Damac is sticking by its partnership with the Trump Organization despite the latest anti-Muslim tirade by the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
Donald Trump on Monday called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States".
His remark drew swift rebukes from across the political spectrum. It came just weeks after he said he would consider closing down some US mosques in response to the Paris terror attacks.
The latest outburst has focused attention on the billionaire’s relationship with Dubai’s Damac Properties where the Trump Organization is managing a golf club under development on the outskirts of the city.
The partnership remained intact today despite the storm of controversy surrounding Mr Trump.
“We would like to stress that our agreement is with the Trump Organization as one of the premium golf course operators in the world and as such we would not comment further on Mr Trump’s personal or political agenda, nor comment on the internal American political debate scene,” said Niall McLoughlin, a senior vice president at Damac Properties.
The developer teamed up with The Trump Organization in May 2013 with a plan to operate a Trump International Golf Course at the heart of the 42 million square feet Akoya by Damac project in Dubailand.
During a political rally in South Carolina on Monday night, Mr Trump told supporters: “You’re going to have more World Trade Centers. We can be politically correct or we can be stupid, but it’s going to get worse and worse.”
Even before his latest remarks, Mr Trump drew criticism from the UAE business community.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman of the Dubai-based Habtoor conglomerate, last month wrote in an article for The National:
"I was wrong and I do not mind admitting it. My support for America's front-running Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was a mistake. Initially, I admired his outspokenness and his record of turning losses into wins. I believed – and still do – that America is lacking strong leadership. But when strength is partnered with ignorance and deceit, it produces a toxic mix threatening the United States and our world."
scronin@thenational.ae