Trump properties face global terror risk, caution experts
WASHINGTON — Businesses around the world bearing US President Donald Trump’s name face an increased risk now that he is in the White House, security experts warn, especially as several are in areas previously targeted by violence.
As Trump remains a brand overseas, criminal gangs or militants could target buildings bearing his name in gold, abduct workers associated with his enterprises for ransom or worse, they say.
“They may kidnap a Trump worker and not even want to negotiate,” aiming for publicity instead, said Colin P. Clarke, a political scientist with the RAND Corporation who studies terrorism and international criminal networks. Predicting an attack keeps police, intelligence agencies and security experts awake at night around the world — and, by its very nature, it remains speculative. US brands have been targeted in overseas violence before, but they never belonged to a president. That’s the difference. Trump becoming America’s 45th president presents a unique challenge given the range of his international business interests.
Asked about security issues, the Trump Organisation said in a statement it has “extensive protocols in place at our Trump-owned and-managed properties” in the United States and abroad.
“Our team continues to work very closely with local law enforcement,” the statement said. “We are also working in tandem with the local developers at Trump-branded properties worldwide to ensure that all residents, guests and associates remain safe and secure.” The organisation did not elaborate. While Trump has said he will put his business assets in a trust and hand over management control of his company to his two adult sons and a longtime Trump Organisation executive, it’s still his name on the projects. That hasn’t worried Kim Ok Kyu, who lives in a Trump-branded apartment tower in Seoul. —