“They’re really garbage,” Trump said about the press.
After a lengthy speech about his electoral victory, Donald Trump did not fogrget to praise his Dubai business partner, at his Florida estate Saturday night. 800 paid guests made the audience.
Trump specifically mentioned “Hussain and the whole family,” referring to Hussain Sajwani – his billionaire business partner in Dubai
Hussain Sajwani is a billionaire developer in Dubai who has paid Trump millions of dollars to license the Trump name for golf courses in Dubai.
DAMAC Properties has built the Trump International Course Dubai. They are currently working on a second course, designed by Tiger Woods, which is set to open in 2018.
“Hussain and the whole family, the most beautiful people, are here from Dubai tonight. And they’re seeing it and they’re loving it,” Trump said, referring to the ornate Grand Ballroom that he built at Mar-a-Lago.
Video of the speech was recorded by a guest who attended the party.
Trump’s open praise for his Dubai partner raises question about he will be able to separate himself from his pre-existing business partners.
“President-elect Trump is using his largesse as President-elect to enhance his existing business relationships,” said political law attorney Ken Gross.
“Apparently, in his view, this practice does not run afoul of the representations he has made to date regarding the disentanglement of his business and official functions. It remains to be seen if this will ever get sorted out.”
Trump’s transition team said the President-elect and Sajwani didn’t discuss their business partnership in Florida.
“They had no formal meetings or professional discussions. Their interactions were social,” said Hope Hicks, Trump’s spokeswoman.
On being asked whether the terms of business has changed since elections, “Nothing has changed,” said Niall McLoughlin, Vice President of Corporate Communication and Marketing at DAMAC
“They like each other’s company and they were together over the new year as social friends,” he said.
When asked if Trump or the Trump Organization have outlined a new structure to avoid a conflict of interest, McLoughlin said “We have been dealing with Donald Trump’s children and family over the last three years – Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr.”
“I would be speculating if I commented on any changes in the future,” he added.
“Our relationship is with the Trump Organization, but Mr Sajwani has a relationship that goes back over a decade with Mr Trump.”
Sajwani’s son Abbas posted a photo over the weekend from from the private club’s pool in Mar-a-Lago, captioning it as “Scenic”
Photos provided to CNN also show Sajwani and his family attending Mar-a-Lago’s Christmas Eve dinner and interacting with Trump.
Trump and Sanjwani’s relationship began in 2005. They originally had plans to build a tower in Dubai, but canceled the idea after the global financial crisis.
In his 10-minute speech Saturday, Trump described in detail his electoral victory.
He told the crowd about his plan to begin his administration, vowing to loosen regulations and end President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.
“Regulations are coming off, we’re going to get rid of Obamacare,” he said, also vowing again to construct a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
Trump also provided more detail about his bid to reduce the costs of the new Air Force One. He said that when he met with US military brass following the election, they informed him that a new aircraft would cost in the $4 billion range — a price he deemed unacceptable. US officials, including at the White House, have suggested the $4 billion is inflated. During his speech, Trump claimed to have cut $1 billion from the price tag for the new presidential aircraft.
Trump praised the members of his Mar-a-Lago club in attendance, who each paid $525 for a ticket to the annual New Years Eve party in the Grand Ballroom. He was less enthusiastic about their guests.
“I don’t really care too much about the guests. I don’t give a s*** about their guests,” Trump said.
And he repeated his harsh criticism of the media, claiming they were in the back of the room though the press assigned to cover Trump’s movements was not present in the ballroom during Trump’s speech.
“They’re really garbage,” Trump said of the press.