Donald Trump will fight you in court if you call him 'The Donald'
Donald Trump has claimed that being called "The Donald" is really no big deal. "I don't mind that it stuck," he told The Washington Post last September. "I think it's an endearment." He's fine. Everything is fine.
But in 1990, an Eastern Airlines employee named Charles Beattie sued Trump after being fired from the company once Trump purchased it and renamed it Trump Shuttle, The Washington Post discovered. During that lawsuit, Beattie repeatedly called Trump "The Donald": "The Donald is reputed to be a very rich man," as one example.
Trump's lawyers responded with a filing that took issue with Beattie's usage, claiming "there is absolutely no basis for plaintiff to create a circus atmosphere in this Court by referring to Mr. Trump as 'The Donald'…Such allegations, which make Mr. Trump appear as a caricature of cartoon-like proportions, are simply unnecessary." Another filing revealed that being called "The Donald" made Trump "uncomfortable."
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In the 2016 election, some have argued that Trump is "thin-skinned," a case that appears to only be supported by his strong adversity to his nickname. Nevertheless, Trump has maintained he has "very strong, very thick skin."
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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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