Congressional aide Joe Wilson fielded a video pitch from Syrian‑born investors promising a Trump‑branded golf resort on Syria’s coast, hoping to clinch a permanent lift of U.S. sanctions. The Al‑Khayyat brothers, who run a Doha‑based development group, paired the proposal with a $12 billion pipeline of government contracts for Syrian reconstruction.

While Mohamad Al‑Khayyat floated the golf idea, his siblings Moutaz and Ramez were negotiating a multibillion‑dollar resort venture in Albania with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The lobbying effort synced with broader bipartisan pressure to repeal sanctions, a move President Trump signed into law in December after a brief temporary lift earlier in the year.

White House officials and the Trump Organization denied any formal talks about the golf project, insisting policy decisions were independent of family business interests. Nonetheless, the episode illustrates how branding the president’s name has become a lever for Middle‑Eastern capital seeking U.S. policy favors, underscoring the blurred line between private deals and diplomatic outcomes.