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Trump's In-Laws Celebrate his Election Win in Kfaraakka, Lebanon

From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
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Trump's In-Laws Celebrate his Election Win in Kfaraakka, Lebanon

From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)
From right to left: Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Sara Zuhair Fadoul and Massad Boulos. (Social media)

Mary-Therese, 75, Michael Boulos’ grandmother, couldn’t hold back her tears of joy at her home in Kfaraakka, northern Lebanon, when she heard the news of her grandson-in-law Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.

Michael is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany.

Mary-Therese followed the election closely on TV and stayed in touch with her children in the US, who were actively involved in the campaign.

The Boulos family, some traveling from Kfaraakka, worked hard to support Trump’s victory. Michael’s father, Massad, played a key role in connecting with the Arab community, especially in Michigan, securing votes from Lebanese Americans.

Massad was joined in his efforts by his sister, Michael’s sibling, and his sister Viviane and her daughter. Michael’s fourth sibling, Philippe, couldn’t participate due to business commitments in Africa and Lebanon.

As family friend Dr. Lily Mleha Fayyad shared, it’s common for Trump to involve his family in his campaigns.

The residents of Koura celebrated Trump’s victory, feeling connected through Michael. Well-wishers filled the family’s home, and the phone never stopped ringing.

“We were so happy when Michael and Tiffany married,” said Marlene from Kfaraakka.

“We were proud to see his father, Massad, on TV, especially for his efforts in convincing the Arab community to support Trump. We hope to see him as a US envoy to Lebanon soon, helping bring peace, as promised.”

Few in Kfaraakka know Michael personally, as he was born in Lebanon, raised in Nigeria, and educated in the US, but always spent his vacations in Lebanon.

“We’d see him visit with his family, but we know Massad well,” Marlene added. “He grew up here, and everyone loves him for his kind and friendly personality.”

Fayyad praised Massad as “a devoted son” who took great care of his parents, especially his father before he passed away 12 years ago.

“He’s a great example of a dutiful son, which earned him the respect of everyone around him.”

In Kfaraakka, locals admire the Boulos family for their closeness. Massad and his wife, Sara Zuhair Fadoul, along with their children, Fares, Michael, Sophie and Oriane, continue to visit Lebanon despite living in Lagos.

“They’re a humble, kind family, not like the nouveau riche,” said Fayyad.

“Their doors are always open, and they have a special place in their neighbors’ hearts,” she added.

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Swollen Rivers Flood Towns in US South after Dayslong Deluge of Rain

The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Swollen Rivers Flood Towns in US South after Dayslong Deluge of Rain

The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The rising waters of Cedar Creek and the Kentucky River overflow their banks, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Monterey, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Days of unrelenting heavy rain and storms that killed at least 18 people worsened flooding as some rivers rose to near-record levels and inundated towns across an already saturated US South and parts of the Midwest.

Cities ordered evacuations and rescue crews in inflatable boats checked on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee, while utilities shut off power and gas in a region stretching from Texas to Ohio.

“I think everybody was shocked at how quick (the river) actually did come up,” said salon owner Jessica Tuggle, who was watching Monday as murky brown water approached her business in Frankfort, Kentucky, the state capital along the swollen Kentucky River, The AP news reported.

She said that as each new wave of rain arrived over the weekend, anxious residents hoped for a reprieve so they could just figure out how bad things would get and how to prepare. She and friends packed up everything she could haul out of her salon, including styling chairs, hair products and electronics, and they took it all to a nearby tap house up the hill.

“Everybody was just ‘stop raining, stop raining’ so we could get an idea of what the worst situation would be,” she said.

Officials diverted traffic and turned off utilities to businesses in the city as the river was expected to approach a record crest on Monday.

For many, there was a sense of dread that the worst was still to come.

“As long as I’ve been alive — and I’m 52 — this is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Wendy Quire, the general manager at the Brown Barrel restaurant downtown.

“The rain just won’t stop,” Quire said Sunday. “It’s been nonstop for days and days.”

Storms leaving devastating impact The 18 reported deaths since the storms began on Wednesday included 10 in Tennessee. A 9-year-old boy in Kentucky was caught up in floodwaters while walking to catch his school bus. A 5-year-old boy in Arkansas died after a tree fell on his family’s home, police said. A 16-year-old volunteer Missouri firefighter died in a crash while seeking to rescue people caught in the storm.

The National Weather Service warned Sunday that dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach a “major flood stage,” with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible.

In north-central Kentucky, emergency officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for Falmouth and Butler, towns near the bend of the rising Licking River. Thirty years ago, the river reached a record 50 feet (15 meters), resulting in five deaths and 1,000 homes destroyed.

The storms come after the Trump administration cut jobs at NWS forecast offices, leaving half of them with vacancy rates of about 20%, or double the level of a decade ago.

Why so much nasty weather? Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong winds and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf.

The NWS said 5.06 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) of rain fell Saturday in Jonesboro, Arkansas — making it the wettest day ever recorded in April in the city. Memphis, Tennessee, received 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain from Wednesday to Sunday, the NWS said.

Rives, a northwestern Tennessee town of about 200 people, was almost entirely underwater after the Obion River overflowed.

Domanic Scott went to check on his father in Rives after not hearing from him in a house where water reached the doorstep.

“It’s the first house we’ve ever paid off. The insurance companies around here won’t give flood insurance to anyone who lives in Rives because we’re too close to the river and the levees. So if we lose it, we’re kind of screwed without a house,” Scott said.

In Dyersburg, Tennessee, dozens of people arrived over the weekend at a storm shelter near a public school clutching blankets, pillows and other necessities. Just days earlier the city was hit by a tornado that caused millions of dollars in damage.

For some, grabbing the essentials also meant taking a closer look at the liquor cabinet.

In Frankfort, with water rising up to his window sills, resident Bill Jones fled his home in a boat, which he loaded with several boxes of bottles of bourbon.