Amid reports that Donald Trump's campaign will hold daily briefings at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention — a nice little transfer of campaign money into the candidate's personal business portfolio — and Democratic operatives are enjoying heckling their rival before the convention kicks off on Monday.
Armed with a high-powered projector, party activists booked a room across the street from Trump Tower to project the message “Trump-Vance: Get Out for Yourself” — along with other slogans intended to incite anger, outrage and annoy the candidate — onto the 92-story building’s shiny glass facade.
The slogans “Trump-Vance: Weird as Hell,” “Harris-Walz: We Fight for You,” and “HQ 2025 Project” are also repeated. Since taking office, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have called Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, “weird,” much to Trump’s chagrin. As for Project 2025, Trump has sought furiously (and unsuccessfully) to distance himself from the conservative personnel and policy platform that was supposed to help him launch his second term with a bang, where he has gained fame and controversy.
The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed building — one of Trump's last major construction projects before he became president — is also one of the biggest failures to hit the Chicago River since the infamous Dave Matthews Band tour bus disaster.
in May, The New York Times ProPublica reported that the former president may owe more than $100 million, plus interest and penalties, to the Internal Revenue Service in connection with the building, after he twice wrote off his astronomical losses. According to the outlet, Trump reported a $651 million loss on the project in 2008, and an additional $168 million in losses over the next decade.
Trump has a well-documented habit of using his private properties for campaign events, and enriching himself through donations from his supporters. USA Today In April, a report found that Trump’s joint fundraising committee had already spent at least $411,287 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., and an additional $62,337 at the Trump National Doral Miami resort. Federal regulations allow campaign spending at a candidate’s business if the campaign pays “fair market value” for it. (The cheapest room at the hotel inside Trump Tower in Chicago is selling for $666 as the Democratic convention is in town this week, according to its website — nearly double the usual price.)
“Donald Trump is just a big con man,” said Abi Rahman, deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee, of the Trump campaign’s plans to use the candidate’s building this week. “He’s always been looking out for his own interests, and this is just another example of that.”
In a separate statement from the Democratic Art of War Project, Rahman wrote: “Tonight, everyone gets a preview of the contrast that will take center stage this week throughout the Democratic National Convention. Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have proven their record of delivering for working families, and now, they are running to lead our country into a brighter future.”
