Ivanka Trump Sparks Fury with ‘Trump Island’ Plan

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are facing a storm of backlash over their plan to help turn a once-untouched Albanian island into a luxury tourism playground, with protesters accusing the power couple of trying to cash in on public land while anti-corruption investigators dig into how the project got this far.

The controversy centers on Sazan Island, a 2.2-square-mile stretch of rugged coastline off Albania’s southern coast. For decades, the island was a secretive Cold War military base packed with bunkers, tunnels and unexploded ordnance. Today, it is prized for its wild beauty, rare wildlife and untouched Mediterranean views.

Now, critics fear it could become something else entirely: another ultra-exclusive retreat for the global elite, backed by one of the most politically connected families in America.

Ivanka, the daughter of President Donald Trump, discussed the project during an appearance on David Senra’s podcast on Monday. She described how she and Kushner first encountered the island while boating with friends.

“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim,” Ivanka said. “Effectively, that’s how we found it. We swam to the islands. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way, up to the top. And we were just captivated.”

That dreamy retelling landed like a match in dry grass.

Almost immediately, angry Albanians flooded social media with a blunt message: Albania is not for sale.

“Sazan is not a private island, it belongs to the Albanian people,” one critic wrote.

“Hands off Albanian soil,” another posted.

Others repeated the same rallying cry that has now become central to the backlash: “Albania is not for sale.”

The fury comes as Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, is involved in a proposed $1.4 billion tourism development that would include luxury villas and high-end resort features. The project received preliminary approval from Albanian officials in 2024, but new scrutiny is now being aimed at the political and environmental decisions that made the plan possible.

According to Politico, Albania’s special anti-corruption prosecutors, known as SPAK, have opened an investigation into changes made in 2024 to the island’s conservation and protected status. Those changes helped clear the path for tourism development on land that had long been considered environmentally and historically sensitive.

For critics, that timing has only deepened suspicions.

The island was once one of communist Albania’s most secret military sites under dictator Enver Hoxha, whose regime filled the country with bunkers in anticipation of invasions that never came. Sazan still carries the scars of that era. Reports have described thousands of bunkers on the island, along with old military infrastructure and lingering dangers from unexploded munitions.

But the island is also a rare natural sanctuary. Its wetlands and coastline are home to seals, flamingos and other wildlife, making the idea of luxury development especially explosive for environmentalists and local residents.

The backlash has not stayed online.

Protests have erupted in Albania’s capital, Tirana, as well as near the Zvernec peninsula across from Sazan. Demonstrators have demanded transparency about the deal, the environmental impact and the role of foreign investors tied to the Trump family. Some protests have reportedly grown tense, with clashes and unrest breaking out as anger over the development spreads.

The controversy has also revived old concerns about the overlap between political power, private wealth and foreign business interests surrounding the Trump-Kushner orbit.

Kushner, who served as a senior adviser in the first Trump White House and has continued to play a role in Trumpworld, launched Affinity Partners after leaving government. His firm has attracted scrutiny over its foreign-backed investments and its dealings in regions where political relationships can carry enormous influence.

Ivanka, meanwhile, has presented the Sazan plan as a carefully designed effort to bring world-class tourism to Albania while respecting the island’s natural beauty.

“We developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful,” she said on the podcast.

But to many Albanians, the pitch sounds less like responsible development and more like a billionaire makeover of national land.

The Guardian reported in 2024 that some locals had already begun calling the island “Ishulli i Trumpëve,” meaning “Trump Island.”

That nickname has only become more politically loaded as opposition grows.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the broader vision for luxury tourism, arguing last year that Albania “can’t afford not to exploit a gift like Sazan.” He added that the country needs luxury tourism “like a desert needs water.”

This week, Rama told parliament that the project would not intrude on protected areas of the island. He also said in a Facebook statement that the development is part of Albania’s ambition to create “the most attractive destination of this side of the Mediterranean.”

Supporters of the plan argue that it could bring major private investment, jobs and global attention to Albania’s tourism industry.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to create a world-class destination and make one of the largest private investments in the region’s history,” said Asher Abehsera, chairman of the project’s developer.

But for opponents, the issue is bigger than one resort. It is about whether public land, fragile ecosystems and national history should be handed over for luxury development, especially when the names attached to the deal are already wrapped in political controversy.

The image of Ivanka Trump describing a barefoot hike to a pristine island may have been meant to sound romantic. Instead, it has become a symbol for critics who see the project as entitlement dressed up as opportunity.

And as protests grow, prosecutors investigate and Albanians keep chanting that their country is not for sale, the Trump-Kushner island dream is suddenly looking far less like paradise and far more like a political firestorm.