East, the leaked video suggests that ties are just fine with Sajwani. The video also reveals that, despite his call for a ban on Muslims visiting the U.S., the president-elect is actually inviting them to his personal parties.

This week, Sajwani also told NBC News that he plans to continue working with the Trump Organization after Trump takes office. He said that his personal business ties extend to Trump's children, saying that "under their leadership we will have no issue in expanding and growing and maintaining our business relation."

"My wife and Ivanka are very good friends," he also said, describing the intimate relationship his family has with the Trumps. 

"We've been in New York having lunch and dinners with them regularly," he said.

Many in the U.S. media and Americans who oppose the president-elect have used the video as another opportunity to criticize Trump's "conflicts of interest" as he is set to take office on Jan. 20.

A Trump spokesperson downplayed the concerns, saying there was no business discussed at the party.

In the U.S., presidents typically separate themselves from their business interests once they assume office, to remove the appearance or reality of them benefitting financially from political decisions. With a massive international business empire, Trump has had difficulty assuring critics that he will be free from financial influence once he takes office.

Reports have already emerged that the Bahrain Embassy in Washington D.C. changed the location of its National Day party to Trump's hotel after the U.S. election results. Kuwait reportedly made a similar decision after it was pressured by representatives from the Trump Organization.

"You can build the highest wall imaginable to restrict Donald Trump from his business interests," CNN's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter said.

"And yet he’ll still know what’s on the other side of that wall because he’s had these relationships for years."

Despite a strong alliance since the 1940s, 47 percent of Americans see Saudi Arabia as unfriendly or an enemy, according to a new survey by The Huffington Post and YouGov [PDF].

Although Americans views toward Saudi Arabia may be less than stellar, those surveyed are definitely much more fearful of the kingdom's arch rival, Iran. 

Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents view Iran as unfriendly or an enemy. In fact, negative views towards Iran were higher than any other country (Russia, Turkey, China and Mexico were also included) in the survey.

When it comes to Saudi Arabia, 31 percent responded saying they view the kingdom as "unfriendly" and 16 percent consider the kingdom an "enemy". Just over a quarter of respondents were "unsure" and only 7 percent regard the kingdom as an "ally", 19 percent see Saudi Arabia as friendly.

Younger Americans (under 44) are slightly more likely to see Saudi Arabia as unfriendly and more than 50 percent of those over 65 view the kingdom as "unfriendly" or an "enemy". 

Americans that identify with the Republican party – the political party of President-elect Donald Trump – are the most likely to have negative feelings toward the kingdom. This is particularly interesting because a former Saudi diplomat told The Washington Post in November that Saudis "are closer to Republicans psychologically." Apparently that feeling isn't mutual.

Coming back to Iran, 44 percent of respondents said that the country is an "enemy" and 30 percent consider it to be "unfriendly". Only 6 percent see Iran as "friendly".

Russia, which has been accused of hacking the recent U.S. election and has been a longtime American rival, didn't draw as much negativity as Iran, although it faired notably worse than Saudi Arabia. 

In total, just over 60 percent of the Americans surveyed view Russia negatively, with 39 percent calling it "unfriendly" and 23 percent saying it is an "enemy".

The survey comes just as Trump is poised to take office later this month, pledging to bring significant changes to American foreign policy. Throughout his campaign, the president-elect often made confusing and contradictory statements regarding the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Saudi Arabia.

Although Trump said some very positive things about Saudis during his campaign – praising them for buying multi-million dollar apartments from him – he also voiced support for legislation allowing Americans to sue the kingdom for the attacks of September 11, 2001. At the beginning of his campaign, Trump launched several businesses in the kingdom, but these have been shutdown since his election. 

Trump has also voiced strong criticism of Iran, calling Obama's landmark nuclear agreement a "disaster" and "the worst deal ever negotiated." Saudi Arabia has also been highly critical of the agreement as well, fearing that the agreement will embolden its geopolitical rival.

At the same time, Trump has voiced support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, a position completely against that of Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has supported rebel groups throughout the Syrian conflict, while Iran has supported Assad.

It's unclear what Trump's presidency entails for Saudi Arabia and Iran, but the survey results suggest that many Americans are skeptical about ties with both of the major geopolitical powers in the Middle East.