Fact check: True, Trump Plaza Hotel was razed in Atlantic City
Users claim that it is the demolition of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City....
By Satya Priya BN Published on 20 Feb 2021 11:32 AM IST
A video of the demolition of a building is viral on social media. Users claim that it is the demolition of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Users say it has been demolished by implosion.
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Fact Check:
The claim Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, the USA, was razed is TRUE.
On February 17, 2021, the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was reduced to rubble in 20 seconds by 3,000 sticks of dynamite. It had fallen into such disrepair that chunks of the building had been tumbling to the ground.
The casino opened in 1984 during a decade of excess for Trump and other kings of capitalism. It hosted parties for countless Hollywood actors, rock stars, and sportspeople. But after a string of bankruptcy filings, the New York property tycoon and reality TV host cut ties with it in 2009.
Trump Plaza, which operated as a hotel and casino since 1984, was shut down in September 2014 after the owners failed to find another buyer. The revenue of Trump Plaza had sharply declined in the last two decades, which was the key reason why owners were looking for another buyer to sell the hotel. After its closure in 2014, more than 1,000 employees lost their jobs. It was decided that the building would be demolished in 2018 but was postponed due to funding disputes.
In June 2020, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced that plans for the demolition of Trump Plaza have been submitted by IEP AC Plaza LLC, a subsidiary company of Icahn Enterprises, bought the building in 2018. The building posed danger to the public's safety because of the deteriorating condition of the structure.
Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino was the first of three casinos Donald Trump owned in New Jerseyāall of which eventually filed for bankruptcy protection multiple times and went belly up. Trump's legacy in Atlantic City has long been defined by self-dealing, financial trouble, and avoiding paying small, mom-and-pop contractors.
The timing of the implosion could not have been more symbolic. With the second impeachment trial completed, hundreds flocked to Atlantic City to bask in the collective schadenfreude and celebrate the end of Trump's presidency. Nearby hotels such as Caesars jacked up their midweek prices to take advantage of the surge in visitors coming to the gaming town, which was struggling long before its hospitality business was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Seats were sold to view the implosion. According to a report in nytimes.com, Front-row seats to view Wednesday morning's spectacle were sold on the cheap. Onlookers in cars hoping to witness the symbolic finale of the former president's casino empire in the seaside resort city were charged $10 and herded into a lot most recently used as a pandemic-era food distribution site.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/
Hence, it is TRUE that Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City was demolished on February 17, 2021.
