From an 80-storey tower on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road to golf resorts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, the Trump name is appearing on a growing number of high-profile developments in the Gulf.
The Trump Organisation now has six projects worth billions of dollars under development across four Gulf countries, as the US President’s brand expands its presence in one of the world’s most lucrative property markets.
The group, which completed its first Gulf project – Trump International Golf Club in Dubai – with UAE developer Damac in 2017, has developments under way in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman. These include golf courses, hotels and luxury residences in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Muscat.
The six projects are being developed with Dar Global, the international property arm of Saudi Arabia-listed Dar Al Arkan.
In an interview with The National in 2024, Trump Organisation executive vice president Eric Trump said “the region loves our family, and the region loves our projects”.
“We were one of the first western brands to go into Dubai when no one else really believed, and everybody was a little sceptical, and everybody was a little cynical,” he said.
“We planted the Trump flag right there in the middle of the city. We did one of the greatest golf courses that's become, by far, the most successful golf venture anywhere in the Middle East … we’ve had such a great relationship with this region for so long, and I think we're going to keep on expanding.”
Jeddah-Riyadh
Saudi Arabia is at the centre of the expansion. Three projects are being built in the kingdom: two in Jeddah and another at Wadi Safar in the capital, Riyadh, in partnership with Diriyah Company.
Together, the developments will feature Trump-branded golf courses, international hotels and premium residences, including apartments and town houses. The projects are scheduled for completion between 2029 and 2030.
This is as demand for homes in Saudi Arabia is projected to rise as it prepares to host the Fifa World Cup in 2034 and the World Expo in 2030.
The Arab world’s largest economy is looking to boost home ownership for Saudi nationals as part of its Vision 2030 initiative. It has also opened the property sector to foreign ownership, which is expected to further increase demand.
The Trump Organisation also launched a project in Qatar last year. The development in Doha covers about 790,000 square metres within the eight million-square metre Simaisma development, with an 18-hole Trump International Golf Course, a Trump Golf Clubhouse, and branded villas.
Dubai
Dubai is home to one of the biggest projects in the group’s Gulf portfolio.
In the UAE, the Trump Organisation and Dar Global are developing the $1 billion Trump Tower on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road. As well as 500 homes, the 80-storey development will have a Trump-branded hotel and an exclusive private members' club. The project is 80 per cent sold to a combination of regional and global investors.
The tower is rising against the backdrop of a UAE property market where prices are still climbing, although growth has started to cool.
Dubai residential prices, grew by about 1.9 per cent annually in the second quarter of this year, with apartment prices increasing by 1.3 per cent and villas by 5.7 per cent, consultancy CBRE said.
Interest in taking the Trump brand into new markets also extends beyond the Middle East.
Dubai-based family business Abdulla Ali bin Haidar Group is negotiating with the Trump Organisation to build a luxury tourism complex in Santa Maria Island, east of Cuba's capital Havana.
The private conglomerate signed a letter of intent with the Cuban government for the Trump Island project but the Trump Organisation is yet to approve it.
Muscat
Oman completes the Trump Organisation’s current four-country Gulf footprint. The Trump Organisation and Dar Global are expanding with the development of a resort in the capital, Muscat, that will consist of villas, a hotel and a golf course.
The new Arabian Gulf developments are helping to boost Trump Organisation revenue, official data shows.
In a mandatory filing to the US Office of Government Ethics this year, President Donald Trump and the Trump Organisation reported that developers paid them $38 million in licensing fees for projects in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Millions in licensing revenue
The Trump brand is selling in the region, with President Trump reporting about $21.9 million in revenue from Dar Al Arkan last year, about the same as he reported in his 2024 financial disclosure.
Included in the most recent filing is $5.25 million that he received as a licence fee from the upcoming golf club and resort project in Doha.
The financial disclosure also showed that the US President reported millions of dollars in income from Damac.
Dar Global, listed on the London Stock Exchange, had a portfolio of $19 billion by the end of last year.
Overall the global expansion is driving strong financial returns. Dar Global's net profit for 2025 surged more than sixfold to $100.8 million and revenue more than doubled to $538.6 million, its financial statement shows.
Beyond the Middle East, The Trump Organisation is also active in the US, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Turkey and Uruguay.
Last year, it was reported that Syria had offered Donald Trump the opportunity to build a 45-storey luxury tower in Damascus in partnership with a UAE-based developer. However, the Trump Organisation did not confirm the reports.
The prospect comes as Syria seeks foreign investment to rebuild its economy following the US decision to remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
For now, the Gulf remains at the heart of the Trump Organisation’s international expansion, and with six projects already under way, its footprint in the region is still growing.
