The Trump Organization allegedly owes money all over D.C.

The Trump Organization's outstanding bills on its new Washington, D.C., hotel total more than $5 million, The Washington Post reported Friday. In a follow-up from its report Thursday, the Post revealed that a third company has moved to protest a lack of payment for work on Trump International Hotel. Three days before Christmas, AES Electrical filed a lien claiming it's owed about $2.1 million.
The company claims it went into overdrive to help President-elect Donald Trump finish up his big hotel ahead of schedule, sending "45 members of its staff to work 12-hour shifts for nearly 50 consecutive days to get the lights, electrical, and fire systems prepared on time," the Post reported. Around the same time that Trump's hotel was announced as completed "under budget and ahead of schedule," AES says it stopped receiving payments from the Trump Organization and its construction manager.
AES is the third business to file a lien regarding the property: Family-owned plumbing company Joseph J. Magnolia, Inc. claims it's out $2.98 million, and A&D Construction says it's owed $79,000 for work on the hotel.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A representative for the Trump Organization wrote in an email to The Washington Post that "the filing of nominal liens at the conclusion of construction is not uncommon as part of the close out process." For more on the story, head over to The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US