Trump Organization Announces Skyscraper in Tbilisi, Prompting Political Backlash

Georgian developers with links to former premier’s network join the U.S. firm on a roughly seven-dozen–story project critics say aims to curry favor with Washington amid looming sanctions talk.

The Trump Organization says it will lend its name and management to a high-rise development in Tbilisi, a move that has quickly drawn attention in both Georgia and the United States. The project, billed by its backers as the tallest building in the Caucasus, has become a flashpoint: government supporters call it a vote of confidence in the economy, while opponents say it is a calculated attempt by allies of oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili to attract the U.S. president’s goodwill as Tbilisi faces possible penalties for democratic backsliding.

The joint venture announced for the Saburtalo district pairs the U.S. Sapir Organization, a long-time partner of the Trump family, with four Georgian companies — Archi Group, Biograpi Living, Blox Group and Finvest Georgia. Archi Group is led by Ilia Tsulaia, a onetime member of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, and Biograpi operates under the larger Wissol umbrella controlled by the Pkhakadze brothers, who have drawn scrutiny for their pro-government donations and business dealings.

Officials from the ruling party have hailed the deal as evidence that international brands still want to invest in Georgia. A senior parliamentary official suggested that a global developer attaching its brand signals confidence in local rules and stability. Opposition figures and independent analysts disagree, arguing the consortium masks financial influence from Ivanishvili and that the timing — as Brussels and Washington talk about punitive measures — is hardly accidental. One former central bank chief told reporters the arrangement looks politically charged and could be intended to create leverage in Washington.

U.S. commentators and watchdogs have raised ethics questions about the Trump Organization’s renewed push overseas under the current administration. Company executives have described the development as an opportunity to introduce their standards to a new market; critics counter that foreign projects tied to a sitting president’s family risk mixing private interests and public policy. Georgia is not new ground for the brand: a past effort in the Black Sea resort of Batumi stalled after presidential politics shifted, later being absorbed into a domestic state-backed fund and rebranded.

The parcel selected for the new tower is reported to remain registered to the Cartu Foundation, the charity and investment vehicle long associated with Ivanishvili, a fact that opposition parties and transparency advocates say complicates the project’s public accounting. Civil-society monitors called for clearer disclosure of ownership stakes and funding paths, warning that the deal could funnel influence through front companies and entangle a high-visibility U.S. name in local patronage networks.

Washington’s policy toward Tbilisi has largely been cool since 2025, with U.S. officials repeatedly urging free and fair elections and signaling consequences for democratic erosion. A recent phone call between the U.S. secretary of state and Georgia’s prime minister was seized on by Georgian Dream as a diplomatic thaw, but U.S. lawmakers who watch the country closely cautioned that a branded skyscraper won’t alter core concerns. A U.S. ethics expert interviewed for this story said the development may change headlines but is unlikely to shift formal policy unless it becomes a vehicle for corruption or state capture — concerns that many Georgians say deserve careful scrutiny.