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Before he became president, "the Trump brand was very powerful," said Melissa Aronczyk, professor of communications at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “It was a successful commercial brand, a“ symbol of luxury ”, wealth and success.

From luxury hotels to swanky real estate to golf courses, the Trump name is omnipresent in the entities of the Trump Organization headquartered in New York's Trump Tower on iconic 5th Avenue.

But Trump's four-year mandate, marked by extreme positions, and the last few weeks marred by the assault on Capitol Hill by his staunch supporters, have made the dynasty's business perilous.

The Trump brand has become “toxic” because associated with chaos and racism, summarizes Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, skeptical about the repositioning of the brand as the damage is so significant.

Since the violence at the Capitol on January 6, bad news has accumulated.

Many companies have cut their ties or distanced themselves from Donald Trump and his family holding company.

Signature Bank has started shutting down accounts for the president, according to a spokeswoman, while Deutsche Bank no longer wants to do business with him, according to US media.

In New York City, the Democratic mayor ended contracts that allowed the Trump Organization to run attractions in Central Park and a Bronx golf course.

The 2022 PGA Golf Championship will not take place at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Our brand was at stake", argued last week Seth Waugh, general manager of the organizing body.

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Debt

Can these setbacks jeopardize the Trump Organization when the Covid-19 pandemic has already severely affected its hotels? Difficult to answer as the Trump galaxy is opaque.

As the group is not listed on the stock exchange, the accounts are not made public. According to Forbes magazine, the Trump Empire generated nearly $ 2 billion in revenue between 2017 and 2019, mainly from golf courses, select resorts and private clubs, licensing royalties, and shopping. commercial real estate in New York and San Francisco.

Asked by AFP on the economic impact of the pandemic and the events on Capitol Hill, the Trump Organization did not follow up.

The only certainty is that the group has a debt of some $ 400 million.

"It's a tiny percentage of my net worth," however, assured Donald Trump last October, according to the Washington Post.

His fortune was estimated Friday at 2,5 billion by Forbes magazine, against 3,7 billion at the end of 2016, before his arrival at the White House.

Ivanka

Despite his setbacks, the president can count on staunch supporters.

"There will always be a group of people who will support Donald Trump whatever he says, whatever he does," opines Capri Cafaro, professor at American University.

To read our last article on the same subject :

Trump Bedminster: the PGA Championship 2022 will not be played there