‘When he said America first he meant his family first’: Former MSNBC host roasts Trump’s Middle Eastern Affairs pick and the internet agrees

Incoming president Donald Trump announced that his senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs will be Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law. Social media users and political commentators are tearing into this overtly nepotistic political appointment.

On his Truth Social account, Trump proudly claimed that Massad Boulos will be his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. He stated that Massad is a “highly accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene.” Massad, according to Trump’s post, supports peace in the Middle East.

Mehdi Hasan from CNN admonished Trump’s pick on Twitter. He called Boulos unqualified for the position and described Trump’s blatant appointment of family members as “banana republic stuff.” Hasan also brought up how Charles Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s father-in-law, was tapped to be Donald Trump’s ambassador to France.

Several social media users agree with Hasan, with some calling these appointments corrupt and nepotist in nature. One user wrote, “When he said America first, he meant his family first.” Surprisingly, some Trump supporters were up in arms against this criticism. One of them stated that these are people Trump can trust. They argued “no backstabbers” as if this was a reasonable pushback. If that’s the argument to be made, then it reaffirms the point that Trump doesn’t prioritize personal merit but loyalty to him.

A thirst for loyalty

Although many are criticizing the Boulos appointment for nepotism, the Charles Kushner pick was even more controversial. The choice for Boulos as an adviser merely proves that Trump has a pattern for appointing family members in key government positions. Charles Kushner is a disbarred lawyer who was convicted of tax evasion, witness tampering, and making illegal campaign contributions. Not only does he have no political experience, Kushner is also a convicted felon. Other than being a family member of Trump, it’s unclear why Kushner should be Trump’s top pick for ambassadorship to France.