The Daily Show humiliated Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner for buying a “real fixer-upper”: a 1,400-hectare island in the Mediterranean.
Anchor Michael Kosta tore into Trump’s daughter for purchasing the private island amid a spiraling economy and her father’s war on Iran.
“It seems like every day, there’s more depressing news about the economy,” Kosta said. “Gas is $5 a gallon. Raspberries are $8 a pint, which sucks because my backup plan was to fill up my car with smoothie. Now, despite all this, it’s inspiring to know that even in these tough times, there are everyday Americans out there who are still able to make it work...”
The Daily Show host panned to footage of Ivanka explaining her purchase, which sits off the coast of Albania.
“We developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful,” she said on David Senra’s podcast on Sunday.
Kosta slow-clapped in response. “Let’s give it up for this couple.”
“And for those of you who are thinking, hey, before buying a private island, shouldn’t billionaires maybe read the room? What you don’t understand is, the island doesn’t have rooms yet. They can’t lay the foundation for those rooms until they burn down all those stupid trees, OK?”
Ivanka, 44, explained on Senra’s podcast that she and Kushner came across the island by accident. “We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it. We swam to the islands. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way, up to the top. And we were just captivated.”
Kosta mocked Ivanka’s “impulse buy”: “I feel ya, girl. I feel ya. Been there, done that, except instead of the Mediterranean, I was swimming in the Hudson River. And the island I hiked barefoot was Staten Island. And instead of buying it, I stepped on a needle and got HPV. But I feel you. I feel you.”
To top it off, said the Daily Show host, Ivanka is presenting her luxury eco-resort development as a spiritual journey, leading Kosta to ask, “Can you make this sound even more out of touch?”
Ivanka explained to Senra, “For me, it feels more like a challenge than anything else. The culmination of all of my experience in real estate, all of my travel, a lot of reflection on how I want to live, how I think people increasingly are wanting to live, and trying to really build something that’s a tangible manifestation of that.”
Kosta wasn’t buying it. “Come on, lady. You’re rich, and you bought an island! Just say that.”
The $1.4 billion Sazan Island project has been the subject of scrutiny for years. In the last few days, following Ivanka’s interview, thousands of local citizens and environmental activists alike have protested the proposed development, which is located on a coastal wetland area home to flamingos and sea turtles.
Albanian authorities announced on Monday they are investigating the Trump-Kushner luxury project.
