Trump Tower pulls pin on Gold Coast construction months after signing deal

Plans to build a Trump Tower on the Gold Coast have been pulled just months after the deal was signed.

Construction for the 91-storey building was poised to begin in August this year on the Surfers Paradise with developer Altus Property Group.

However, the developer’s chief executive David Young confirmed Trump Organisation had pulled the pin on the deal, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and growing “toxic” views of the US President.

“Let’s just say that with the Iran war and everything else, the Trump brand was increasingly toxic in Australia,” Mr Young told the Australian Financial Review.

The move comes three months after the Trump Organisation signed a deal to bring the hotel to Australian soil.

If completed, it would have been Australia’s tallest building.

A Trump Organisation spokeswoman said that the plans fell through after “obligations were not fulfilled” with the developer.

“While we were very excited about the opportunity to bring a world-class development to the Gold Coast, the project was dependent on our licensing partner meeting certain obligations. Unfortunately, those obligations were not fulfilled,” the spokeswoman said.

“We look forward to exploring other potential projects and bringing a Trump property to Australia soon.”

Mr Young denied the allegations of not meeting obligations, and said although plans with Trump were not continuing, the hotel would still go ahead.

“It wasn’t about not meeting obligations,” he said.

“There are other luxury brand options for us. The project is live.”

While the plans for Trump Tower remain on the developer’s website, the Gold Coast plans have been scrubbed from the official Trump website.

The announcement of Trump Tower sparked controversy, with more than 124,000 people signing a petition to stop the building from going ahead.