19:26

It was once a brand synonymous with gold and marble; a sign of guaranteed opulence if not necessarily good taste. Instead, the taint of sexual assault claims and alleged racism hung over the formal opening of the latest building to bear the Trump name: the Republican presidential candidate’s newest hotel in Washington DC.

Donald Trump opens his newest hotel with his family. Photograph: UPI / Barcroft Images

Just 723 short steps along Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, this may be the closest Donald Trump comes to the heart of political power this year, but the glitzy launch was meant to be the highlight of his business calendar.

Rooms during inauguration week in January were marketed at up to $500,000 each. During a soft launch in September, Trump ensured wall-to-wall media coverage by using the occasion to finally admit he had been wrong to doubt Barack Obama’s right to American citizenship.

But weeks of political scandal appear to have taken their toll on the brand. During the recent IMF meetings in Washington, usually the busiest week of the year for luxury hotels in the city, rooms could be found online at a significant discount compared to its sold-out rivals.



While Trump was boasting of the building’s 5ft-thick walls during Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, the sound of political protest out on the street could be heard from inside the lobby. Overnight, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed by a vandal with a sledgehammer and pickaxe.

The candidate sounded wistful and unusually subdued as he took a break from the campaign trail to attend the launch. “With the notable exception of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this is the most coveted location in DC. The best location,” said Trump.

Even the struggling campaign’s slogan, “Make America great again”, was watered down, perhaps succumbing to criticism that it implies the country is no longer at its best. ‘The United States is great. Its people are great,” said Trump, during brief political remarks that followed the launch.