The Trump family has had Albanians on their hands for more than a month now, as anger over luxury real estate development has grown in the movement against government corruption and what they see as a political system that protects the corrupt from its citizens. Many viewers explain protests as the largest civil protests in Albania since the fall of communism in the early 1990s.
The movement, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” began in late May after President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner (he also stars as one of Trump’s Middle East peace envoys), set their sights on developing an island in the Adriatic Sea.
The proposed development includes a break Sazan Island and other luxury resorts with accommodation of up to 10,000 tourists would be affected Vjosa-Narta Protected Area on the southwest coast of Albania. The area is home to Mediterranean monk seals, flamingos, nesting sea turtles, and hundreds of migratory bird species.
The proposal has been supported by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, causing outrage. But for many Albanians, the Kushner-backed developments are just the latest. Protesters say years of corruption, weak government accountability, and an economic model focused on luxury tourism and foreign investment have benefited the political elite while undermining ordinary Albanians.
To better understand the protests and why many Albanians are disillusioned with their government, Today, It’s Explained co-host Noel King spoke with Politico’s Jakob Weizman, who has covered the Western Balkans, including Albania, for nearly a decade.
Below is an excerpt of the conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s a lot more in the full podcast, so take a listen Today, It’s Explained wherever you find podcasts, incl Apple Podcasts, Pandoraand Spotify.
What is the history of foreign development in Albania?
In 2024, Albania adopted this very controversial correction which brought about changes to this protected areas law, which is essentially what critics and protesters say opened the door for this luxury tourist resort from Jared Kushner.
Earlier this year, they construction began and it faced strong opposition from local residents and from activists. You could clearly see they are starting construction, there are miners, there are miners, there is a fence being built. And when I went there myself, you can see that there is a road already built and you can see the foundation from the courtyard. So that really started everything. People saw it and got very angry and said, enough is enough. We are going to take it to the streets.
Tell us about the protected land.
In this protected area on the southern coast of Albania, almost coastal town of Vjosa, there is this protected wildlife area which is home to the endangered species of monk seals and flamingos. It is a very popular turtle nesting site. It is a flight path. And there is also, it is a special place that the Albanians in the area hold dear to their hearts. It is a place where people go to fish. It is a place where people go to the beach with their families. It is an untouched area where you can feel the beauty of Albania, and for that destroyed by miners and miners and fences…
And then how is Ivanka Trump involved in all this?
On a podcast, Ivanka Trump had told the story, how he found the island when he was on his friend’s boat and swam to the island, and they reached the shore and started to climb the island. And he was completely fascinated by the beauty of Sazan, which is the only island of Albania.
It is an impossible story because first of all, the island was a military headquarters during the communist era. There is a danger of explosive mines left all over the island, and there are lots of mirrors everywhere. It is not well maintained and there is a danger of snakes. When I told the locals about this story, they were like, “It’s a total lie.” There was no way he could do that. This island is a rocky landscape, making it very difficult to climb barefoot to the top.
When the protests started, the podcast went viral because people started participating and people started getting angry – just treating Albania as his place of luxury.
Tell me what the protest looks like and who is involved.
It started to grow from 10,000 to 20,000, and then it became a daily routine for Albanians. You would finish work and then you would just go out on the streets and start protesting. Albania is a small country. It is 2.4 million. And now, it’s increasing to 100,000, maybe 200,000 (protesters). And there are people driving from England, from Belgium, from Germany to join the march and people driving from all over the country. I feel like it’s just an awakening of public awareness against this tourism boom in Albania and this foreign investment from Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump who refuse.
It is very important to understand that Albanians have been through a lot in the last 100 years. They were under the monarchy. They were under the Nazi regime, then they went through a brutal communist regime for 50 years. And finally their hope had emerged once again after the fall of communism. It was a very poor country. It was cut off from the rest of the world during communism. So that land is very important to Albanians, and when someone like Kushner comes, it just wakes up the whole country and says, “No, this is ours, and you won’t touch it.”
Is there a case that tourism and investment can really be a boom for the economy of Albania and this protest can be shortsighted?
Honestly, there are people I’ve talked to who think tourism is good for the country. I will not say that all people in Albania think that this is a bad thing. But there are many suspicions and there are many claims of corruption. The record of the country in the last 20, 30 years is not good and it does not convince people that there will be an underground economy where you will build a resort and it will create jobs and increase infrastructure and bring investment and bring money to people. They don’t believe that.
That’s why most Albanians are leave the country. Mass immigration from Albania is crazy. You talk to anyone in Albania, their only dream is to leave. Eddy Ramathe prime minister, is trying to bring this hope to the country: “We will build these resorts and the money will flow to you.”
Albanians do not really believe in the fact that this kind of development will be able to help the country. The level of corruption going on in the country is causing people to lose faith in the government.
