Ivanka Trump has spoken openly about the moment of inspiration behind the ambitious Albanian island development she and husband Jared Kushner are pursuing a project now valued at $1.98 billion.
Trump recalled the spark during a podcast interview with David Senra in May, describing a private yacht trip that led to an impromptu swim to the nearby islands. “We swam to the islands, went on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top and we were just captivated, and it stayed with us ever since,” she said.
From that moment, she explained, the couple began imagining how the untouched landscape could be transformed “to help realise its potential.” Their vision has since evolved into a two‑part development under Miami‑based firm Affinity: a major coastal project in the Vjosa‑Narta Lagoon and a smaller luxury resort on the island of Sazan.
Preliminary approval from the Albanian government was granted on December 30 a process analysts say was likely eased by Kushner’s existing relationship with Prime Minister Edi Rama, built during his role in the first Trump administration.
Kushner has described the planned resort as “the ideal” place he would want to visit with family and friends, while Ivanka Trump sees the project as a “tangible manifestation” of her experience in real estate, her extensive travel, and shifting global lifestyle trends. She says the development reflects how “people are increasingly wanting to live.”
As the project moves forward, it is set to become one of the most high‑profile foreign investments in Albania and one of the most closely watched.
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