Harper Lee called Trump's Taj Mahal 'the worst punishment God can devise'
To Kill a Mockingbird's Harper Lee lived a famously reclusive life in Monroeville, Alabama — but she still took the occasional trip out of town. However, Lee might have preferred staying home during one such excursion, when she had the great displeasure of visiting one of Donald Trump's casinos, The New Republic reports.
Twenty-nine of Lee's personal letters will be auctioned this week, one of which reveals her distinct dislike of Trump's Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. Writing on August 25, 1990, to her friend, Doris Leapard, Lee explained in no uncertain terms that "the worst punishment God can devise for this sinner is to make her spirit reside eternally at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City."
Not a whole lot has changed since the '90s, apparently: The Taj Mahal earns only two and a half stars out of five on Yelp and includes reviews like "a bunch of slot machines, nothing too special" and "when I opened by bag to fetch my clothes, a RAT, MICE whatever you wanna call it... jumped out of the bag."
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Donald Trump no longer owns the Taj Mahal, however, due to that whole bankruptcy thing.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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