Money Grab/Charge for access to the president
Trump-branded Gurugram towers sell out in hours
On May 13, 2025, all 298 units of Trump Residences Gurugram, licensed to Indian developers Tribeca and Smartworld, sold on launch day for roughly $382 million. The Trump Organization builds nothing and collects a fee for the name.
What happened
Trump Residences Gurugram is two 51-storey towers in Sector 69 of Gurugram, outside Delhi. It is the Trump Organization’s fifth branded residential project in India, the brand’s largest market outside the United States. Smartworld Developers builds, constructs and services the project, and Tribeca Developers handles design, marketing and sales. The Trump Organization licenses its name.
On May 13, 2025, the developers announced that all 298 apartments had been allotted on launch day for a combined $382 million. Prices ran from about $940,000 to $1.8 million per unit, and four penthouses worth $14.7 million in total also sold.
The Trump Organization’s share is not public. Its fee from Gurugram is folded into its overall India licensing income rather than reported separately. The sell-out came while the United States and India were negotiating trade terms, and buyers paid a premium specifically for the sitting president’s name on the building.
Who benefited
The Trump Organization earns a licensing fee on $382 million in sales without building or owning anything. Smartworld and Tribeca sold two towers in a day.
Who wanted something
Smartworld and Tribeca paid for a name that let them sell out at a premium. Their buyers paid for that name while India’s government was negotiating trade terms with the United States.
Who lost out
No public money is involved. The cost is to U.S. trade policy toward India, since any decision Trump makes about that country also touches a market where his name just sold $382 million of apartments.
Why it matters
The president’s company earns money from a foreign country’s buyers while he negotiates with that country’s government. The fee is not shown anywhere. India’s licensing income is reported only as a national total.