Fact Check: Does viral video show Albanians vandalizing Ivanka Trump and Kushner's resort site?
ZVERNEC, ALBANIA: A viral video claiming to show Albanians vandalizing the construction site of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's planned luxury resort in Albania has spread widely across social media, fueling speculation about growing opposition to the controversial development.
The footage surfaced amid ongoing protests and environmental concerns surrounding the couple's proposed tourism project on Albania's southern coast. Here's what the viral claim says and what our investigation found.
Claim: Viral video shows protesters vandalizing Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's resort site
A video circulating online shows several clips of protesters carrying Albanian flags while breaking fences and pushing construction crates down a hillside in what appears to be a forested area.
The footage has been shared with claims that it shows anti corruption demonstrators targeting the luxury resort project linked to President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner. Social media posts described the alleged incident as a protest against what critics have called government backed luxury developments in Albania.
The video quickly gained traction online, with many users believing it showed the resort project under attack. Others, however, questioned its authenticity and called for a fact check.
Fact Check: Viral footage is from Kakome, not the planned resort project
Although the footage genuinely shows a protest over land access in Albania, it is unrelated to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's planned resort development.
A reverse image search found that the video was filmed in Kakome, where local residents were seen dismantling barriers and fences they said had unfairly blocked access to their land for decades, according to local reports.
Ivanka Trump has previously said the luxury resort is planned for the Zvernec Peninsula and Sazan Island. Kakome is located several miles south along Albania's coastline and is not part of the proposed development area.
While demonstrations opposing Kushner’s tourism project have taken place elsewhere in Albania, the viral footage does not show protesters at the planned resort site. The claim is therefore miscaptioned.
Ivanka Trump shares how she discovered the island
Speaking about the project in an interview, Ivanka Trump recalled first discovering Sazan Island and the nearby coastline during a boating trip.
"It's an unbelievable, beautiful 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean," she said.
"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, and it stayed with us ever since."
Despite those plans, environmental groups and activists have continued to oppose the proposed development, arguing that it could threaten one of Albania's most ecologically sensitive regions.
The area includes habitats for flamingos, more than 200 migratory bird species, Mediterranean monk seals, and sea turtles.
Critics have also argued that legal changes adopted in 2024 weakened protections for previously safeguarded areas, making it easier for tourism developments to move forward in environmentally sensitive locations.
