Outrage in Albania over Kushner-Trump $1.6bn luxury resort – The Latest

A $1.6 billion luxury resort project by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on a pristine 1,400-hectare private island off Albania’s coast has ignited nationwide outrage, not just for its environmental destruction but for the glaring conflict of interest it represents. The project, fast-tracked through newly changed environmental laws and backed by Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners, involves bulldozing forests, erecting barbed-wire barriers, and hiring private security to block locals—actions that have drawn protests and accusations of authoritarian overreach. What makes this especially explosive is that it’s not a private land deal, but a government-to-government transaction with Albania’s Prime Minister Eddie Rama, who openly frames the project as a geopolitical move to align Albania with the West and counter Russian influence. The timing is deeply controversial: Ivanka Trump is the daughter of the sitting U.S. president, and Kushner is simultaneously acting as a de facto envoy in Middle East peace talks—while profiting from investments tied to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. The Guardian’s reporting reveals a pattern of the Trump family enriching themselves abroad during Donald Trump’s presidency, with no clear separation between public office and private gain. Critics argue this isn’t just real estate—it’s a new model of global power laundering, where political access is traded for luxury development rights.