Clinton: What has Trump done to Atlantic City?
US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton criticised Republican candidate Donald Trump’s Atlantic City casino business record at a speech made to the public outside the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
The Democratic Party candidate refuted the idea that Trump should be trusted as President due to having success in business, stating that “what he did for his businesses and his workers is nothing to brag about. In fact, it’s shameful.”
Among the four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014 was the Trump Plaza in September of that year after Trump Entertainment filed for bankruptcy, while the Trump Taj Mahal had been set to close in December of that year, but was allowed to remain open through bankruptcy proceedings and was bought by Carl Icahn in February.
Clinton said: “We’re standing in front of the old Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. Donald Trump once predicted it would be the biggest hit yet. It’s now abandoned; you can just make out the word ‘Trump’ where it used to be written in flashy lights.
“Not far from here is the old Trump Marina Hotel Casino. It was sold a few years ago [to Landry’s Inc. in 2011] at a huge loss. Just down the boardwalk is the Trump Taj Mahal. Donald once called it the eighth wonder of the world. It filed for bankruptcy in 2009 [Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for bankruptcy]. Things got so bad, the new management cancelled workers’ health insurance and pensions, and now those workers are on strike and we should all support them in getting a fair deal.
“Isn’t he supposed to be some kind of amazing businessman? Since he is applying for a job, it is fair to ask what in the world happened here? His excuse for all this failure is that Atlantic City just went downhill and that it’s not his fault, but don’t believe it. His businesses were failing long before the rest of the town was struggling. Other businesses here did worse because Donald Trump acted so irresponsibly.”
Trump said in a responsive statement: “Nobody understands the economy like I do and no one, especially not Crooked Hillary Clinton, will do more for the economy than I will. I want to bring jobs back to America, while Hillary Clinton wants to get elected to enrich herself with power at the expense of the people. I created thousands of jobs and made a lot of money in Atlantic City, which was what, as a businessman, I am supposed to do for my company and my family– and as President I will make America rich again, and make America great again.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Clinton met with Trump Taj Mahal strikers after her speech, as around 1,000 workers are reported to still be on strike after losing several benefits following the 2014 bankruptcy.
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