Rarely has a building symbolized a man's success to such an extent. But Trump Tower, on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, could slip away from 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 considerably inflated the value of his assets in order to obtain more advantageous loans from banks – a charge he denies. The former US president (2017-2021) could be forced to part with his precious glass tower, which houses his company's headquarters and the penthouse in which he has lived for over 30 years. This triplex with its overly elaborate, flashy decor is one of the key elements of the Democratic prosecutor's complaint, which denounces a massive, and fraudulent, increase in the value of the apartment.
The story goes that Trump had been eyeing this location for a while, a stone's throw from Central Park and right next to the jeweler Tiffany & Co., where the luxury department store Bonwit Teller was located. In 1979, the real estate magnate bought the building, renowned for its Art Deco facade. Despite his promise to donate sculptural elements to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he was able to erase traces of the past. The billionaire was also accused of underpaying undocumented Polish workers and making them work in unsafe conditions – he would pay over $1 million to put an end to the lawsuit in 1998. Designed by the American Der Scutt, the skyscraper has 58 floors – although the top one is numbered 68. At the entrance, the giant letters "Trump Tower" overhang two revolving doors opening onto an immense atrium open to the public and clad in pinkish marble.
When it opened in 1983, the jewel of the Trump empire became a fashionable place to be. Prices soared and stars flooded in – Steven Spielberg had an office and Michael Jackson had an apartment. Over time, the building became part of New York's heritage. In 1997, the skyscraper stood proudly at the center of the cover of the video game Grand Theft Auto, with a police car at its feet. While the glass tower also made a few appearances in film, it enjoyed its greatest success on the small screen, serving as the set for The Apprentice, the reality show Trump hosted from 2004 to 2015. At the end of each episode, a fictitious meeting room in the building was the setting for the now-famous line "You're fired!" shouted by the host to one of the contestants.
In 2015, the billionaire chose Trump Tower as his campaign HQ and celebrated his victory in his triplex, which occupies the building's top floors. The 45th US president subsequently moved into the White House but returned regularly before making Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, his primary residence. During his presidency, the foot of the tower became a rallying point for his opponents. Since his defeat in 2020, the place has lost some of its splendor. It's still possible to eat a burger at the Trump Grill, sip a latte at the Trump Cafe or do some (expensive) shopping at the Trump Store, but it's no longer as crowded as it once was. While Gucci recently extended the lease on its street-side boutique, others have preferred to distance themselves from it. Even Starbucks has moved away. All that remains is for the 10 golden letters with pride of place over the entrance to be taken down.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.