President Donald Trump's family business, The Trump Organization, has unveiled 12 new overseas projects since his victory in the November 2024 election, already surpassing the total number during his first term in office, The Wall Street Journal reported.The developments—primarily in Asia and the Middle East—include hotels, residential towers and golf courses, and the ramp-up in international deals comes as Trump and his family face renewed questions about potential conflicts of interest relating to business dealings abroad."Everything President Trump does is to benefit the American people. In order to serve this country, President Trump gave up a life as one of the most successful businessmen in the world and a wildly successful media mogul," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement shared with Newsweek.Newsweek reached out to The Trump Organization via email for comment.Why It MattersTrump's administration has faced persistent accusations that the president is eliciting private gain from his office through cryptocurrency ventures as well as his real estate business, now run by his two oldest sons.Watchdog groups and lawmakers have also voiced concerns that these arrangements could open the door to foreign influence over government policy, create real or perceived conflicts of interest while undermining trust in executive leadership and the integrity of American foreign policy.What To KnowThe Trump Organization, now overseen by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., has announced 12 international real estate projects since Trump's November victory, according to the Journal, which said they are largely premised on a licensing model in which the company provides its branding and management services rather than making direct property investments.Ventures in the Persian Gulf region include a luxury resort in Qatar, a $2 billion cryptocurrency deal with a state-owned Abu Dhabi investment firm and a number of real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, including a Trump Tower in Riyadh.The organization has also announced five projects in India, including a 4.3-acre office complex and a 51-story residential tower. It is also involved in a proposal to lease government-owned land and repurpose the ruins of a Yugoslav defense ministry building in Belgrade, Serbia, into a luxury hotel.An unnamed representative of the president told the outlet that the 12 deals were under contract prior to Trump's 2024 victory.In January, The Trump Organization released an ethics white paper outlining how it would limit potential conflicts of interest during Trump's second term. It said that while the business would pursue deals with private companies abroad, a change from his first term, it would refrain from entering into new contracts with foreign governments during his presidency.However, the Journal reported that some of the 12 new ventures involve partnerships with state-linked entities. One such deal, struck in late April, is between The Trump Organization and Qatari Diar, a property investment company established and controlled by the Qatari Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund. The Trump Organization said the deal was with a Saudi Arabian partner, Dar Global, rather than Qatari Diar itself, though both were mentioned in announcements by company executives, AP reported.What People Are SayingEric Trump, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in October, said he was unsure what impact his father's victory would have on The Trump Organization: "Should I stop all expansion? I don't know what the answer is. I tried to do everything right in 2016 and I got very little credit for it. We still kind of got stomped on."Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, in a recent debate: "The Trump Organization recently signed a $5.5 billion golf course and real estate deal with Dar Global and Qatar Diar, established by a wealth fund—$5.5 billion, while Trump's in office. It would have been unthinkable for any previous president to enter into a $5.5 billion business deal with anybody, never mind a foreign government, while they are in office. And it still should be unthinkable."Qatar is a U.S. ally. It's a very important ally, but they are a complicated country. They have their own interests. A foreign government like Qatar should not have a $5 billion gift hanging over the head of a U.S. president."White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "These critics simply can't fathom a President doing the right thing for America, especially after Joe Biden and his family used their positions of power to enrich themselves with shady and crooked business deals."New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton told Democracy Now: "The Middle East is the nexus of The Trump Organization's global business operations at the moment. It's really their single most important profit center by far."Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, during a speech in late April: "When he ran for office, Trump promised repeatedly that he would lower costs on day one. Instead of following through on his promise, Trump and his administration have paved the way for the president, his top officials and his billionaire buddies to personally feed at the trough of government corruption."What Happens NextDespite the scrutiny Trump's business dealings have elicited, the company is pressing forward with its growing list of international projects. The 12 developments reported on by The Wall Street Journal are in addition to overseas deals for which The Trump Organization has broken ground in recent months, including a Trump-branded golf and residential development in Vietnam and a Trump International Hotel in Oman, scheduled for completion in 2028.