During a late June visit to the Middle East on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait to discuss foreign policy matters — including President Donald Trump’s ceasefire agreement with Iran. Trump’s son-in-law Michael Boulos was sitting next to Rubio during a meeting with UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi — and Boulos’ presence is raising questions.
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On X, formerly Twitter, Rubio posted a photo from that meeting, noting that he discussed the memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran as well as “efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz” and “regional stability.”
The New York Times’ Edward Wong is among the reporters drawing attention to the fact that Boulos, who is married to President Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump, was sitting next to Rubio.
Wong, on X, observed, “Trump’s son-in-law, Michael Boulos, sits next to Rubio in this meeting in UAE with Sheikh MBZ, the country’s leader. Boulos is a businessman who has no official post (his father has one). He visited UAE in May 2025 with Trump for a business event.”
Wong, in a separate tweet, noted, “On that May 2025 trip, Michael Boulos and Tiffany Trump were at a business roundtable in UAE at which President Trump gave a speech.”
Speaking to reporters in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Rubio was asked about Boulos and responded, “Oh, Michael Boulos? His brother lives here. He was just at the meeting to catch up.”
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Rubio also told reporters, “I’m a good friend of Michael. So we had a chance to catch up.”
But journalists are pointing out that Boulos doesn’t actually serve in the Trump administration in an official capacity, and they find his presence during Rubio’s meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan odd and Rubio’s explanation vague.
CNN’s Aaron Blake, formerly of the Washington Post, tweeted, “From Rubio’s exchange with reporters on this — > Q: Sir, can you clarify — can you clarify what the role of Michael Boulos was today?…. RUBIO: Oh, he was there to see his brother who lives here. He was just there to see me and catch up.”
Rubio was once a scathing critic of Donald Trump, repeatedly attacking him when they were competing for the GOP nomination in the United States’ 2016 presidential race. But Rubio and Donald Trump later made amends, and now, he wears multiple hats in Trump’s second administration. In addition to serving as secretary of state, the 55-year-old former U.S. senator is acting national security adviser.
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