Donald Trump’s former hotel and casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey was taken down in a controlled demolition on Wednesday, with spectators actually paying to view the event and cheering as it came down.
While the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino had once been one of the big attractions on the Boardwalk, it had fallen into disrepair since closing in 2014, with debris beginning to peel and fall off the building.
It was destroyed in a controlled demolition on Wednesday morning, leaving in its wake nothing but rubble.
The former events manager for the casino, Bernie Dillon, said the hotel had once hosted major celebrities like Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, and many others.
Also on rt.com Trump declares war on Senate GOP leader McConnell, calls him ‘dour, unsmiling hack’ & vows to back ‘America First’ primary rivals“It was like that a lot: You had Madonna and Sean Penn walking in, Barbra Streisand and Don Johnson, Muhammad Ali would be there, Oprah sitting with Donald ringside,” Dillon told NBC News.
Though Trump’s name was on the building, he moved away from the business in 2009.
In footage of the building coming down, crowds can be heard cheering.
Spectators could pay $10 to watch the demolition, though others gave much more. Some paid hundreds of dollars for the chance to get a front-row seat at buildings with direct views of the implosion.
“It’s an end of a not-so-great era,” said Jennifer Owen, who bid $575 to see the building come down from the VIP breakfast, according to the New York Times.
Also on rt.com Trump remains unchallenged frontrunner among potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates - pollThere was previously even an auction that would have given someone the chance to push the button that set off the explosion, with the money going to charity. This was canceled, however, after an objection from the building’s owner.
The top bid was reportedly $175,000.
Other Trump critics not willing to pay or travel celebrated the building’s demise on social media as a quasi-victory over the controversial Republican.
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