Trump Hotel Asks President Trump for a Rent Reduction

By Emily Alford  |  April 21, 2020 | 10:30pm
NewsPolitics
Trump Hotel Asks President Trump for a Rent Reduction
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Across the country, and no doubt around the world, many are asking their landlords for a bit of leniency in these unprecedented and perilous times. But very few of those begging mercy of property owners have the luxury of owning the very property they need a rent break on, which sure does sound like an ideal situation.

Take, for example, the Trump International Hotel, housed in a federally-owned building just blocks away from the White House. According to the New York Times, the hotel has long been the inn of choice for those hoping to curry favor with the Trump family, but the property is currently mostly empty right now, making its $268,000 per month rent a bit harder to come by.

Cue Trump offspring Eric Trump asking the federal General Services Administration for a reduction in rent for a company owned by the President of the United States. But don’t assume that Trump Hotel is asking for special favors from President Trump, the company would just like the same massive favors all the other giant companies are getting:

“‘Just treat us the same,’ Eric Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. ‘Whatever that may be is fine.’”

Someone, please cut Eric a check for $1,200. [New York Times]

Sorry to burden loyal readers with a second story about the Trump family’s general commitment to villainy, but that ineffective coronavirus treatment the president keeps touting may actually kill people, according to the AP:

“A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported.”

The nationwide study involved just 368 subjects, but of those, 28 percent given hydroxychloroquine in addition to the “usual care” died, while just 11% of patients receiving only standard care fared the same. And while this study has not yet been peer-reviewed, more comprehensive tests by the National Institue of Health and other organizations are in the works. [AP]