Donald Trump’s call Monday for a ban on all Muslim immigration was widely condemned—including by many conservatives. Most cited that the policy was racist and discriminatory, and possibly unconstitutional if it applied to American Muslims abroad. But the person who could be hurt most is Trump the businessman.
He may be running a presidential campaign based on division and nativism now, but as a businessman Trump has never been shy about selling his name and products to customers all over the world—and that includes residents of Muslim-majority countries, the very people he’d now like to stop from entering the U.S.
For instance, one of Trump’s famous golf courses is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Qatar Airways, a state-owned enterprise, has an office in Trump Tower in Manhattan. And earlier this year, Trump inked a deal with a Dubai-based retailer to sell Trump luxury products in the Middle East.
Following Trump’s call for an immigration ban, one of his Middle Eastern business partners, Damac Properties Dubai, said it considered him to be only a business partner, but declined to comment on his political positions, according to Bloomberg. But earlier this year Trump lost a substantial amount of business after he made offensive comments about Mexican immigrants — losing deals with Macy’sand Univision. If Muslim consumers and businesspeople around the world start ending business with Trump, his latest invective could end up being just as costly.