Business

Trump’s Plaza Casino In Atlantic City Is Demolished

NC Desk February 18, 2021

Topline

The former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was demolished Wednesday morning, after closing its doors in 2014 and falling into a state of disrepair.

Former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, which has been closed since 2014, was demolished in Atlantic … [+] City, New Jersey, United States on February 17, 2021. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Key Facts

Former President Donald Trump cut his last ties with the Plaza and his other struggling Atlantic City casinos in 2009 following a series of bankruptcy filings.

The building was destroyed just after 9 a.m. amid rubble, smoke and, reportedly, cheers.

Thousands tuned in online to watch the demolition of the once iconic complex and tickets were sold to watch in-person.

A number of nearby hotels and businesses reportedly offered deals to those wanting to witness the building coming down.

A charity auction for the right to press the button to blow up the tower raised a high bid of $175,000, the New York Times reported, before being scuttled over safety concerns by the company that owned the building, which is controlled by the Trump-supporting investor Carl C. Icahn.

Tangent

Demolition crews ripped out the helipad Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club due to the end to the presidential exemption he had enjoyed from Palm Beach’s helicopter free zone rules. Trump has been living in the Florida property since leaving the White House, though whether he is legally allowed to do so is disputed by some residents.