Trump Organization admits his name is causing profits to tank

Opposing Trump caused business to boom for a small Virginia restaurant, but the Trump Organization recently admitted that the opposite is true for them: Aligning with Trump’s name is bad for their bottom line.

An accountant representing the Trump Organization told county officials that the decline in revenue for Trump’s Doral resort in Miami boils down to Trump’s brand, according to a Wednesday report by the Washington Post.

“There is some negative connotation that is associated with the brand,” Jessica Vachiratevanurak told a Miami-Dade County official. According to the Post, this is the first time the Trump Organization has been forced to admit that Trump’s name hurts their business.

In a statement, Eric Trump — who allegedly runs the Trump Organization after Trump said he would no longer do so — called the Post story “completely senseless.” The Trump Organization blamed hurricanes and fear of the Zika virus for Doral’s underperformance, even though the statement made to Miami-Dade county officials is required by law to be accurate. Someone is lying, and the Trump family has a storied history of dishonesty.

While still turning a profit, Trump’s Doral resort saw their revenue decline even as data shows competing resorts in the area outperforming them in terms of room occupancy and average room rates. From 2015 to 2017, the Doral saw an 18% drop in revenue. The revenue drop came as the Doral dropped their room rates in a desperate attempt to attract customers.

The declining revenue at Doral mirrors business troubles at other Trump properties. The Post analysis shows Trump’s hotels in Chicago and New York also saw declining revenues, despite attempts by conservative organizations and foreign governments to appease Trump by staying at his branded properties.

In contrast to Trump’s crumbling empire, the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia saw an uptick in business after the owner refused to serve White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in 2018. The owner and employees opposed the Trump administration policy of tearing apart immigrant families at the border and kidnapping thousands of children.

Nearly a year after the incident made national headlines, the Red Hen is more profitable than ever.

Trump’s callous and racist policies aren’t just bad for the country, they are bad for business. If Trump were a better businessman — or a better person — maybe he would understand this.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.