Nearly a decade ago, the real-estate mogul and future United States president signed a deal to license his name to a six-star holiday destination intended to displace the Nirwana Golf Resort, one of the world's best.

But today, the once-thriving golf course is filled with weeds, another failed project related to Trump, whose six casino and hotel bankruptcies spanning two decades have run up billions of dollars in debt and impacted thousands of lives.

"There was no clarity about our future. We heard that we would be rehired, but it never happened," said Ditta Dwi, a 26-year-old former caddy who was forced to take a waitressing job while awaiting a reopening that never came.

The Trump Organization and Indonesian developer MNC Group shut the resort in 2017 and laid off hundreds of workers after partnering to rebrand the Nirwana, which boasts idyllic views of the Indian Ocean.

The planned redevelopment, Trump's first venture into Southeast Asia's biggest economy, was dubbed a "dream project" by his son Donald Trump Jr on a 2019 visit to Jakarta.

Trump's deal to license his name to the new resort and help operate it was first struck in 2015.

Budi Rustanto, president director of PT MNC Land, confirmed on Saturday that the property was not owned by Trump.

“Trump Organization was only the operator and branding provider; the property owner is MNC Group,” Budi said in a statement to The Jakarta Post. 

Budi said the project will see a golf course, golf club house, beach club, wellness center and hotel on the property.

But it has turned out to be a pipe dream for Indonesian workers.

Five years after sending staff home, the hotel sits demolished and its course defunct, its forlorn fairways the domain of a solitary security guard patrolling on a cart, warding off tourists.

The derelict, overgrown and empty site is a far cry from the luxury image Trump long maintained for his real-estate interests before setting his sights on the White House.

But the property magnate, who recently announced he would seek the presidency again in 2024, is no stranger to colossal flops.

Six times between 1991 and 2009, his casino and hotel projects fell into bankruptcy.

The first to fail, the Trump Taj Mahal in the beachside gambling mecca of Atlantic City, New Jersey, threatened Trump's personal fortune. To cover some of the casino's debts, he had to sell off his yacht, private jet and half his shares.

'Postponed'

MNC chief and Trump ally Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who bought the Nirwana in 2013, has previously cited lower consumer spending during the COVID-19 pandemic in explaining the delays, but the project's troubles predate the outbreak.

Edwin Darmasetiawan, director of MNC's property arm, refused to confirm how many Indonesians were sacked when the development was abruptly sidelined.

He said "financial matters" had caused the years-long delays and said he hoped it would still be developed within two years.

"I don't see this project as a failure, but as postponed," he told AFP.

Budi Rustanto said development work would begin next year since the pandemic was ending. “The old hotel and golf course will be demolished, because [we] will rebuild with a better design,” Budi told the Post.

Edwin said his company has another Trump-related project near Jakarta. "We have another project in Lido; now we are focusing on that," Edwin said, referring to a planned mega-resort city of the same name to the south of Jakarta.

The project in West Java, which will include a Trump golf course and resort, has courted controversy over builders allegedly exhuming Islamic ancestral graves without permission from local residents.

The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment about the Bali resort.

Many Balinese workers have lost opportunities due to the billionaire's decision to let the plot stagnate.

While hotel workers were compensated after losing their jobs, around 150 caddies on temporary contracts received no money when they were suddenly let go.

"It was hard. The time I lost my job as a caddy was difficult. Many people were angry," said Dwi.

She earned a Rp 1.3 million (US$84) monthly salary, but tips from wealthy golfers meant she could earn as much as Rp 15 million in a good month. Now she makes the same salary, but no tips.

'Moving on'

Yet the hotel and golf workers whose livelihoods were sliced into the rough are trying to forgive and forget.

Dwi told AFP that getting her old job back now seemed "impossible".

"I have just let it go. I'm moving on," she said.

Pita Dewi, who worked at the hotel's spa for 18 years and now runs her parents' cafe, said Trump's shutdown of the resort had left her fearing for her future.

"I got stressed thinking about how I would earn money, because I have children," she said. "I was 48 years old, how could I get another job?"

But typical to the local culture, optimistic Balinese who believe staunchly in forgiveness are quick to throw away any negative feelings toward the larger-than-life tycoon.

"We have to continue [with] our life," said Dewi. "If we hated him, would that make him give us money?"

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This article has been updated based on new information provided by MNC Land.