Donald Trump Jr. is embarking on a multi-nation tour of Eastern Europe this week, seeking to bolster the Trump family’s business interests while aligning with political figures in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia, according to Bloomberg.
The trip, branded under “Trump Business Vision 2025,” marks the eldest son of the US president’s latest effort to capitalise on his family’s political clout in a region grappling with geopolitical tensions and rising national movements.
Trump Jr., an executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, will kick off his visit in Hungary, attending a closed-door event with executives from 4iG Nyrt – a telecoms firm championed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The company recently enlisted Richard Grenell, Trump’s former Balkans envoy, as an adviser, deepening ties between Orbán’s government and Trump allies.
In Serbia, the focus turns to a luxury Trump-branded hotel and apartment complex in Belgrade, spearheaded by Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners. The project proceeds amid ongoing street protests against President Aleksandar Vučić, who is also lobbying Washington to delay sanctions on Serbia’s NIS oil refinery.
The tour’s most contentious stop may be Romania, where Trump Jr. arrives days before a re-run presidential vote sparked by courts annulling a candidate’s victory last year. Trump Jr. previously condemned the ruling as undermining the “will of the people,” echoing Republican critiques of democratic backsliding.
In Bulgaria, a Nexo-hosted event on AI and fintech offers a platform for sanctioned politicians seeking US relief, while ex-PM Boyko Borissov eyes American investors for data centres after scrapping nuclear reactor sales to Ukraine.
Though framed as a private business endeavour, the trip underscores the Trump family’s strategy of intertwining political influence with commercial ambitions in Eastern Europe. With CPAC satellite events planned in Albania and Hungary, the visit reinforces the region’s role as a testing ground for blending populism with lucrative deals.
