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 funds to the candidate’s personal business portfolio. Democratic officials are having a certain amount of fun taunting their rival before the convention begins on Monday.
Armed with a high-powered projector, party officials booked a room across from Trump Tower to plaster the message “Trump-Vance: On His Own” on the gleaming glass facade of his 92-story building — along with other slogans designed to anger, enrage and otherwise irritate the candidate.
The slogans “Trump-Vance: ‘Crazy as Hell,'” “Harris-Walz: Fighting for You,” and “Project 2025 HQ” have also been circulating. Since taking over the ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have frequently referred to Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Senator JD Vance, as “crazy,” deeply annoying Trump. As for Project 2025, Trump has tried desperately (and unsuccessfully) to distance himself from the conservative personnel and policy program that was supposed to help him launch a second term as it has gained notoriety and generated controversy.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the building – one of Trump’s last major construction projects before his presidency – is also one of the largest accidents in the Chicago River since the infamous incident involving the Dave Matthews Band tour bus.
In May, The New York Times and ProPublica reported that the former president may owe the Internal Revenue Service more than $100 million, plus interest and penalties, in connection with the building after writing off the astronomical losses twice. According to the media, Trump declared a $651 million loss on the project in 2008 and another $168 million in losses over the following decade.
Trump has a well-documented habit of using his own properties for campaign events and enriching himself with donations from his supporters. USA Today An April 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, Florida, and another $62,337 at Trump National Doral Miami. Federal law allows campaign spending on a candidate’s businesses if the campaign pays “fair market value” for them. (The cheapest room at the Trump Tower Chicago hotel costs $666, according to its website, because the Democratic National Convention is in the city this week — nearly double the usual rate.)
“Donald Trump is just a big con artist,” said Abhi 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 out for his own benefit, and this is just another example of that.”
In a separate statement about the DNC’s guerrilla art project, Rahman wrote, “Tonight, everyone is seeing a preview of the contrast that will take center stage this week during the Democratic National Convention. Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have proven they stand up for working families, and now they are stepping up to lead our country to a better future.”
