Rarely has a building so symbolized the success of a man. But the Trump Tower, on Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan, could escape the man whose name it bears. In a civil trial that began on October 2 and is expected to last until Christmas, Donald Trump, well-positioned to become the Republican presidential candidate in 2024, is accused by the State of New York of having significantly inflated the value of his assets in order to obtain cheaper loans from banks – something he denies. The former President of the United States (2017-2021) could be forced to part with his precious glass tower which houses the headquarters of his group and the penthouse in which he lived for more than thirty years. This triplex with its overloaded and flashy decor constitutes one of the key elements of the complaint by the Democratic prosecutor, who denounces a “massive and fraudulent increase in the value” of the apartment.
The story goes that Donald Trump had long eyed this address located a stone’s throw from Central Park, with the jeweler Tiffany as a direct neighbor and where the luxury store Bonwit Teller was located. In 1979, the real estate magnate bought the building known for its Art Deco facade. Despite his promise to transfer sculpted elements to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he will make a clean sweep of the past. The billionaire will also be accused of having underpaid and made undocumented Polish workers work in unsafe conditions – he will pay more than $1 million to end the trial in 1998. Drawn by the American Der Scutt , the skyscraper has fifty-eight floors – although the last one is numbered 68. At the entrance, the giant letters “Trump Tower” overlook two turnstile doors that open onto a huge atrium open to the public and clad in pink marble .
When it was inaugurated in 1983, the jewel of the Trump empire became a fashionable place. Prices are soaring and stars are flocking – Steven Spielberg in an office, Michael Jackson in an apartment. Over time, the building became part of New York heritage. In 1997, the skyscraper stood proudly in the center of the cover of the video game Grand Theft Auto with a police car at its feet. If the glass tower also makes a few appearances in the cinema, it has its greatest success on the small screen, serving as the setting for The Apprentice, the reality TV show presented by Donald Trump from 2004 to 2015. It is in a fictional meeting room in the building that echoes at the end of each episode the now famous “you’re fired!” » (“You’re fired!”) thrown by the host to one of the candidates.
In 2015, the billionaire chose Trump Tower as his campaign headquarters and celebrated his victory in his triplex, which occupies the top floors of the building. The 45th President of the United States subsequently moved to the White House, but he returned there regularly before making Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, his main residence. During his presidency, the foot of the tower became the rallying point for his opponents. Since its defeat in 2020, the place has lost its splendor. It’s still possible to eat a burger at the Trump Grill, sip a latte at the Trump Cafe or do (expensive) shopping at the Trump Store, but it’s no longer the crowds of the big days. If Gucci recently extended the lease of its store on the street, others preferred to move away. Even Starbucks has moved. All that would be missing is for the ten golden letters that sit at the entrance to be taken down.
