The Mogul Behind the Curtain: What Trump's Quietest Confidant Might Be Hiding

The Deal‑Making Kingpin Who Kept Trump’s Dirtiest Secrets Off the Front Page

The Mogul Behind the Curtain: What Trump's Quietest Confidant Might Be Hiding

The Deal‑Making Kingpin Who Kept Trump’s Dirtiest Secrets Off the Front Page

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #460: Wednesday, July 30th, 2025. 12:15 pm CST.

PART I: The Man You’ve Never Heard of…But Absolutely Should Have

While the world has spent years obsessing over the gaudy spectacle of Trumpworld…Bannon, Stone, Flynn, Navarro…one name has flown almost completely under the radar.

Howard Lorber.

A billionaire real estate mogul. The CEO of Vector Group. The Chairman of Douglas Elliman…the luxury brokerage that moves some of the priciest…and most opaque…properties in the country.

And a man who has been at Trump’s side…in the shadows…for decades.

If you’ve never heard of him…you’re not alone.

That’s the point.

Lorber has never sought the spotlight. But what he has sought…and secured…is proximity. Influence. Deal flow. And access to the one thing Donald Trump craves more than adoration:

Foreign capital.

PART II: The Moscow Trip Nobody Talks About

Let’s rewind the tape to 1996.

Trump, still licking his wounds from multiple Atlantic City bankruptcies…is desperate to get back on top. His American credit is shot. His casino empire is in shambles. His “brand” is tarnished.

Enter: Howard Lorber.

Using his ties to Russian businessmen…Lorber arranges a trip for Trump to Moscow. The goal? Strike a deal to build a Trump Tower. In Russia. With local oligarchs. With post-Soviet capital looking for Western legitimacy.

Trump later personally credits Lorber for reviving his interest in doing business with Russia. He even names Lorber by name during a 2013 interview with Real Estate Weekly…gushing about how Lorber “opened the door” for his foreign ambitions.

That tower never got built. But a door did get opened.

And Lorber never shut it.

PART III: What Douglas Elliman Knows That You Don’t

Douglas Elliman is not just a real estate firm.

It is the real estate firm for foreign wealth.

Penthouses. Cash buys. Limited liability companies registered in tax shelters. Sales where the buyer is “XYZ Holdings LLC,” and no one…not even the agents…really know who’s behind the deal.

This is not conjecture.

In 2016, the U.S. Treasury began tracking anonymous luxury real estate purchases in Manhattan and Miami…both Elliman strongholds. The goal? Crack down on money laundering.

Guess which firm’s listings popped up repeatedly?

Guess which firm refused to comment?

Elliman is everywhere the dirty money wants to be. And Howard Lorber is at the top of that food chain.

Now let’s raise the stakes…

PART IV: Sealed Filings and the Whistleblower Nobody Listens To

In 2019, an obscure whistleblower case was filed in the Southern District of New York. Most of the filings remain sealed.

But in a footnote…buried in a now-public pretrial motion…there’s a name: “H. Lorber,” listed as a potential witness in an alleged scheme involving improper disclosures of beneficial ownership in high-end real estate transactions.

No charges were filed. No further press. The case went dark.

But here’s what we do know:

Multiple properties sold through Elliman agents were flagged by compliance officers for unusual payment flows…wiring from accounts in Cyprus…the British Virgin Islands…and one from a “development fund” in Azerbaijan.

These deals were processed. Closed. And never unwound.

Lorber’s name never appeared in the headlines. But behind the curtain…his empire was involved in transactions that compliance officers flagged as highly irregular.

And remember: this was while he sat on the President’s Trade Advisory Council.

Let that sink in.

PART V: Trump’s “Special” Advisor…and the Job He Might Be Gunning For

Trump appointed Lorber to his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations in 2017.

He didn’t choose him for laughs.

Lorber is a shrewd operator. He understands international capital. He understands how to “leverage” relationships.

And most importantly: he understands loyalty.

Several sources familiar with internal Trumpworld chatter say that Lorber was on a short list for a major post during Trump’s second term…possibly even Secretary of Commerce or a trade envoy role…now that he holds sweeping international authority.

That means this man…whose companies have trafficked in some of the least transparent…highest-risk transactions in the global real estate game…could have been setting the terms for international investment policy. He still could, eventually.

Do you think the current Secretary of Commerce…Howard Lutnick…has a permanent… lifetime guaranteed position?

No. Trump swaps out appointments like the parent of an infant changes diapers.

Imagine him rewriting the rules for foreign direct investment while foreign shell companies buy up American farmland…ports…and infrastructure.

This is not a conspiracy theory.

It’s the trajectory.

And almost nobody’s talking about it.

PART VI: What His Son Said That Should Raise Eyebrows

Michael Lorber, Howard’s son…once starred on Million Dollar Listing New York…a reality show focused on luxury brokers.

In one of the less-publicized episodes…Michael casually bragged about flying overseas to “negotiate deals in countries that don’t technically exist.”

Yes. That’s a quote.

What countries is he referring to? Abkhazia? Transnistria? Northern Cyprus? The ones intelligence services track for illicit trade and dark money?

Michael has since “pivoted” to a quieter role…but the family business is still booming. And the younger Lorber is still involved in multiple LLCs connected to the Elliman empire.

This is not just smoke.

This is generational opacity.

PART VII: Why This Matters Now

Trump’s circle is tightening.

He’s purging the loud…the flashy…the expendable.

And what remains?

The ones who know where the money is.

The Lorber-Trump relationship is built on decades of trust…mutual gain…and transactional loyalty.

Howard Lorber doesn’t tweet. He doesn’t rant. He doesn’t grab headlines.

But his companies help move money. And power. And people.

And if you think for one second that Trump’s second term isn’t already tapping into that network…you haven’t been paying attention

PART VIII: What Congress Should Be Asking

If Congress was actually doing its job…they’d be asking:

• How many Elliman deals involved foreign shell companies with no known beneficial owner?

• What role did Howard Lorber play in Trump’s past (and possible future) dealings in Moscow?

• Were any flagged real estate transactions connected to sanctioned individuals or entities?

• If true, why was Lorber being considered for federal economic roles despite these concerns?

• Have any of Lorber’s entities appeared in FinCEN Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)?

• What safeguards does Elliman have to prevent money laundering…and are they working?

• What closed court records exist referencing Lorber in SDNY or elsewhere?

But don’t hold your breath.

The silence around Lorber isn’t accidental.

It’s strategic.

Final Thoughts: The Man Who Plays the Long Game

You want to know why people like Howard Lorber matter?

Because while the Steve Bannons of the world burn out in a blaze of podcast rants and courtroom tantrums…

Guys like Lorber keep moving quietly behind the curtain.

They don’t make the noise.

They make the calls.

They don’t draw the spotlight.

They build the pipeline.

And they’re setting the stage for what comes next.

I’ll be back soon!

Warmly,

-Jack

P.S. This is why you’re here.

You don’t just want surface-level rage. You want what they’re not saying…about the money…the power…and the silence that makes it all possible.

Howard Lorber might be more than a footnote. He could be a key.

And while most people are watching the fireworks…you’re watching the fuse.

Keep your eyes open.

Stay ready.

And above all…stay legally dangerous.