January 6th: Trump commits branding Seppuku
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:30 am
Donald Trump says that his own worth is subjective, and fluctuates. This year promises to reveal more of what is objective. But give a thought to to what has happened to the subjective branding worth of Donald Trump, and his ability to survive.
I've said that Trump lives at the intersection of narcissim and capitalism, where he sells himself as a brand. The Apprentice saved him from financial ruin, and taught him how to market himself to a larger audience. This is the reality about branding: It is emphemeral. Today's hot new fragrance is tomorrow's turbine fuel. Forget about Presidential politics for a moment. If you are a brand, what would you do to restore the confidence of consumers and investors, vis a vis the inflammatory speech of January 6th? You would be properly chaste, calm and reassuring. You would do everything to restore the idea that your brand is something that others will be proud to partner with.
Trump has done the exact opposite. Trump has appealed to the segment of his audience that is most likely to make him unappealing to the other segments. When he leaned on Tommy Tuberville, he lost Bill Belechick. He lost the PGA. He's lost the manufacturer's associations. Think about Trump's position in the hospitality industry. Forget about Covid. How many groups will consider having a convention on a Trump property?
Trump needs cash fast, and Sheldon Adelson just died. I just don't see his revenue stream from MAGA hats, skimming defense funds, Covid-ravaged resort properties, hotels, office and residential buildings being large enough to cover the nut on his loans. There are virtually no reputable options left. He has $421 million dollars in personally guaranteed loans, $300 million of which come due in the next 4 years. Given the projected lengthty recovery of hospitality and tourism in a *hopefully* post-Covid world, Trump would have a Herculean task if he left the White House with a shiny reputation. Given what he has done to himself, I would say the chances of financial survival are bleak, and that's before any talk of criminal actions. Given his bleak financial future, and the prospect of facing numerous potential criminal indictments, how many banks will be willing to loan him money?
I've said that Trump lives at the intersection of narcissim and capitalism, where he sells himself as a brand. The Apprentice saved him from financial ruin, and taught him how to market himself to a larger audience. This is the reality about branding: It is emphemeral. Today's hot new fragrance is tomorrow's turbine fuel. Forget about Presidential politics for a moment. If you are a brand, what would you do to restore the confidence of consumers and investors, vis a vis the inflammatory speech of January 6th? You would be properly chaste, calm and reassuring. You would do everything to restore the idea that your brand is something that others will be proud to partner with.
Trump has done the exact opposite. Trump has appealed to the segment of his audience that is most likely to make him unappealing to the other segments. When he leaned on Tommy Tuberville, he lost Bill Belechick. He lost the PGA. He's lost the manufacturer's associations. Think about Trump's position in the hospitality industry. Forget about Covid. How many groups will consider having a convention on a Trump property?
Trump needs cash fast, and Sheldon Adelson just died. I just don't see his revenue stream from MAGA hats, skimming defense funds, Covid-ravaged resort properties, hotels, office and residential buildings being large enough to cover the nut on his loans. There are virtually no reputable options left. He has $421 million dollars in personally guaranteed loans, $300 million of which come due in the next 4 years. Given the projected lengthty recovery of hospitality and tourism in a *hopefully* post-Covid world, Trump would have a Herculean task if he left the White House with a shiny reputation. Given what he has done to himself, I would say the chances of financial survival are bleak, and that's before any talk of criminal actions. Given his bleak financial future, and the prospect of facing numerous potential criminal indictments, how many banks will be willing to loan him money?
