Donald Trump says that he’ll sign an Executive Order to suspend issuing visas to residents of seven majority-Muslim countries—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen—that his administration says contribute to or harbor Islamic terrorism.
The list is a first draft of an order Trump plans to sign in the coming days and could be subject to change, if Homeland Security advisers decide to add or subtract from it, according to the Associated Press who obtained the document. But there’s at least one thing the initial lineup all has in common: not a single country has a Trump Corporation property within its borders.
On the other hand, certain countries that are known to support or harbor terror, like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are on the Trump roster—and aren’t on the list, even though the State Department places them among the top terror-supporting countries in the world.
Egypt, at least, has been proactive in dealing with the Trump Administration, even committing to bilateral talks on fighting terrorism inside its borders. Saudi Arabia says it approves of Trump’s cabinet picks and wants to work more closely with the military to contain Iran, specifically.
The draft’s authors insist that there’s a rationale behind choosing those seven countries: they are all countries the US bombed or considered bombing during the last administration. The draft reportedly relies on the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which specifically lists all seven countries as state sponsors of terror or “under scrutiny.”
And state sponsors of terror, of course, don’t make for the friendliest partners in real estate investment.
Coincidence aside—and even with paperwork filed that says Trump is no longer at the helm of his corporation—its still possible that the administration could consider Trump’s overall investments when considering which countries require additional sanctions.
That’s part of the concern that critics say remains even if Trump removes himself from corporate leadership—that foreign policy decisions could be made with his long-term investments, and those of his corporation, in mind (he still has more than $3 billion in assets tied up in 20 countries).
That also could be why Trump Hotels, which announced a huge expansion project just this week, is halting plans to build new properties anywhere overseas. Instead, the corporation says, it will seek out opportunities in 26 American metropolitan areas, including Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco.
