But then, two days later, it quietly removed billboards bearing the executive’s image.
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Damac Properties Dubai Co., which is building two Trump- branded golf courses outside of Dubai, distanced itself from the developer, who said Monday the USA should ban Muslims from entering the country in the wake of a mass shooting that officials say was an act of terrorism by a radicalized Muslim couple.
The Trump Organization was not immediately available for comment. A similar billboard featuring Trump’s daughter Ivanka, a vice-president for the Trump Organization, was also been removed.
Regarding the Middle East as a critical avenue for growth, the Trump Organisation has signed numerous deals to put the Trump brand on upscale golf courses and residences in Dubai, hotels in Turkey and home furnishings, accessories and decor sold in stores across the region.
Golf legend Tiger Woods designs Trump World Golf Club in Dubai built by luxury real estate developer DAMAC Properties will creates a distinct and memorable golf course. “I think Trump should go and do construction”, she said, as her girlfriends laughed.
Gold letters that included Trump’s name on a stone wall at the AYOKA by DAMAC project entrance were also removed, according to a photographer for the news outlet.
Trump has supporters in Dubai and one of those is real estate tycoon Khalaf al-Habtoor who openly expressed his belief to the presidential candidate in a newspaper editorial last August.
The 104 mansions around an 18-hole golf course marks Trump’s second attempt to enter Dubai’s property market.
“We can not comment on the situation”, said Raed Gerges, vice president of communications for Damac. “I hope Damac uses their common sense and cancels the project”, he told 7DAYS.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the crowd at a Pearl Harbor Day Rally at the U.S.S. Yorktown December 7, 2015 in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Trump said this ban was necessary to protect the US from Muslim extremism.
The disappearance of at least some Trump branding from the multi-billion-dollar development on the outskirts of Dubai comes as concerns over his comments grow in the Middle East, a region in which the businessman long has sought money-making opportunities.
Tea party backers, whites and older Americans – all important voting groups in Republican presidential primaries – were more likely to say immigration from the Middle East is too high.
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Al Habtoor’s immediate reaction on Wednesday was that he regretted backing Trump. Added the tenant: “My seven and nine-year-olds say they are moving back to London if he gets elected”.
