Once a point of pride, Trump name reportedly scrubbed from New York ice rinks

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/22/once-a-point-of-pride-trump-name-reportedly-scrubbed-from-new-york-ice-rinks?CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1571824105

Donald Trump appears to be getting the cold shoulder from his own ice skating rinks, after the Trump organization reportedly took the unusual step of removing the president’s name from the two Central Park businesses ahead of the holiday season.

First reported by the Washington Post, city officials said the decision to remove Trump’s name in recent weeks was taken by the Trump organization but that the company has not offered a reason. His company still owns the skating rinks, which is among his oldest businesses, but it’s the first time Trump’s own organization has attempted to downplay the connection between the president and his businesses.

Trump has previously called one of the venues “the greatest ice rink in the country”.

</snip>

aHA! Eff you, Drumpf...

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Small point-- Trump does not "own" the rinks-- he just has a contract to manage them...

The contract is up for renewal in 2021 and the Trump Org. decided the name splattered all over the place would not help.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/nyregion/trump-skating-rinks.html

The contract under which the Trump Organization operates the rinks, Mr. Levine noted, is set to expire in early 2021. The move to obscure Mr. Trump’s ties to two popular public amenities was meant to ease the path to renewing that contract, he said.

“They don’t want the public to associate the Trump name with these properties,” he said. “They know that there would be too much public pressure against renewal.”

Mr. Levine was among a number of officials who supported a move by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration to examine whether the legal troubles of Mr. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen would provide grounds for canceling the Trump Organization’s contracts with the city. Mr. Levine said on Tuesday that effort appeared to have stalled.The contract under which the Trump Organization operates the rinks, Mr. Levine noted, is set to expire in early 2021. The move to obscure Mr. Trump’s ties to two popular public amenities was meant to ease the path to renewing that contract, he said.

And, after actually reading the Guardian article, I should note that the Wollman Rink has always been the Wollman Rink, named after the family that first paid $600,000 to build it in 1949.

[babylonsister]

2. That's gotta smart

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-company-wipes-his-name-from-new-york-city-skating-rinks?ref=home

FROZEN OUT
Trump’s Company Wipes His Name From New York City Skating Rinks
Jamie Ross
Published 10.23.19 5:02AM ET
Reuters

A pair of ice rinks in New York City's Central Park, which have been run by the Trump Organization since the 1980s, have quietly removed Trump's name from their branding for this year's festive season. The Washington Post reports that it's the first time since Trump took office that his own businesses appear to be downplaying their connection to him. “It’s a complete rebranding,” said Geoffrey Croft, of the watchdog group NYC Park Advocates. “They’ve taken [the name] off everything. Off the uniforms, everything.” The name has been removed from boards around each rink where big red “TRUMP” signs surrounded skaters in previous years, and a white tarp is being used to hide the Trump name at the desk where visitors rent skates. One employee told the Post the change was made because the Trump branding was driving customers away, saying: “I do believe that’s the answer. It was hurting business ... A lot of the schools, you know, liberal private schools up here, come to parties up here.”

[PCIntern]

3. Yeah and like taking his name off the rink sign

Is gonna make New Yorkers forget because they’re all so stupid right?? Because one thing about New Yorkers, they have no memories.