Who is Andronico Luksic: Ivanka Trump's landlord, Chilean mining tycoon and 'Che Guevara lookalike'

Andronico Luksic is the man behind the company that owns the house rented by the first daughter of US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and trusted adviser.

Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and their three children moved into the house in Washington DC after Trump's inauguration on 20 January, to be closer to the president and offer their advice and support. A pictured shared on Ivanka Trump's Twitter account on 26 February portrays the couple standing outside the door of the six-bedroom mansion.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one of Luksic's company bought the house in the Kalorama neighbourhood of the US capital, home to several embassies, the city's Islamic centre, and of the Obama family, in December for $5.5m (£4.5m).

Who is Andronico Luksic Craig?

A family story similar to that of President Trump, Luksic inherited the family business and wealth from his father, Antonio Andrónico Luksic Abaroa, the Chilean-born son of a Croatian man and a Bolivian woman.

His father founded the Luksic Group, initially focusing on copper mining and later expanding into other sectors. Luksic father became the richest person in Chile, the fourth in Latin America, and the 132nd in the world by the time he died in 2005, having accumulated a net worth of $4.2bn ($3.4bn), according to Forbes magazine.

After the death of their father, Luksic and his brothers Guilermo and Jean-Paul took control of the Luksic Group, which is one of Chile's largest conglomerates and has interests in the mining, financial, industrial, and beverages sectors among others and generates around $14bn (£11.5bn) in annual revenue.

In a 2014 interview to the German newspaper Die Zeit, Luksic said people think he looks like Che Guevara, the Argentine socialist revolutionary. He told the newspaper the comparison flattered him as he liked Che Guevara, although he does not support socialism.

Why is Luksic suing the US government?

One of Luksic's company, Twin Metals Minnesota, filed a lawsuit after being denied renewal of two mining leases under former President Barack Obama's administration over environmental concerns. The mining rights were critical to a proposed $2.8bn ($2.3) project near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The suit remains pending. Democrat Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and environmental groups oppose the mining project, but Minnesota officials think it would create jobs, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Keen to become the "greatest job producer God ever created," President Trump could reverse the previous administration's decision to protect the part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, preventing the project's completion. Interior secretary Ryan Zinke also supports mining on federal lands.

How did Luksic reacted to the Wall Street Journal article?

Luksic shared the Wall Street Journal article on his Twitter account, but did not seem to appreciate the story. "Unfortunate article that mixes two completely separate topics. What's the purpose?" he wrote, adding in a second tweet: "I don't know President Trump nor any member of his family. It's been four or five years since I greeted him at the Patriots stadium in Boston."

Luksic has also replied to other Twitter users who have sent him various questions following his tweets, including "Did you see [Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady?" (to which Luksic replied affirmatively).

In the conversations, Luksic said he saw no problem in renting the house to Trump's daughter and son-in-law, saying that he has been making real estate investments in the US for more than 15 years. "This is just one more lease," he wrote "Where is the scandal? A house was rented and a good lease paid".

It remains unclear how much is the couple paying for rent. A White House spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal the family was paying "fair market value," and that the couple had never met or spoken to the landlord, nor were they aware of Luksic's business interests in the country.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Luksic still lacked the business license necessary under Washington law to collect rent on the property as of earlier this week, but a law firm representing Luksic said the necessary forms would be submitted shortly.

Is Luksic a supporter of President Trump?

Luksic did not express any particular political preference. He said on Twitter he bought campaign merchandising from both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. His passion for campaign merchandising started with Barack Obama's campaign, he said.