Eric Charbonneau for Nakheel /AP PhotoIf Donald Trump has decided who he's going to support for president, he isn't saying.
However, he does have at least one thing to say about Barack Obama picking Joe Biden as his running mate.
"It was an unusual choice," Trump told me last night about Biden at the Los Angeles-area gala to celebrate the Trump International Hotel & Tower, his new gazillionaire building in Dubai. "But I wish them luck."
The real estate magnate was quickly ushered into one of two temporary domes housing a Hollywood-worthy presentation of the Dubai project, which Trump is developing with the Middle East's Nakheel real estate conglomerate. A mini-replica of Dubai was on display as a booming movie-trailer-like voice was blasted through a speaker system boasting of the money that's being poured into the Middle Eastern region.
Trump's 26-year-old daughter Ivanka explained that Dubai was one of 70 projects she's working on for her father's company. "We have so many opportunities to grow and there are just markets that are exploding all over the world," she said, after rattling off a list that included Egypyt, Peru, China and India. "They're all going on at the same time right now. They're all active and all moving forward."
Believe it or not, the Trumps haven't thought about an Apprentice challenge in Dubai for the upcoming season of their reality competition show. "We'll have to credit you if we do," Ivanka told me when I suggested the idea.
Meanwhile, stars like Orlando Bloom, Kate Walsh, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Lucy Liu, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank showed up for the swanky affair, which took place at a sprawling Bel-Air estate owned by a South African family that apparently makes its money in the fashion biz. Christina Aguilera performed.
So why did these celebs come out for Mr. Trump and his Dubai dreams?
No one will actually confirm on the record, but one well-informed partygoer told me that many are not only offered cash, but also luxurious trips to the Middle East.
The region is swimming in money. Some property developers have offered potential investors incentives like free jets and sports cars if they buy into their properties, according to the partygoer: "They say there's a Maserati in the garage waiting for them. I heard of one place where they're giving away a Learjet!"