Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka sparks fury with £1.2bn project as locals shout 'hands off'

Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump has sparked protests in a beautiful European country over plans to build a resort on one of its islands.

Ivanka, 44, recently announced plans to build a resort with her husband Jared Kushner, 45, on the Albanian island of Sazan, a project that was first announced in 2024, but which has recently returned to the public’s attention.

But the project on the island in the Adriatic Sea, which is being led by Kushner’s investment company Affinity Partners, has sparked widespread backlash in the country. Environmentalists oppose the ​plan, saying it would impact several hundred hectares of pristine beaches.

As recently as Tuesday evening, thousands took to the Albanian city of Tirana to protest the development. People held signs calling for the Trump-Kushner development to stop.

Meanwhile, there has also been anger on social media. In response to a post on Instagram about the development, one user wrote: “Albania is not for sale back up.” Another added: “Hands off Albania. Albania belongs to Albanians.”

The construction of the resort is set to be an incredibly expensive endeavour, up to £1.19bn according to the Independent.

The chairman of the Sazan Real Estate Development LLC Asher Abehsera has said that the focus “remains on responsible stewardship, environmental enhancement, job creation, ⁠and creating long-term value for local communities” others aren’t so sure.

This includes ecologist for PPNEA-BirdLife Albania Joni Vorpsi who warned of the devastation such a project could cause.

He told the Independent: “We want all construction to halt and heavy machines out of the protected area. This would be a new city with around 10,000 rooms and it will completely destroy that wild region.”

Discussing the project in a recent podcast appearance Ivanka claimed that care had gone into the impact it would have on the landscape’s physical make-up.

She said: “An incredibly project with my project in the Mediterranean. It’s massive in scale. It’s an unbelievable, beautiful, 1,400 hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean.

“Over the course of many years we developed the opportunity to help realise its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful that really the architecture has been fully integrated into it, almost rise from it.”

But the comments sparked even more fury from Albanians, accusing Ivanka of being “tone deaf”. One viewer wrote: “Why in the hell would she throw this in the face of Millions of less fortunate people in a failing economy. Beyond out of touch.”