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

[Jonathan Fairfield]

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

ADAM SCHRECK, Associated Press

JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The image and name of American presidential hopeful Donald Trump were gone Friday from parts of a golf course and housing development under construction in Dubai amid the uproar over his comments about banning Muslims from traveling to the United States.

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.

One of the world's wealthiest businessmen, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, had sharp words for Trump on Friday, telling him via Twitter to withdraw from the presidential race, "as you will never win."

"You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America," he wrote. The billionaire prince is chairman of investment firm Kingdom Holding Company.

The company behind the Trump Towers in Istanbul, meanwhile, said it is "assessing" its partnership with the Republican presidential front-runner.

In Dubai, Trump had a deal with Damac Properties to license his name and image for a housing project and two golf courses for an undisclosed sum.

On Friday, a prominent advertising billboard showing Trump golfing that had stood at the Akoya development, where the housing and one of the golf courses is being built, was gone. All that remained of it was the board's brown wooden background. Another billboard declaring the development "The Beverly Hills of Dubai" still stood nearby.

Trump's name also appeared to have been pulled off one sign greeting visitors to the complex. The sign, outside a sales office at the site, originally had Trump's name in lettering on a stone wall. But on Friday the letters were littering the ground in front of it.

A second, similar sign facing a major road was intact with Trump's name on it. Earlier in the week, that sign had been taken down but by Friday, it was back in place.

"The exterior signage at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai was temporarily removed on Tuesday for a short period of time, however as of last night, the signage is back up and fully intact," the Trump Organization said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday.

Also, the Damac webpage dedicated to the Trump PRVT gated community, which is part of the development, appeared to have been removed, leading only to a "not found" page.

Since the development is still under construction, the removal of the branding with Trump's name and image seemed to be largely symbolic. It was not known if it signaled Damac will outright break the licensing contract.

Damac Properties has declined to comment on the removal of Trump's name and billboard from the property. It earlier said it "would not comment further on Mr. Trump's personal or political agenda, nor comment on the internal American political debate scene."

Damac shares have fallen in the wake of Trump's comments, losing more than 15 percent over the past week in trading on the Dubai Financial Market.

Trump increasingly has 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. Fellow developers have praised Trump as a pioneer of what they call a nearly risk-free business.

But some of his rhetoric about Islam on the campaign trail — including his call to monitor mosques and his proposal this week to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the U.S. — has led to increased wariness in the Arab world. Earlier this week, Dubai-based Landmark Group pulled all Trump home decor products at its 180 Lifestyle stores over his comments.

Late Thursday, Bulent Kural, the general manager of Trump Towers in Istanbul, said his company "regrets and condemns" Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. The towers are another project for which Trump licensed his brand.

"We are assessing the legal dimension of our relationship with the Trump brand," a statement from Kural said.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-12

[Credo]

Oh, goodness, I wonder if Trump will sue the US gov't if he loses the election for loss of business.

[ezzra]

I wonder what they will do if Trump is elected to be the 45th president of the USA, boy, will they have big egg on their faces, and I'm sure that Trump will not forget either who mocked him.....

[SgtRock]

Saudi's getting jumpy.

Now why would that be ?

[khun custard]

Hey Don.....pitching your $$$ and business aspirations as a international businessman with multi national interests
in the wealth belt of modern Islam and then carrying on like a "ole boy, red neck" to win the hearts and minds
of domestic consumers does present challenges!

Edited December 12, 2015 by Scott
Foreign script

[jippytum]

Never mind Donald .Just like the Bush family and the Clinton's you can re coup your losses when you are elected.

[JHolmesJr]

Trump had to have seen this coming and would have factored it into his plan.

Who cares if they don't want a trump tower in dubai…he gets enough business in many other places.

[Scott]

A post with an inflammatory and incorrect information has been removed.

[Doc46]

Of course they are not happy,,,The Truth and common sense hurt,,,When You Right you are Right,,,,

[csabo]

Trump had to have seen this coming and would have factored it into his plan.

Who cares if they don't want a trump tower in dubai…he gets enough business in many other places.

Taking down a few billboards and posting a few tweets

A-does not mean he will not get paid on the contract

B-does not necessarily indicate the Saudi prince's true feelings on the matter

It's really just more free advertising. Shows DT has more foreign business and government related activity than any of his GOP running mates. At the end of the day, money talks and no one knows that better then Saudi royalty.

[Dustdevil]

An aside, why does Trump keep saying "what the hell is going on there? We don't know. We need to figure it out." Does he not read ANYTHING? It's been shown 15 different ways from a hundred sources backwards and sideways: ISIS wants an End of Days scenario of a final battle between glorious Islam and the infidel westerners, on their home grounds. The beheadings and other atrocities are meant to provoke boots on the ground. This is why Obama doesn't want to oblige them. Not because he's scared of a defeat, but because it would most likely turn out like Iraq again. Defeat ISIS eventually and wait for the next jihadi movement to appear. Neverending story.

[TheKnave]

Shameful, and downright scary that so many of my countrymen see Trump as anything more than a clown in a fool's hat...

I know people are fed up, but really, what does this say about the educational process in the US?

A race to the bottom...

[F4UCorsair]

The hypocrisy of muslim countries is astounding... but not surprising.

[Jingthing]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

[Harsh Jones]

I wonder what they will do if Trump is elected to be the 45th president of the USA, boy, will they have big egg on their faces, and I'm sure that Trump will not forget either who mocked him.....

Notice how quick "moderate" muslims are to cause an aproar when they feel insulted ? But meh when it comes to condemning terror attacks

[Harsh Jones]

Hey Don.....pitching your $$$ and business aspirations as a international businessman with multi national interests

in the wealth belt of modern Islam and then carrying on like a "ole boy, red neck" to win the hearts and minds

of domestic consumers does present challenges!

There is no such thing as modern Islam.

BTW Red neck is a racist term for white people. i suggest you refrain from using it.

[kbelyeu]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

We shall see soon enough.

[Jingthing]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

We shall see soon enough.

Perhaps not that soon.

He could win lots of primaries but there could still be a brokered convention where he's blocked.

It's no secret the powers that be want him blocked.

So in that case, we won't know until the convention.

If he loses primaries, then we'll know sooner that he's out for sure.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Jingthing

[Scott]

Red neck is not a racist term. It is a pejorative term, but it's not racist.

Please stay on topic.

[F4UCorsair]

Red neck is not a racist term. It is a pejorative term, but it's not racist.

Please stay on topic.

It's a term used, unfortunately, by almost anybody to denigrate another's political views, but principally by those on the left of politics, to label anybody with even a slightly more conservative view.

But definitely not racist.

Love Trump, or hate him, I believe he's saying what a majority of citizens want to hear, and what most politicians are afraid to say, in the interests of political correctness.

[F4UCorsair]

I wonder what they will do if Trump is elected to be the 45th president of the USA, boy, will they have big egg on their faces, and I'm sure that Trump will not forget either who mocked him.....

Notice how quick "moderate" muslims are to cause an aproar when they feel insulted ? But meh when it comes to condemning terror attacks

Exactly, they're thin on the ground when it comes to condemning terrorist attacks in the name of islam.

When asked for comment on the Paris atrocities, the grand mufti of Australia could do no better than say that tjey were because muslims had been persecuted.

In the best trafition of political correctness, Australia's foreign minister said his comments were 'disappointing'.

He did a little better when prompted, but not much. No prizes for second gm.

[pedro01]

Shameful, and downright scary that so many of my countrymen see Trump as anything more than a clown in a fool's hat...

I know people are fed up, but really, what does this say about the educational process in the US?

A race to the bottom...

Funny thing is, you are displaying a horrible form of bigotry that we have seen in Thailand over the past few years.

That is - considering yourself smarter than those with a view different from your own. No doubt, you perhaps also think that these people don't have the good sense to vote. Perhaps their voting rights should be temporarily suspended until they are as smart as you, eh?

Edited December 13, 2015 by pedro01

[Boon Mee]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

Perhaps, as Ted Cruz is ahead in Iowa now.

[NeverSure]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

We shall see soon enough.

Perhaps not that soon.

He could win lots of primaries but there could still be a brokered convention where he's blocked.

It's no secret the powers that be want him blocked.

So in that case, we won't know until the convention.

If he loses primaries, then we'll know sooner that he's out for sure.

The people are fed up with the establishment and that's much of Trump's appeal. If he prevails at the ballot box with the people in the primaries and the establishment blocks him at the convention, the establishment is toast.

Cheers.

[NeverSure]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

Perhaps, as Ted Cruz is ahead in Iowa now.

CNN has Trump up by 13 points over Cruz in its most recent Iowa poll. LINK.

[TheKnave]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

I totally agree, Jing, but it's the street level that really scares me. So many supporting this goon unabashedly here in the States. I mean people who you would expect to know better.

It's like some kind of virus...

Every time we get an actor (Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Fred Thompson, etc.) running for office, people get brain-dead in supporting them. Fortunately, this one has gone far enough off the rails as to piss off the guys who could get him elected. But he sure gets a lot of popular support...which I find plain terrifying.

[TheKnave]

No worries. He won't be president and from the look of things the republican establishment won't let him be nominated.

Perhaps, as Ted Cruz is ahead in Iowa now.

CNN has Trump up by 13 points over Cruz in its most recent Iowa poll. LINK.

I don't think the popular vote has much to do with him getting the nomination. Deals are made at the conventions, and the Repubs are not going to let this loon anywhere near the ticket, in any case. Third party candidate? Remember Perot? This time Hillary can say, "Thank you, Donald."

I think he's just going to be a weathervane for their strategists to guide them through torquing down whichever (other) wingnut they choose.

How's that for mixed metaphor?

[tigermoth]

I wonder what they will do if Trump is elected to be the 45th president of the USA, boy, will they have big egg on their faces, and I'm sure that Trump will not forget either who mocked him.....

Unless the Amrican public are all a bunch of imbeciles, which many seem to be, Trump has as much hope as being elected as I have of flying to Pluto. This man, I think he is a man, has put back the Republican party 20 years.

[ResandePohm]

Shameful, and downright scary that so many of my countrymen see Trump as anything more than a clown in a fool's hat...

I know people are fed up, but really, what does this say about the educational process in the US?

A race to the bottom...

Funny thing is, you are displaying a horrible form of bigotry that we have seen in Thailand over the past few years.

That is - considering yourself smarter than those with a view different from your own. No doubt, you perhaps also think that these people don't have the good sense to vote. Perhaps their voting rights should be temporarily suspended until they are as smart as you, eh?

Good Idea

[Usernames]

So one of the Saudi Sunni princely potentates funding ISIS has declared Trump a disgrace. I see another five point surge in Trump's poll numbers coming. Donald Trump, the only candidate who put his nation before his personal profits.