Indonesian billionaire a Trump apprentice or conflict-in-waiting?
Tanoesoedibjo built resorts with US president-elect but now eyes own political run
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https://www.ft.com/content/a209df92-dc8b-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1dce
When Donald Trump announced he was handing over control of his business empire to his sons Eric and Donald Jr, it was intended to shield the president-elect from relationships with men such as Hary Tanoesoedibjo.
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https://www.ft.com/content/a209df92-dc8b-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1dce
The politically connected Indonesian billionaire refers to Mr Trump as a “friend and partner”, and his MNC Group collaborated with the Trump Organization in 2015 to develop two resorts in the country.
Under normal circumstances, such ties would be unremarkable for Mr Tanoesoedibjo, a 51-year-old self-made tycoon whose interests stretch from TV stations to toll roads.
But with Mr Trump due to move into the White House on Friday, the president-elect’s ties with businessmen such as Mr Tanoesoedibjo have raised questions about how he can manage the US’s global affairs while his foreign policy decisions could have an impact on the Trump Organization.
If Mr Tanoesoedibjo is worried, he shows no sign of it. In an interview last week in the headquarters of Indonesia Unity, the political party he founded in 2014, Mr Tanoesoedibjo said he would be flying this week to New York to meet the two Trump sons and discuss their hotel projects, before attending the inauguration as Mr Trump’s personal guest.
“It’s my obligation to make sure everything goes well, to protect the interests of everyone,” said Mr Tanoesoedibjo. “[Trump’s] children are good people, very professional and humble.”
