Financial Times, Trump and the Middle Finger
Stephen Roulac, PhD
Real estate expert, litigation consultant, strategy advisor and author
Fascinating juxtaposition of architecture critics labeling Trump developments as middle figure statements and his political supporters employing that representation as his appeal:
https://www.ft.com/comment/letters
In his trenchant critique of Donald Trump's buildings(February 17) Edwin Heathcote observes 'they pop up like middle fingers disdaining their surroundings." For a real estate development project to succeed, the developer has to persuade prospective purchasers to 'buy into' his vision of the brand/beauty/utility/community aspects of the property interests on offer. Ultimately, purchasers of property interests are buying the ideas and implementation of the ideas embedded in the development project .
The Donald has effectively transferred his building style to his Presidential campaign, for as one of his enthusiastic supporters in South Carolina proclaims. "We're voting with out middle finger." (Los Angeles Times, February 16). Those who support him are backing his political vision of the brand/beauty/utility/community aspects of the leadership he offers.
Donald Trump's projects challenge conventional thinking of what a refined, well behaved building should and ought to be. Whereas Edith Wharton in her writing gracefully and elegantly challenged the prevailing establishment society style of later 19th and early 20th century physical form, The Donald, having honed his already advanced media skills on his reality TV show, employs a '60s/'70s anything goes protest style, challenging establishment style in what he builds and what he says.
While he offends and puts off many, sufficient numbers of indulging bankers, star-struck investors, and deep-pocketed property purchasers buy his pitch, enabling him to keep on keepin' on his self promotional too big to fail real estate development path. He has effectively transferred his real estate promoter style to his presidential campaign, which so far has validated that his attack the establishment, divide and conquer the opposition media mastery style is a viable path to obtaining his ultimate real estate deal: the White House.