News Summary

• Until now, no U.S. president had yielded to royal temptations from abroad, writes Julian Zelizer.
• Since 2022, the Trump family has been promised hundreds of millions of dollars from Gulf monarchies, he says.
• Zelizer: When a Gulf developer or investment vehicle pays Trump, it is not a private commercial transaction.
• It is a political act: a foreign monarch using his wealth to cultivate influence, dependence, and favor, he writes.
• The timing of Trump’s deals with the Saudis tells a disturbing story, Zelizer says.