Trump Organization signs its first Australian deal, a 91-storey Trump tower on the Gold Coast

What happened

On February 23, 2026, the Trump Organization announced its first project in Australia: Trump International Hotel & Tower, Gold Coast. It would rise 91 storeys and 335 metres on a long-vacant site in Surfers Paradise, with a 285-room Trump-branded hotel, 272 residences, a beach club and more than 3,400 square metres of shops and restaurants. At that height it would be the country’s tallest building.

Altus Property Group, the Queensland developer, builds and sells it; the Trump Organization lends its name. Altus chief executive David Young signed the deal at the family’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, The Nightly reported. Gulf News put the project cost at more than $1 billion. Eric Trump called it “our first official project in Australia.” The tower still needs a development application and council approval.

Who benefited

The Trump Organization collects a licensing fee it has not disclosed, while the president’s name goes on the tallest building in a U.S. ally. Licensing deals like this one paid the family $59.5 million from abroad in 2025, according to the president’s disclosure.

Who wanted something

Altus wanted the Trump name on a site where an earlier 89-storey tower was approved and never built. Young said the brand brings “prestige and allure” to the Australian market.

Who lost out

Gold Coast residents get a tower whose terms with the Trump family are secret. The city council that must approve it now holds a decision that touches the sitting president’s family business.

Why it matters

Each foreign licensing deal gives a developer abroad a direct financial relationship with the sitting president’s family. This one was signed at Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in office. No Australian government role or U.S. policy link has been reported.

Sources The Nightly (NewsWire)Gulf News