The association with U.S. President Donald Trump has forced the Trump Organization to pull back a lot on business deals to avoid conflict, Donald Trump Jr. said at an event in on Thursday. “There has been a pull-back on that front. I have also been criticised for talking to buyers and inviting them for dinner, and that is crazy. As a developer, it is a part of job to meet buyers,” Mr. Trump Jr. said.
He said doing business in India has become easier over the years, but in the past the Trump brand has faced its share of conflict with developers in Mumbai. “We made mistakes in the past, but we have learnt from them and selected the right partners now,” he said. He was speaking at a panel discussion between leading architects and designers organised by Lodha Developers, Trump Organization’s India partner.
Social meetings
Mr. Trump Jr., on a week-long visit to India to promote his realty projects, met select political leaders in Mumbai. The American media have already termed the visit as blurring lines between business and politics, but most political leaders said the discussions were only social in nature, and there was no talk of policy or politics. “I have a social connection with him and met him simply to exchange pleasantries on his second visit,” BJP city chief Ashish Shelar told The Hindu. Mr. Trump Jr’s first visit in 2012 was organised by the Mr. Shelar, who was a corporator at the time. Mr. Shelar had previously set up a meeting between Rohan Developers and Mr. Trump Jr. The Mumbai BJP chief tweeted a picture with Mr. Trump Jr. on Wednesday, saying, “Delighted 2 meet w Donald Trump Jr !”
Past trouble
The Trump Organization’s first licensing deal in India to construct a multi-storey tower in Girgaum collapsed amid allegations of irregularities in the project plan. The then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had denied permission for the structure. Trump Organization’s partner at the time, Harresh Mehta of Rohan Lifescapes, had clarified that a change in development regulations had left the project in the lurch. But the project never took off.
Mr. Chavan told The Hindu, “I have spoken about what happened with the project on 10 earlier instances. I don’t want to speak about him this time.”
