When management of Panama City's Trump International Hotel was wrested from the Trump Organization and its silver name chiseled off the signage earlier this year, observers noted the bruising blow to the president. The sail-shaped building had been Trump's only hotel in Panama and, at 70 stories, it was the tallest tower in the country.
This last point was of particular pride to Trump, who has been known to fudge the numbers to make his buildings appear taller than they really are. Former Ambassador to Panama John Feeley recounted the story to The New Yorker:
As [Feeley] took a seat, Trump asked, "So tell me — what do we get from Panama? What's in it for us?" Feeley presented a litany of benefits: help with counter-narcotics work and migration control, commercial efforts linked to the Panama Canal, a close relationship with the current President, Juan Carlos Varela. When he finished, Trump chuckled and said, "Who knew?" He then turned the conversation to the Trump International Hotel and Tower, in Panama City. "How about the hotel?" he said. "We still have the tallest building on the skyline down there?" [The New Yorker]
Trump's ownership of the hotel has raised red flags for ethics watchdogs, and the Trump Organization reportedly asked Panama's president to get involved when its grip on the hotel started to slip. Read the full report at The New Yorker.
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