Trump the Businessman!

 

 

Trump proclaimed himself as a great businessman and superior negotiator when running for the office of President in 2016.  Here are the results of the Trump Organization since that time. The Trump Organization didn't exactly thrive during his time in office in spite of he and his family’s retention of control rather than placing his holdings in some sort of blind trust.  Since 2016, the valuation of Trump's commercial real estate business is down 26 percent, and his most valuable holding — a 30 percent stake in two skyscrapers in San Francisco and New York that makes up about one-third of Trump's fortunate — has fallen by $80 million since 2019.  Please keep in mind that the Trump Organization does not actually manage the two skyscrapers just mentioned! Trump's resorts and hotels portfolio, which includes the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and Trump National Doral Miami, has also suffered, although Mar-a-Lago brought in slightly more money last year than it did in 2020. Golf, Bloomberg notes, has weathered the pandemic better than some of Trump's other businesses because it's outdoors and a fairly socially distant activity, but some of his courses have still lost money.  Trump also loves to license his name, and his controversial nature appears to have caused problems for him in that regard. The PGA Championship will no longer be played at his New Jersey course, Florida's West Palm Beach voted to strip his name from Trump Plaza, and New York City is trying to pull his contracts to run ice rinks, a golf course, and a carousel.  Finally, some of the struggles appear to be natural outcomes of holding public office. Trump could no longer be a reality television star or make movie cameos while president, so the income he used to receive from entertainment plunged and he stopped publishing books, as well. So, as he says he will run again in 2024 one has to wonder if he will use the claim of businessman and negotiator again seeing as how badly his negotiations with Iran and N. Korea went while actually President.  The other question is whether or not his so-called base of voters will wise up to the real lack of skill and competence that defined the Trump Presidency or will they continue to be conned by him as they have been over the past 4 years.  Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me so goes the adage and the question is for how long will over 40 million voters allow themselves to be fooled time and time again?  Have they no shame?