Paolo Zampolli, who introduced Donald and Melania Trump, operates as a self-described special envoy for the U.S. President, frequently traveling internationally to broker business deals. He claims his primary allegiance is to the American president and that he receives instructions from various U.S. departments to advance the "America First" agenda. Zampolli's role is described as opaque, with no clear information on his staff, budget, or oversight from the State Department, though he is known to extensively promote American businesses globally.
Zampolli boasts about his ability to close massive deals, using the catchphrase "$20 billion in 20 minutes." He claims to have convinced Uzbekistan officials to increase a Boeing order from an initial $4 billion to $20 billion, an amount significantly higher than the reported $8 billion deal for 22 planes. He also states that he became the second-largest Boeing salesperson, albeit unpaid, after the president. His method involves bringing parties together and then letting "secretaries" handle the details, emphasizing that offering to "buy Boeing" is a way to please the president.
His activities include accompanying Vice President JD Vance in Hungary to secure a nuclear energy deal and promoting Boeing aircraft in Uzbekistan. Zampolli's style is compared to Trump's, as he tends to be light on specifics and quick to downplay the mechanics of his deals. Critics, such as former White House ethics lawyer Virginia Canter, raise concerns about the potential for conflicts of interest and abuses due to the ambiguous nature of his role as he promotes projects, some bearing the president's name, to foreign governments.
