How Donald Trump’s brand was tarnished after presidency, US Capitol attack
- Companies that stuck with Trump during his presidency are cutting ties with him, and his business empire is suffering
- A marketing professor said Trump’s brand went from standing for luxury to being associated with anti-government views, racism and extremism
Companies that stuck with Trump throughout his term are cutting ties in an 11th-hour stampede, including Signature Bank which closed Trump’s personal accounts and the PGA of America which scotched a plan to hold its 2022 championship at Trump’s New Jersey golf course.
Such announcements not only reflect the business community’s skittishness to proximity with a widely-condemned figure, but further hem in his company, already hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the looming loss of US taxpayer revenue tied to Trump’s visits.
The president’s role in the Capitol calamity that killed five people and drew international shock has generated withering criticism from diverse groups ranging from the Business Roundtable to the AFL-CIO labour federation.
Trump’s “name is really an albatross”, said Michael D’Antonio, who wrote a 2015 biography of Trump, adding that January 6 was a game-changer for the president’s brand.