Gold Coast Mayor in full support of Trump Tower after meeting with President
The city’s Mayor has voiced his support for the proposed Trump tower on the Gold Coast, while a petition against the building has attracted almost 70,000 signatures.
On Tuesday, it was announced the Trump organisation signed a deal with Altus property developers for a 91-storey tower on the Gold Coast.
On the same day, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate joined Triple M Gold Breakfast with Leisel Jones, Liam & Spida from the USA to broadcast his support of the announcement.
“It’s going to be the first Trump Tower in Australia… It’s quite incredible, actually, it’s all about quality. Putting the Trump brand on it, it will take it next level, and all the Americans will know where the Gold Coast is.”
Asked whether he had met US President Donald Trump, Tate responded with a glowing recollection of their first meeting.
“I had dinner with him and marvelled at how beautiful Melania is in real life. Eric Trump is the one who is running the development…. He’s a genuine guy. [I had dinner] with Eric and Lara, who is on Fox,” he said.
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When asked what Trump was like in person, Tate responded, “very likeable”.
“He does his homework. He shook my hand and said, ‘Mr Mayor, you’re very welcome to our resident in Mar-a-Lago’, and all of a sudden I felt like he knew who I was.”
Though the Gold Coast City Council is yet to receive a development application, Altus and Trump believe the tower will be completed before the Olympics.
Community members were quick to criticise the announcement when The Weekend Edition reported on the news.
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One commenter wrote, “Can we please prioritise building affordable housing for Australian families, instead of bankrolling monstrosities!”
Another doubted both parties involved in the deal, saying, “Definitely a bad idea, apart from naming the tower after a convicted felon, the developer has been bankrupted several times… we don’t need any of our hard-working businesses tied up in this fiasco.”
A petition titled Stop the Proposed Trump Tower Development on the Gold Coast appeared online on January 16, citing not only concerns of over-development, environmental impacts and pressure on local infrastructure, but also a general community discomfort with the Trump brand and what it represents.
“The Trump administration has pursued immigration policies and actions that many Australians view as inhumane, discriminatory, and fundamentally opposed to democratic and constitutional principles,” the petition stated.
“Allowing a Trump-branded development on the Gold Coast would send the wrong message about who we are as a community and what we are willing to endorse.”
The petition called on the Gold Coast City Council and the Queensland Government to reject any development application for a Trump-branded tower, ensure genuine community consultation before approving major developments and prioritise projects aligning with Australian values of inclusivity and sustainability.
At the time of writing, the petition has 66,900 verified signatures.
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