LIDO, West Java — A Trump-branded luxury resort project in Indonesia is moving forward again after months of uncertainty, with construction resuming inside the sprawling Lido Special Economic Zone (SEZ) south of Jakarta.
The development, tied to the Trump Organization and Indonesian conglomerate MNC Group, had faced a major setback in February 2025 when Indonesian authorities ordered development work to stop over environmental and water-management concerns.
Now, more than a year later, the project is back on track.
Indonesia’s Environment Ministry has lifted the suspension after the developer carried out remedial measures addressing the government’s concerns, according to CNA. An official with Indonesia’s national council for special economic zones also confirmed that the prohibition was removed earlier in 2026.
Trump golf project returns to the spotlight
At the centre of the development is the Trump International Golf Club Lido, an 18-hole championship golf course that has already begun operations.
CNA reported that construction is now underway on a 3.3-hectare clubhouse described by MNC Tourism as the largest clubhouse under the Trump Organization. The facility is planned to include restaurants, meeting rooms, a large ballroom and a 5,000-square-metre semi-outdoor ballroom, with completion expected this year.
The Trump-branded development forms part of the much larger Lido SEZ, a 1,040-hectare tourism and entertainment zone located less than 60km from Jakarta.
According to MNC Tourism, Trump-linked developments occupy about 216 hectares of the SEZ and are planned to include the golf course, a five-star hotel, residences and a wellness centre.
The Trump Organization describes Lido as its first Trump Golf property in Asia, with plans for a luxury country club, residences, spa facilities and five-star hospitality services.
Why Indonesia stopped the project
The comeback follows a serious environmental dispute.
In February 2025, Indonesia ordered MNC Land to halt development at Lido after the Environment Ministry raised concerns about water management and environmental compliance.
Reuters reported that authorities said poor rainwater management had contributed to sedimentation in Lido Lake, making the lake shallower and reducing its area to about 12 hectares. The ministry also accused MNC Land of failing to follow the environmental assessment approved for the development.
MNC Land disputed part of that account, saying sedimentation had already existed before the company took over the area in 2013 and that addressing the problem had been one of its priorities since construction began in 2016.
The government subsequently required remedial action, including measures designed to prevent soil and sediment from flowing into the lake. CNA reported that the developer carried out those measures and that the suspension was eventually lifted.
From ambitious mega-resort to environmental controversy
The Lido project has been in development for more than a decade.
MNC Group began developing the area around 2014, with plans that expanded over the years to include luxury hotels, golf facilities, residences, entertainment attractions, film-production facilities and a theme park.
Lido was formally designated a Special Economic Zone in 2021, giving the development access to government support, including investment incentives and streamlined licensing arrangements.
The Indonesian government has previously promoted Lido as a potential tourism and economic-growth engine. Earlier government projections estimated that the development could attract millions of visitors and generate significant foreign-exchange earnings over the long term.
Government performance data also show that the Lido SEZ continued processing business licences and investment-related approvals during 2025, indicating that the wider special economic zone remained an active government-supported development despite the earlier environmental dispute.
The Trump connection
The Trump Organization’s involvement dates back to a management agreement with MNC Group chairman Hary Tanoesoedibjo.
The partnership was announced years before Donald Trump returned to the White House. Reuters reported in 2025 that Tanoesoedibjo said he had signed a management deal with the Trump Organization in 2015.
The relationship has therefore survived multiple political changes in both countries and has evolved from plans for Trump-branded hotels and residences into the current golf-focused development.
MNC Group has described the Lido project as one of its major tourism investments, while earlier reports said Trump-branded residences and resort facilities were planned for both Lido and Bali.
Can the Trump name guarantee success?
That may be the bigger question now.
Lido has a major advantage: its location. Analysts cited by CNA said the development is roughly an hour from Jakarta and benefits from improved road connectivity, potentially giving it access to Indonesia’s wealthy urban population.
But the Trump name alone may not be enough.
Experts interviewed by CNA cautioned that the project still needs to account for Indonesia’s environmental regulations, local communities, cultural expectations and long-term sustainability.
The environmental controversy surrounding the development has already demonstrated how quickly a high-profile luxury project can run into regulatory obstacles when environmental requirements become an issue.
And that makes the reopening of construction more than just a property-development story.
It is a test of whether Indonesia can turn a heavily promoted luxury tourism project into a functioning economic hub while meeting the environmental standards expected of a Special Economic Zone.
What happens next?
For now, the Trump-linked Lido project is moving again.
The golf course is operating, the clubhouse is under construction and additional hotel, residential and wellness developments remain part of the broader vision.
But Lido’s previous environmental problems have not disappeared from the project’s history.
The Indonesian government has made clear that sanctions can be lifted when developers comply with required corrective measures—and that enforcement can return if those requirements are not met.
So the next chapter for Trump’s Indonesia project may ultimately be decided not by the famous name attached to the golf course, but by whether Lido can deliver the luxury destination investors were promised without repeating the environmental problems that brought the project to a standstill in the first place.
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