Plan for $1.5bn Trump Tower on Gold Coast scrapped because brand 'toxic to Australians'

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

The Surfers Paradise development has been abandoned with Altus Property Group and the Trump Organization blaming each other

The little-known property developer and the US president’s son were all smiles when they shook hands on Valentine’s Day within the gilded walls of Mar-a-Lago on a deal they claimed would bring a Trump Tower to Australia’s Gold Coast.

But that dalliance has been dashed in less than three months, with the developer now claiming the Trump brand is now too “toxic” to work with – and the Trump Organization responding that their local partner had provided only “empty promise, after empty promise”.
...
In the post, Young said that the US war in Iran had made the Trump brand “toxic to Australians”, something he described as “grossly unfair” on a brand that had “nothing to do with the President”. That link, he claimed, was driven by “pure sensationalism”.
...
“It was very predictable and the most likely outcome was that it would all fall over and end in tears,” he said. “The only question was: would it be sooner or later?”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/13/trump-tower-australia-gold-coast-scrapped-ntwnfb

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"empty promise, after empty promise" - that IS the Trump brand.

[magicarpet]

1. Would you like to buy the thought of "thinking" about buying a trDUMP Gold cell phone, "Made in America" with,...

... Chinese materialls, parts, and assembly labor.

A $100.00 non refundable deposit to gain a slot to "think" about this idea of buying a trDUMP Gold phone - but your order will never be fulfilled or ever be delivered to you.

The trDUMP Family has collected $59 million dollars fleecing the American public with this grand ripoff scheme. Not one phone has ever been delivered. After three postponed or canceled - promise to deliver dates - have come and gone.

[hatrack]

2. Loved this bit from the same article . .

Paul Burton, an emeritus professor of planning at Griffith University, who lives on nearby Tamborine Mountain which overlooks the Gold Coast, had previously cautioned that the coastal strip had a history of ambitious tower and resort projects that never came to fruition. Most collapsed, he said, because they either failed to get approval or, “much more likely” to raise the funds to finance construction.

“One of the problems now is that you can just feed something into Claude or Copilot or ChatGPT and say: ‘produce me an image of a fantastic gold plated tower sitting in the middle of Surfers Paradise’ and it’ll do it in five seconds,” he said.

“But unless you are Harry Triguboff, most developers will still have to go to a bank or an institution and borrow money – and those institutions are pretty sensible and cautious”.

Burton said he was “absolutely not” surprised at the collapse of the Trump Tower plan. “It was very predictable and the most likely outcome was that it would all fall over and end in tears,” he said. “The only question was: would it be sooner or later?”

[Roy Rolling]

6. That's an impossibility

Nobody is a Harry Triguboff.

[LymphocyteLover]

3. Another reason to love Australia

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. "the Trump Organization responding that their local partner had provided only "empty promise, after empty promise".

Which is on brand for them.

I am very pleased that the Australians (generally) don't fall for his crap.

I wish more people in the U.S. would stop falling for it.

[maxrandb]

5. This pisses me off!

The "Iran War" is what finally made the orange amphibian turd "toxic"?????

Doing any business with his fucking shitshow clown family, is like finding a slimy turd on the road and picking it up with your bare hands, because you thought it was OK as long as you grabbed it by the "clean end".

[Dr. T]

7. I was in Las Vegas recently and saw the Trump tower there.

Disgusting gaudy gold colored building. Looks old, dirty, unkept and completely out of place with surrounding architecture.

Fortunately, it isn't directly on the Las Vegas strip so you have to strain to see it in the distance.

[Fla Dem]

8. Great to start my day with such uplifting news!!!!

Thanks "muriel_volestrangler"!

[Joinfortmill]

9. Good.

[Cheezoholic]

10. Guess I don't understand Real Estate. 1.5 bn for a 91 story tower. 1 bn for a 2 story "ballroom". Don't add up ;)? n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. ballroom covering a nuclear bunker/panic room etc. (nt)