Ex-US president’s hotel and golf links in Clare generates revenue of roughly €1m every month and has people in Ireland renting suites at the resort
That’s likely around the same amount the presidential hopeful has invested in the property since he acquired it in 2014.
As a presidential candidate, Mr Trump is required under law to file a disclosure of his financial interests with the US Office of Government Ethics.
The 265-page filing from the Republican party nominee details a web of assets around the world, from aviation interests to cryptocurrency, and golf courses and hotels to book royalties and treasury bills. The Doonbeg resort is listed as being worth somewhere between $25m and $50m.
The filing shows that the Doonbeg golf resort – now known as the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg – generated revenue of €15.2m in a 16-month period starting in January last year. This equates to almost €1m a month.
The resort’s hotel – included in the overall valuation of the golf course and resort – generated revenue of just under €7.3m in the same period.
Donald Trump with his son Eric at his Doonbeg resort. Photo: David Conachy
Trump bought the Doonbeg resort in 2014 out of receivership. The sale included the five-star hotel lodge, seven unsold suites and the Greg Norman-designed golf course itself.
He pledged to invest up to €45m in the venue and create hundreds of jobs.
The resort opened in 2002 and was developed at a cost of €28m. A report from receivers in 2014 showed that the resort was sold to Mr Trump for about €8.7m.
The sale to the businessman didn’t include a number of luxury suites that had been sold to investors during the boom and leased back to the hotel.
They bought those suites as investments, expecting to generate annual rental income and capital appreciation. A total of 47 suites had been sold to investors at prices ranging between €1.2m and €1.8m.
The Doonbeg golf resort and links. Photo: Charles McQuillan
His fresh financial filings detail income generated from a number of individuals in Ireland who pay rent at the resort.
Mr Trump and his wife Melania visited his Doonbeg resort in 2019 when he was the serving US president.
He visited again in May last year, in what was a much more low-key affair.
The resort performed strongly in 2022, with the company behind the resort –TIGL Ireland Enterprises – reporting revenue of €14.4m that year. That was double the amount in 2021. Its operating profit also nearly doubled, to €933,000.
The presidential hopeful’s latest financial disclosure showed $513m in income from US resort and residential properties including his Doral, Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster clubs, as well as tens of millions of dollars of liabilities and debts related to his legal troubles.
Donald Trump’s son Eric in Doonbeg in 2017. Photo: David Conachy.
Among his biggest sources of income was a Miami-based company that owns golf courses and a resort. It generated $161m over 16 months, starting in January 2023. His Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, generated $57m over the same period, while Trump Ruffin Tower near Las Vegas took in $28m from condominium sales and hotel-related revenue.
Mr Trump also made $5.3m from selling books. He listed a dozen outstanding liabilities, including two incurred this year, each of more than $50m – including one to the New York attorney general related to the civil fraud case against him.
Additional reporting: Bloomberg