TRUMP INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
During the four years that Donald Trump serves his second term as president, real estate developers will be working on planning, building and opening a total of 21 Trump-branded projects around the globe. In ten foreign countries, these developers will seek subcontractors, buyers and permits from the government, creating massive conflicts of interest for Trump, as he weighs American foreign policy against his own financial incentives.
The developments that are underway—being planned, constructed, sold and delivered to buyers—will more than triple the number of Trump properties operating abroad, though some have been in the works for years. As much as Trump’s conflicts during his first term pushed beyond the bounds of both the Constitution and long-held ethics norms, the aggressive foreign expansion creates new and unprecedented ethics issues.
In each country where Trump has business interests, especially those where he has new properties under development, he will know that decisions he makes as president could impact his bottom line. Likewise, foreign officials in those countries will have an opportunity to provide special treatment to the president of the United States, or to punish the president for decisions they don’t like.
Ten days before Trump took office, the Trump Organization released an ethics plan for his second term. The document omitted a key limitation to which the Trump Organization had been subject eight years prior: It did not include a ban on new foreign deals. As a result, the president’s namesake private company, which he still owns and profits from, is free to do business in foreign countries while Trump is in office.
“The document omitted a key limitation to which the Trump Organization had been subject eight years prior: It did not include a ban on new foreign deals.”
Instead of a ban on foreign deals, the Trump Organization’s ethics plan restricts business with foreign governments themselves. It fails to restrict them enough to mitigate potential conflicts, however. Many Trump developments have unnervingly close relationships to foreign governments where they’re being developed.
In Oman, a Trump hotel, golf course and residences are being developed on land owned by the government as part of a development in which an official tourism agency is a partner. A Trump hotel in Serbia is being built on government-owned land, too. The development is a battleground in the conflict between the Serbian president and opposition political leaders. In Indonesia, the government recently ordered a development firm partnered with Trump to stop work on a project that will include Trump-branded elements because of environmental issues. The development was previously designated as a special economic zone, giving it tax and other benefits.
The Trumps have particularly deep financial ties in Saudi Arabia and India. Their business partner on developments in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is the international subsidiary of a Saudi company with close links to the government. In India, Trump’s business partners are developing a staggering eight Trump projects across the country, some of which are scheduled to sell units and open over the next four years. Other Trump properties are being developed and sold in Vietnam, Uruguay, Qatar and Romania.
Most international developments are licensing deals for the Trump Organization, meaning they license the Trump name to another development company in exchange for a fee, apparently paid over many years. Some are also management deals, meaning the Trump Organization is paid to manage the property. Like so many issues involving Trump’s finances, the details are not known because Trump was the first president in forty years to not release his tax returns.
Details of all international Trump developments, including existing ones.
- Trump Tower, Bucarest, Romania, Residential, in development
- Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, UAE, Golf, open
- Trump Tower, Mumbai, India, Residential, open
- Trump Towers, Pune, India, Residential, Open
- Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen, Scotland, Hotel, golf, Open
- Trump Turnberry, Turnberry, Scotland, Hotel, golf, Open
- Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Doonbeg, Ireland, Hotel, golf, Open
- Trump Tower, Makati, Philippines, Residential, Open
- Trump World, Seoul, South Korea, Residential, Open
- Trump Towers, Istanbul, Turkey, Residential and commercial, open
- Le Château Des Palmiers, Terres Basses, French Saint Martin, Estate, Open
- Trump International, Hung Yen, Vietnam, Hotel, golf, residential, Opening 2027
- Trump International Golf Club; Trump Residences; Trump International Hotel, Muscat, Oman, Hotel, golf, residential, Opening 2028
- Trump Tower, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Residential, In development
- Unknown, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Golf, in development
- Trump Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Residential, Opening 2029
- Trump International Hotel and Tower, Dubai, UAE, Hotel, residential, Launching development in 2025
- Unknown, Mumbai, India, Residential, in development
- Unknown, Bengaluru, India, Residential, in development
- Unknown, Hyderabad, India, Residential, in development
- Trump World Center Pune, India, Commercial, Launching development in 2025
- Unknown, Noida, India, Residential, in development
- Trump Towers, Delhi NCR, India, Residential, Opening 2025
- Unknown, Gurgaon Sector, India, Residential, in development
- Trump Tower, Kolkata, India, Residential, Opening 2025
- Trump World Golf Club, Dubai, UAE, Golf, in development
- Trump International Resort, Golf Club & Residences, Bali, Indonesia, Hotel, golf, residential, in development
- Trump International Resort & Golf Club; Trump Residences, Lido City, Indonesia, Hotel, golf, residential, in development
- Trump Tower, Punta del Este, Uruguay, Residential, Units delivered 2025
- Trump International Hotel; Trump Tower, Belgrade, Serbia, Hotel, residential, in development
- Trump International Golf Club & Villas, Simaisma, Qatar, Golf residential, in development
Add new comment