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Uncomfortable Thoughts about Threats to Trump, Inc.
Trump Towers, Istanbul.
News broke Thursday that Donald Trump will be an Executive Producer for the reboot of “Celebrity Apprentice.” While Arnold Schwarzenegger will host, NBC will cut President Trump sizable checks as long as the series is produced. It will require some actual work apparently, since Kellyanne Conway said he will handle it in his “spare time.”
Since he created the franchise it makes sense to attach his name to the credits, but I hope our 45th president doesn’t actually moonlight. Just take the check (no different than presidents receiving book royalties) and let Arnold handle the showbiz day-to-day. It’s even a political opportunity; sign over the checks to the US Treasury to symbolically help pay down the national debt.
But the perils for NBC are great. Not only will the rest of the media be troubled by NBC News’s apparent conflict of interest, the network should anticipate mass boycotts and protests against any companies that advertise on “Celebrity Apprentice.” Seeing how furious the anti-Trump left has been in the few weeks since the election, they must drool at the potential to strike his corporate allies in the pocketbook.
But it won’t end there. Celebrities, professional athletes, and conference organizers have already announced boycotts of Trump properties, while angry demonstrators have circled his various buildings around the country. If you’re considering a hotel stay in Chicago or buying a pied-à-terre in Manhattan, would you want that hassle when you just want to get to your room for the night?
These, however, are conventional business difficulties; when you look overseas, the possibilities are much more dire. City officials in Vancouver and Toronto have already called to remove Trump’s name from buildings, and there are concerns that his statements about Muslims could harm his fortunes in the Middle East. But harm to his brand and balance sheet isn’t the real danger.
Trump has properties in some very dangerous neighborhoods. Turkey has been rife with Kurdish and Islamist terror attacks. Since these thugs crave international headlines, Trump Towers in Istanbul should significantly upgrade their security. Dubai is relatively safe, but Trump International Golf Club isn’t far from waters with an Iranian navy that won’t take kindly to a newly assertive America. Baku, Azerbaijan and Mumbai host Trump facilities and have recently had high-profile terror plots.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the so-called “Trump of the East,” is waging a war against the brutal Moro Islamic Liberation Front. His capital features its own Trump Tower. God forbid if anything were to happen to the above properties, or the seemingly softer targets in Brazil, Panama, South Korea, or Uruguay. Nonetheless, bad actors are desperate to garner headlines in the western media; what would get more coverage than a symbolic strike at the President of the United States?
The financial danger to Trump, Inc. is significant, but the physical threats are far more distressing. Obviously management should harden all of these sites, train the staff as if they were working in a US embassy, and dramatically increase the security budget and personnel.
I hope my fears overblown. But if you were in charge of securing these properties, how would you address the threat?
Published in Culture, Islamist Terrorism, Politics
Obviously the only way to handle this is to lock the doors and not let anybody in.
It seems very much a legitimate concern as terrorists often consider the symbolic value of a target. The number of attacks on US Diplomatic facilities over the years makes for a fairly lengthy list and a building with the President-elect’s name on it makes for a no-brainer soft target. In fact it would be somewhat surprising if efforts at increased security were not already in motion as it is clearly a problem, perhaps it is being done quietly.
Obviously Trump should prominently announce his conviction that Islam is the religion of peace, that all ills in the world are due to past US actions, and that a new age of globalist responsibility has dawned in Washington. It worked so well last time.
Alternatively he could appoint someone called Mad Dog as SecDef and let nature take its course.
Israeli hotels have figured out how to do business without being blown up, so clearly the knowledge exists.
How dare you suggest that Trump is not the most awesome person that ever existed on the planet. You must be a communist.
I demand a refund for the one day I have left on my membership (I will expect a handwritten check for $0.16 sent via first class mail)
Hmm… it does appear to be a threat already under consideration.
#MoveTheSwamp
I’ve wondered about this issue, but until I read your article, I had no idea how widely flung Trump’s properties were. It does seem to represent a sizable threat, especially to employees and guests.
I can’t imagine how these properties could be secured.
I read recently that the city of New York has sent the federal government a bill for $35 million just for the weeks that have elapsed since the election.
It sounds like an extremely complicated situation and one that is fraught with risks.
I’m given to understand that many Trump-branded things aren’t actually run by the Trump family, the name is just licensed. Kind of like when a famous actress has her name on a perfume or line of dresses. She doesn’t design or manufacture the products, she just has her name on them and the actual manufacturer can charge extra because of the cache of that brand name.
I don’t know about the properties listed above. How many of them are actual Trump properties and how many are owned by someone else who has paid for the right to use the Trump name? Of course, if you’re a jihadist nutcase you probably aren’t going to care. In either case, your fellow terrorists are going to count it as a strike against the leader of the Great Satan.
That’s what I was thinking until I considered the terrorism angle brought up in this post. Given the anti-Trump hysteria, it seems to be a volatile situation, and a dangerous one for his family, friends, and employees.
The one thing I know well from the Bush Derangement Syndrome days, it can get ugly out there.
Professor X said it best: I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul that comes to my
schoolhotel looking for trouble.SecDef named Mad Dog.
Whoa. Hadn’t considered this factor in the physical world during Trump’s presidency.
For the record, I bounced this off a couple of security experts online and they said the concerns are great. One thought that a Trump property would be an even bigger symbolic target than an embassy.
Definitely. Anything with his name associated with it, now or anytime in the past, would be a target. The Trump Organization consists of something like 500 business entities.
I really can’t imagine being responsible for security at any of his properties, or those of his kids or other relatives.
The guy has changed careers. He should divest himself of the business (though his children could continue parts under another name).
Frankly, I can think of nothing tackier than having the President’s name on these gaudy properties all over the world. Think how off-putting Obama brand cornflakes would be, then multiply by a thousand.
And yes they would be very tempting symbolic targets for terrorists.
Um, you might want to check this out.
Well, scale does matter here. A limited run of 500 cereal boxes as a goof is one thing – if you saw Bill Clinton staring lasciviously down at you from the grocery aisles every time you went shopping, that would be quite another.