Tiffany Trump enjoyed a free trip aboard a superyacht while her father-in-law was engaged in talks that could benefit its oil billionaire owner, according to a report.
Donald Trump’s younger daughter, 31, and her husband, Michael Boulos, 28, stayed on the Phoenix 2—one of the longest yachts in the world—this summer, an investigation by The New York Times revealed.
What makes the timing significant is that Tiffany was cruising the French Riviera with her family in mid-to-late July at the same time her father-in-law, Massad Boulos, an adviser to the president on African affairs, was in Libya announcing deals to boost oil and gas production.
As the Times noted, the mega-yacht Tiffany and her husband stayed on is owned by billionaire oil tycoon Ercument Bayegan and his wife, Ruya Bayegan, whose energy company, BGN International, stands to benefit directly from increased Libyan oil production.
According to a source, Tiffany and her husband’s family didn’t pay the Bayegans for their time on the Phoenix 2.
There’s nothing illegal about Tiffany or the Boulos family staying aboard the 300-foot yacht, which boasts two helipads and a swimming pool.
However, the free hospitality raises questions about whether the extended Trump family is using its name to benefit personally and potentially influence foreign business deals while the president is in office.
Trump and the GOP long suggested former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, should have been prosecuted over a similar issue.
The Times began digging after receiving a tip that Tiffany and Michael Boulos were vacationing on a Turkish billionaire’s yacht while Massad Boulos acted in his diplomatic capacity as the State Department’s senior adviser on Africa.
The newspaper said that if it could prove the tip was accurate, then it could be seen as Trump family members “benefiting from or associating with foreign business leaders” who have stakes U.S. foreign policy.
Then, a few weeks after the Times received the tip-off, Tiffany herself posted photos and videos from the luxury vessel on Instagram.
By cross-referencing clues from her posts with ship-tracking data, the Times confirmed she sailed on the Phoenix 2 between July 17 and July 27 at least.
Massad Boulos and Michael Boulos declined to comment when approached by the Times about the yacht trip, with a spokesperson for Tiffany saying it was a “personal and private vacation.”
A spokesperson for Ruya Bayegan’s company BGN said she was not on the Phoenix 2 at the same time as Tiffany and her husband.
“Inquiries about individuals who may have been on board the yacht Phoenix 2 are not relevant to BGN’s business operations in Libya,” the spokesperson, Sharon McKoy, added.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
