Trump Wants Name Off 'Appalling' NJ Casinos

The Donald says run-down Trump Plaza, Taj Mahal ruining his 'luxury' brand
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2014 9:46 AM CDT
Trump Wants Name Off 'Appalling' NJ Casinos
This July 24, 2014 photo shows several lights burned out in the illuminated facade of the Trump Plaza Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.   (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Donald Trump is taking a break from protesting the arrival of Ebola-infected health workers in the US to attend to more important matters: himself. Specifically, he's suing Trump Entertainment Resorts to take his name off of Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal, two Atlantic City casinos the corporation manages, reports the AP. "I want it off both of them," he says. "I've been away from Atlantic City for many years. People think we operate [the company], and we don't. It's not us. It's not me."

Trump says in his lawsuit filed Tuesday in Atlantic County Superior Court that the managing company—which he no longer controls—has let his two namesake gambling venues plummet into "an utter state of disrepair"; he comes down especially hard on the Plaza for its uncleanliness and not-up-to-par food and drink, notes Reuters. Although his 10% stake in Trump Entertainment Resorts includes an agreement that allows the company to use his name for licensing, the real estate czar is worried that the casinos' "appalling condition" is destroying his brand, which "has become synonymous with the highest levels of quality, luxury, prestige, and success," according to the lawsuit. And (for once) he's not happy that someone's getting fired: Some 1,100 employees will be let go in September when the Plaza closes, adds Reuters—a move Trump says adds "insult to injury." (Meanwhile, Trump has advanced in his bid to buy the Buffalo Bills.)

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