Trump losing business over proposed Muslim ban
Donald Trump's proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S. may not dent his presidential prospects, but it is costing him money.
Dubai-based Landmark Group said Wednesday it will stop selling products from the Trump Home line of furniture, lamps and other furnishings at its chain of 190 Lifestyle department stores in the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan. The product line, known for its over-the-top design, is billed as a way to "live the Trump lifestyle."
"As one of the most popular home decor brands in the Middle East, Lifestyle values and respects the sentiments of all its customers," Lifestyle CEO Sachin Mundhwa said in an emailed statement. "In light of the recent statements made by the presidential candidate in the U.S. media, we have suspended sale of all products from the Trump Home décor range."
Trump's campaign on Monday issued a news release calling for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims from entering the United Sates."
The proposal has prompted widespread condemnation from U.S. lawmakers, foreign leaders and the United Nations. It is also drawing fire from business leaders in the Middle East, where the Trump Organization has long done business.
Emirati business magnate Khalaf al-Habtoor, who had recently expressed support for Trump in his run for the White House, blasted him on Wednesday.
"If he comes to my office, I will not let him in. I reject him," al-Habtoor told The Associated Press. "Maybe we can meet somewhere where I can debate with him in a very civilized way, not in the way he approaches people.
More apparent evidence of backlash came Thursday, when Trump's name and image were knocked off a billboard for a Trump-linked real estate project in Dubai, according to GulfNews.com, an English-language daily news site in the Middle East.
By design or otherwise, Trump's name and image have been knocked off a billboardadvertising a real estate development in Dubai.The billboard was highlighting the virtues of the super-luxury villas bearing the Trump name at the Akoya project by Damac Properties.
A spokesperson for Damac declined to provide any details as to what led to theremoval of the image.
The real estate mogul and Republican presidential frontrunner took to social media Wednesday to defend his plan to block Muslims from coming to the U.S. He tweeted a link to an article in FrontPage Mag, a conservative online publication, that said President Jimmy Carter had banned Iranians from entering the U.S. during the 1980 hostage crisis.