Bids have been coming in fast a furious for the chance to push the button to implode the shuttered Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City.
The former Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, which shut it’s doors in 2014, will go out with a bang sometime in February, and the highest bidder can press the button to bring it down. Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small announced the charity auction last week, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City. “I wanted to use the demolition of this place to raise money for charity,” Small said.
Trump Plaza, which opened in 1984, is the last remaining structure that bears the president’s name in Atlantic City. Trump exited the Atlantic City casino market in 2009 after declaring several bankruptcies, but still received a 10 percent fee for use of his name. That fee disappeared in 2016 when billionaire Carl Icahn bought the company. Since then the building has fallen into disrepair, becoming a public safety hazard. Sections of the facade fell to the ground this year, along with additional debris. The city reached an agreement with Icahn to tear the building down. Small expects to discuss possible uses for the site with Icahn, who plans to redevelop it. The Plaza sits at the center of the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
An auction company will accept bids through January 19, when the top bids will be opened and a live auction held. The demolition could raise more than $1 million for the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, according to the Associated Press. The Boys & Girls Club offers recreation, education and training programs for local children and teens.
So far the response has been vigorous, with bidding topping $50,000 within the first three days. One person in the running is the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleges Trump’s lawyer paid her off to remain silent about an alleged affair she had with the president in 2006. A St. Louis man has set up a GoFundMe campaign to hand the button over to Daniels if it raises the most money. Daniels, who’s real name is Stephanie Clifford, tweeted her support of the idea.
“I really want to do it…and we all know I’m good at pressing buttons. LOL,” Daniels tweeted.
Another celebrity supporter of the idea is singer and actress Bette Midler, who tweeted “Guess what? #Atlantic City is auctioning off the chance to push the button that blows up the #TrumpPlazaHotelAndCasino. Welp, there goes my daughter’s inheritance,” she tweeted. “Sorry, honey, Mommy’s got an itchy demo finger!”
If the Daniels campaign comes up short the organizers have pledged the money raised will still go to charity, starting with Ready Readers in St. Louis.
The auction has garnered national attention in the waning days of Trump’s presidency. The implosion was originally scheduled for the end of January but has been delayed for weather and safety reasons, Small said. The implosion will take place some time in February, bringing to an end the last remaining symbol of Trump’s casino empire.
