By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s business partner in Dubai on Wednesday said he was interested in expanding their commercial relationship despite the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week.
Trump has faced stinging criticism after encouraging supporters on Jan. 6 to march on the Capitol as Congress met to certify his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. That led to a violent invasion during which five people died.
“Our relationship with the Trump Organisation, and especially with (Trump’s son and Trump Organisation executive) Eric Trump and his team, is fabulous and we have no intention to cancel or to change that relation,” DAMAC Properties Chairman Hussain Sajwani told Reuters.
Dubai developer DAMAC owns the Middle East’s only Trump-branded golf course, the Trump International Golf Club Dubai, which opened in 2017 and is operated by the Trump Organisation.
Sajwani said he was “very, very happy” with the Trump relationship and would love to work together on any golf course projects around the world.
Social media companies suspended Trump’s online accounts in the wake of the Capitol assault, while a Trump-owned golf club in the United States has been stripped of hosting a major tournament. Deutsche Bank, Trump’s biggest lender, will not do business with him in future, the New York Times reported.
“We always stay away from politics and we don’t get involved in politics and we have no view on any political issues. We are a very much commercial organisation and his organisation has served us well,” Sajwani said.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Giles Elgood)
