Dubai’s Damac says Trump Organisation deal stands despite anti-Muslim rant
Developer says relationship is with Trump Organisation, rather than the man himself
Dubai’s Damac Properties says its agreement with the Trump Organisation remains in place despite the US presidential hopeful’s latest anti-Muslim rant.
Donald Trump yesterday called for a “total and complete shutdown” of US borders to Muslims, in the wake of the terrorist attack in the Californian city of San Bernardino.
The former reality TV star and real estate mogul has made several controversial remarks over the last few months, as the Republican Party gears up to nominate its 2016 presidential candidate.
Trump International Golf Course has a deal in place with Damac to build the first Trump course to be operated and managed by the Trump Organisation in the Middle East and Asia.
When contacted by MEConstructionNews.com, Niall McLoughlin, Senior Vice President at Damac, offered no comment on Trump’s latest remarks, beyond stating that Damac’s relationship was with the Trump Organisation, rather than the man himself.
In a statement to The National newspaper, McLoughlin elaborated further saying: “We would like to stress that our agreement is with the Trump Organisation as one of the premium golf course operators in the world, and as such, we would not comment further on Mr Trump’s personal or political agenda, nor comment on the internal American political debate scene.”
The Damac Properties agreement with the Trump Organisation was announced in 2013, as the first in a series of similar agreements.
Although Damac would not comment on Trump’s apparent anti-Muslim stance, in the US other Republican and Democrat presidential candidates did not hold back.
“Donald Trump is unhinged. His ‘policy’ proposals are not serious,” Jeb Bush, one of the other Republican candidates in the race, is reported as saying.
Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic candidate, weighed in on Twitter, calling Trump “reprehensible, prejudiced and divisive.”
Dick Cheney, former Vice-President of the United States, added that Trump’s stance “goes against everything we stand for and believe in”.
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said that Trump was “seeking to tap into a darker side, a darker element, and try to play on people’s fears in order to build support for his campaign.”
A few hours after his statement was released, Trump appeared at a campaign event in the South Carolina city of Charleston. Speaking within the hanger deck of the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier, he repeated his call for a ban on Muslims entering the US.
“We need a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States while we figure out what the hell is going on,” he said, prompting a huge roar from his supporters.
“I wrote something today that was very salient, very important,” the candidate was reported as saying.
He acknowledged the stance is “probably not politically correct”, adding: “But. I. Don’t. Care.”
