New York Power Broker Behind #UAE's Global Deals Is Key to Trump Access - Bloomberg

New York Power Broker Behind UAE's Global Deals Is Key to Trump Access - Bloomberg

In the tight-knit world of the Abu Dhabi royals, an 83-year-old property lawyer wields unique influence. The fruits of his work supporting the emirate’s ambitions on artificial intelligence and foreign deals were on full display as the Emiratis played host to one of his long-time associates: US President Donald Trump.

Marty Edelman is a rarity in the Middle Eastern city: An outsider among an upper echelon dominated by senior members of the wealthy and powerful Al Nahyan family. Equally at ease in an international board room and an Emirati majlis, the New Yorker has earned the moniker “Abu Dhabi’s Man in Manhattan.”

As a senior adviser for the United Arab Emirates, Edelman’s been at the center of the country’s evolution from petrostate to a hub for business, technology and culture. He helped steer Abu Dhabi’s landmark 2008 deal to buy Manchester City Football Club as well as the emirate’s more recent quest for advanced Nvidia Corp. chips.

Hints to the lawyer’s influence abound in a detailed origin story of New York University’s Abu Dhabi campus, set up in 2010. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive officer of the $330 billion wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., describes “long, hard negotiations,” with the school in the run up to unveiling the local outpost.

“Marty Edelman was a bridge to both parties,” Al Mubarak said.

Political Ties
During the tail end of Joe Biden’s presidency, Edelman put his diplomatic skills to use, supporting sensitive talks between US officials and G42, the Abu Dhabi-based AI firm overseen by National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Over the years, the lawyer has cultivated a number of high-level relationships in Democratic power circles, from the Kennedys to the Clintons and George Soros.

Trump’s return brought another familiar face to the White House. Edelman had befriended him and Steve Witkoff, now a trusted adviser to the president, through their work during New York City’s real estate boom in the 1980s and 90s. That’s made him a key go-between as the Gulf state seeks to balance its pursuit of advanced US technology alongside its “friends with everyone” diplomatic strategy.

Edelman’s sway is evident by his position as an adviser or board member for many of Abu Dhabi’s marquee institutions, from Mubadala to G42, Manchester City and Royal Group, the prominent private investment firm chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon. That list also includes MGX, which is helping bankroll Trump’s $100 billion AI push, and GlobalFoundries Inc., a major semiconductor manufacturer owned by Mubadala.

“Marty’s secret sauce is that he’s trusted by both sides of the aisle and across different cultures,” Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy who has known Edelman for three decades, said in an interview. “Nobody sees him as an ideologue. He’s solution based. He’s always trying to take into account everyone’s viewpoint.”

This story is based on interviews with more than two dozen people familiar with Edelman’s career and work advising the UAE. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because much of the information they shared is private.

Edelman didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Abu Dhabi’s ‘Man in Manhattan’
The lawyer first arrived in the region in the early 2000s, accompanying US Army General Tommy Franks, who brought Edelman into the orbit of Abu Dhabi’s royals.

He hit it off particularly well with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, now the UAE’s president, and his brother Sheikh Tahnoon, who oversees a $1.5 trillion empire. Soon afterwards, the Emiratis tapped him as an adviser, both to the government and the Al Nahyan family — a relationship that’s deepened over two decades.

Edelman, who starts most days at 4:30 a.m. with a round of phone calls and a workout, is a rare example of a Western adviser having the ear of senior Emiratis.

“Marty’s secret sauce is that he’s trusted by both sides of the aisle and across different cultures.”

These days, firms from around the world are flocking to Abu Dhabi, which controls close to $1.7 trillion in sovereign wealth and 6% of global oil reserves. But even top executives find themselves navigating a labyrinth of gatekeepers before they can access the emirate’s moneymen. Edelman cultivated his ties before the stampede.

The New Yorker was even granted a local UAE passport — an honor extended to only a few foreigners and a sign of deep personal trust at the highest levels of government. When he wed designer Norma Kamali some years ago, the couple held a reception afterwards in Abu Dhabi. The lawyer has long worked for Paul Hastings, which recently opened an office in the UAE capital, seeking to capitalize on the city’s push into sectors like AI.

Kennedy Connection
Edelman’s path to the Trump world and Abu Dhabi royals was unorthodox.

The son of a Russian immigrant father and an orphaned mother, he grew up in a liberal household in Westchester County that prided itself on social justice, where Civil Rights activism and communist politics were discussed over dinner.

While studying at Princeton in the early 1960s, Edelman played lacrosse and emerged in the East Coast rock and roll scene, playing as a drummer alongside legends like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. A summer internship as a speech writer for former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy gave him an unexpected introduction to one of America’s political dynasties.

After graduating, Edelman followed the path of many men in his family by attending law school — Columbia in his case. Afterwards, with the Vietnam War at full throttle, he was drafted and served multiple tours over three years.

Upon returning to New York, Edelman dove right into the legal world. On his first day, he was sent to meet with a prominent client in Harlem, where Jackie Robinson — the first Black man to play Major League Baseball — was among those in the room. The two struck up a conversation about a subsidized housing project in the works, and Robinson soon tapped Edelman as his lawyer.

“Nobody sees him as an ideologue. He’s solution based. He’s always trying to take into account everyone’s viewpoint.”

Edelman parlayed that opportunity into a broader role on the New York real estate stage, becoming a go-to adviser on high-profile deals and a fixture in Manhattan’s world of money and power.

“He’s known President Trump for a long time over the years,” Witkoff said, describing the lawyer’s work in the city during the years when Trump himself was doing big-ticket deals. “Marty was at the top of the chain in the New York real estate legal area at that same time.”

‘Tall-building lawyer’
It was a serendipitous invite in 2002 that led Edelman to Abu Dhabi.

Through his philanthropic work on veterans issues, he came to know General Franks, who led US military operations across the Middle East in the early 2000s.

Shortly after 9/11, Edelman organized a celebrity visit to the US troops, bringing along a star-studded cast of Hollywood actors as well as musicians, including Robert De Niro, Kid Rock and Wayne Newton. Around the same time, Franks asked if he’d like to tag along for his regular tour to meet with leaders across the Persian Gulf.

Edelman, who’s Jewish, was skeptical about how he might be perceived but ultimately obliged. Within the span of a week, he went from minimal contacts in the region to gaining direct access to some of the Middle East’s most influential decision makers.

The Emiratis were particularly fond of him, seeing the value the so-called “deal doctor” and “tall-building lawyer” could bring them on a host of issues from diplomacy to deals, soft power and politics. He became a trusted adviser to the Al Nahyan family: The American face in the boardroom, helping smooth concerns and solve problems around cross-border investments.

That included the Man City deal — when Edelman was at the center of the action, working closely with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Mubarak and Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba. Before long, Edelman emerged as an informal counterpart to Otaiba in Washington — and a key player in the deepening US-UAE ties.

Manchester City chairman Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano and Edelman watch a Premier League match in Manchester.Photographer: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Recounting his introduction to some of the Emirati leadership in a recent podcast, Edelman called it one of the most pivotal moments in his career, paving the way for his current advisory role that has him spending roughly half his time working for the government and royal family of Abu Dhabi all over the world.

“That dramatically changed my life,” he said. “I’ve gotten to do everything I ever thought I wanted to do and then 4,000 things that I never thought about before.”