Last weekend bankers and dignitaries from around the world descended on Washington for the annual World Bank–IMF meetings. But just a few days before, the conference rooms were not only still available at Trump International, they were heavily discounted. On October 2, a deluxe room, with a rack rate of $805, could be had for as low $445 a night on Hotels.com. All other five-star D.C. downtown hotels were sold out. By Wednesday, October 5, weekend stays in the deluxe rooms were marked down to $404 per night on Trump International’s own website. The more luxurious 500-square-foot executive rooms, with a city view and marble bath, were only $484. By comparison, at the Waldorf-Astoria in Georgetown, the only available rooms were $1,139 per night, according to Hotels.com.
Mark Cuban predicted this, and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues after the election.
Would you stay at a Donald Trump property? Would you buy a condo with the Trump name on it? If you’re reading a blog like this, you’re probably one of the millions of people repulsed by Donald Trump’s disgraceful campaign for the presidency. You have to think that this will have an effect on his business model which revolves around the power of the Trump name.
We asked this same question five years ago during the Donald’s birther mania, but even that racist attack didn’t hurt his brand. But now with his presidential campaign and repeated racist and offensive statements, it’s hard to imagine he’ll avoid a permanent smear on his reputation.
I have no idea if Trump and his children will ever go bankrupt, but I do know that I would never again stay at a Trump property. I’ve spoken to many professionals and business executives who feels the same way. Trump’s legions of supporters don’t fit the demographic of his business clientele, so Cuban may be right and this could be a real problem for Trump. One can only hope . . .
Anyone interested in the stability of the world economy can’t be happy with the Brexit mess. David Cameron took a political risk and it blew up in his face, while also offering a modern lesson of why Alexander Hamilton and James Madison were skeptical of letting the passions of the majority rule in any given moment.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump offered up a typical, idiotic and self-centered response.
Fortune 500 CEOs prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by 58% to 42% as explained in this video. This shouldn’t be a surprise as Trump has sounded like an economic buffoon with statements about tariffs and negotiating down the national debt.
Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart and co-owner of the Miss Universe Pageant Donald Trump (R) meet with the Miss Universe 2010 contestants at the Events Center in the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 22, 2010. The Miss Universe 2010 competition will air live on the NBC Television Network at 9 PM ET. UPI/Patrick Prather/HO
Donald Trump has put his brand on all sorts of products as he leverages his success over the years in real estate along with the his status as a reality TV celebrity. Yet he turned many people off with his bizarre and mean-spirited attacks on President Obama. He questioned Obama’s birth certificate, and then moved on to questioning Obama’s qualifications to get into Harvard Law School.
Basically, he came across as a jerk. Then, Obama smacked him down by releasing his birth certificate, mocking Trump in front of the Washington press corps and then interrupting “Celebrity Apprentice” with the news that Navy SEALS had killed Osama bin Laden.
Meanwhile, the press has started to dig into Trump’s business dealings, shining a light on some of Trump’s less impressive ventures. Trump is getting sued by some who purchased condos thinking they were Trump projects, only to find later when the project folded that Trump was just licensing his name.
These stories are now all over the media. So it begs the question – did Trump screw up with his high-profile, mean-spirited attacks on the President? Is this going to hurt his brand? I always thought he was a clown, but he didn’t bother me. Now, I have no interest in supporting anything he’s associated with. Others I’ve spoken to feel the same way.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out . . .
Be careful before taking out huge loans to get a degree from a for-profit college. Make sure you're not getting suckered into for-profit college scams that leave you with no job and huge debt.