A new controversy is swirling around Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s ambitious resort plans in Albania after former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt publicly ridiculed Ivanka’s account of how the couple supposedly discovered the island they hope to transform into a luxury destination.
The dispute centers on Sazan Island, a remote and historically significant island off the coast of Albania that has become the focus of a massive proposed resort development linked to Kushner’s investment interests.
Ivanka recently described the discovery in almost storybook fashion. Speaking about the island, she said she and Kushner encountered the location while swimming in the sea and exploring the coastline, eventually becoming captivated by its beauty.
But Schmidt wasn’t buying it.
On a recent podcast appearance, the longtime Republican operative turned outspoken Trump critic openly laughed at Ivanka’s description of events and argued that her story contained major factual problems from the very beginning.
“She got five words in before she started lying,” Schmidt said, mocking the account.
According to Schmidt and his guest, Canadian broadcaster Dean Blundell, one of the most obvious issues involves the island itself. They pointed out that Sazan Island has a long military history and was used for decades as a heavily fortified military zone.
The island contains abandoned military infrastructure, bunkers, unexploded ordnance, and areas that have required extensive cleanup efforts over the years.
Schmidt sarcastically noted that if Ivanka had simply wandered ashore and begun exploring as casually as she described, she would have encountered dangers that make the story difficult to believe.
Adding to the criticism, Blundell highlighted what he described as a geographical mistake in Ivanka’s retelling.
While Ivanka referred to the island as being in the Mediterranean Sea, critics noted that Sazan sits at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea, where the Adriatic and Ionian waters meet.
For opponents of the project, the debate is about more than geography.
The planned resort development has already generated significant controversy inside Albania, where critics argue that large-scale luxury projects could alter protected natural areas and benefit wealthy foreign investors at the expense of local interests.
Supporters, however, argue that the investment could bring jobs, tourism revenue, and economic development to the region.
The public backlash has intensified as more attention has focused on how the island was chosen and what role political connections may have played in advancing the proposal.
Schmidt’s comments quickly spread online, with critics using them to question the broader narrative surrounding the development.
Whether Ivanka’s description was simply an imprecise retelling of a memorable trip or evidence of a story that doesn’t fully add up remains a matter of debate.
What is clear is that the controversy surrounding Sazan Island is far from over. As scrutiny grows around the project, every detail—from the island’s location to the story of how it was discovered—is now being examined under a much brighter spotlight.
