Trump Properties Suffering Since POTUS Run
This could be good or bad news depending on where you stand on the issue of Donald J. Trump, but here’s the reality: since he announced his Presidential run, Trump’s hotels and casinos haven’t been doing so hot.
Foot traffic is down in Trump-branded hotels, golf courses, and casinos in the US, falling 14 percent compared to this time last year, according to various media reports. According to these same reports, before Trump announced his POTUS bid, visits to those Trump-branded properties were fairly steady, year to year.
Now, some have said this is nothing more than a market correction. Golf participation is down nationwide, and casinos aren’t seeing a lot of the same business they have in recent years. That being said, there’s one stat that jumps out over all others and gives the lie to the idea that this is a general market trend. Most of the properties Trump has that are hurting are in deeply blue states. The inference is that folks planning to vote DEM in November are not about to support Trump’s palatial cash cows.
It’s an interesting theory following an interesting trend line. The drop had stabilized before Trump started really winning in the primaries. Then the single-digit drop began to climb. Worse, Trump businesses didn’t see the typical spring jump, dropping 17 percent in March alone. When just looking at the “blue” states, the trend is worse, a 20 percent drop when compared to this time last year.
Some have said the drop is easy to pin down. Trump isn’t doing very well with women, and the ladies make the majority of travel and leisure decisions. That’s where the PR issue really comes into play.
Trump has been struggling mightily with women voters, except white married conservative women. Most of the other female voting blocks are decidedly #NeverTrump. If Trump can gain ground with this group, he might see his business dip stabilize.
But that’s where this thing gets even dicier from a PR perspective. Looking at the issue from a bird’s eye view, if you’re a Trump supporter, you see a candidate paying a tough price for sticking his name into the political hat and sticking his neck out on the line of his principles. He’s demonstrably willing to put his money where his mouth is. And that’s something to cheer.
Then again, if you don’t much care for Trump, you might read these numbers and find yourself smiling for an entirely different reason.
Bottom line, though, it’s August. An eternity away from November in political “years”. Will Trump continue on this march and allow his businesses to continue to suffer, or will he risk his base’s love in order to shore up both independents and his casino cash flow?
