Erin Burnett speaks with Emirati businessman Mohammed Alabbar about the world tallest building and his view about Donald Trump.
Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar said Trump’s controversial proposal to ban all Muslims from the US is “just so ridiculous – I don’t think this is going to happen.”
Asked whether the US real estate mogul and politician would find it harder to do business in the Middle East because of his comments, Alabbar responded: “Some of the comments…maybe he’s doing them for the politics, for the US…He’s a wise man, a smart man, but it didn’t really resonate well with people in the Middle East.”
Emaar Properties’ is expected to commence work on its latest scheme, The Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour – to become Dubai’s tallest tower – next month.
In Dubai, Alabbar told Erin Burnett the tower would be 100 metres taller than the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.
“[It] will have a boutique hotel, few floors of gardens, restaurants, observation decks and function halls,” he said.
“The plaza will be much bigger than the [Downtown Dubai] plaza because of the sheer size of the tower and the cables… but what we will do with the plaza and how we beautify it and real estate around it will be quite a job.”
If the ban on Muslims entering the US took effect, Alabbar joked that Muslims would simply travel elsewhere, and hinted that he did not think Trump would get the chance to implement his policy.
He said: “Well if that’s really…I mean, I don’t think this is going to happen because it’s just so ridiculous. But if that really happens of course I will be a very unhappy person.
“But the world has so many other countries we can go to – the world is full of so many gorgeous places.
“I don’t know what [Trump’s] comments serve – maybe some political agenda for some segment of society – but at the end of the day I really think America has great institutions and the results are going to be fine. I don’t think we are going to get to this situation.”
He said he and other businessmen in the region are following the US elections closely: “They are hilarious, fun, entertaining.”
