Trump’s name, image removed at Dubai development amid uproar

Damac Properties said it will “not comment further on Mr. Trump’s personal or political agenda”.

Trump has increasingly used such a licensing model in recent years, lending out his name to others around the world rather than developing big real estate projects himself.

In the Muslim world, Trump has also leant his name to an office and retail complex in Istanbul and a luxury development in Baku, capital of the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan.

Trump, the billionaire businessmen who is now derided across the world for his incendiary racial remarks, drew his first flak from Emirati business magnate Khalaf Al Habtoor, who has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s candidature.

The media statement began with: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”. There was no explanation from DAMAC as to what led to Trump’s name being taken off the website.

Secretary of State John Kerry had this to say: “I would simply say that nondiscrimination and equal treatment are a pillar of not just American values but of our immigration and our admission policies in this country”.

So far, only one of Trump’s business partners with roots in the Middle East, the Landmark Group, has distanced itself from him.

Lifestyle, a home-decor store chain based there, said Wednesday it was removing all Trump-branded products from its 195 stores across the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere in the region.

The 69-year-old business tycoon just forged a deal with Landmark Group earlier this year for the retailer to sell his products in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

A Trump International Golf Club along with a cluster of Trump-branded villas are expected to rise in the Akoya district, a 42 million square feet area in the outskirts of Dubai, and Damac in partnership with the American-based company will realize the mega-development along with other high-end real estates.

For some Americans already wary of Middle Eastern immigrants, Trump’s proposal could seem like an appropriate next step.

NBC labeled those comments derogatory and dropped him as host of “The Celebrity Apprentice” in June while also canceling plans to broadcast the Miss USA pageant, which at the time was part of a joint venture between Trump and the network. “I’ll stop coming here if they change the prayer room to a chapel”, she joked.

‘He is really creating war. But what else are they up to? If he wins the presidency of the U.S., perhaps Trump will issue special presidential passes for his wealthy Muslim business friends so they can enter the United States.