Uncle Luke: Coronavirus Is Killing Trump's Bottom Line

Above all, Donald Trump enjoys making money. So when the president said earlier this week that he wants to reopen the U.S. for business in two weeks, he's not lying. Six of the Trump Organization's top hotels, clubs, and resorts — including Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and Trump National Doral in Miami-Dade County —
are dead in the water after closing because of coronavirus.

According to the Washington Post, the six properties generate about $174 million in revenue annually, or roughly $478,000 a day. So if Trump is losing nearly a half-million dollars per day, you better believe he's going to reopen as soon as possible — coronavirus pandemic be damned. When Trump heard Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, suggest we might not get the outbreak under control until July, he was like, "Not while I’m in charge."

Remember: Trump donates his $400,000 presidential salary because he's a billionaire who doesn't need the public's money. But now his company has no cash coming in. Yesterday the Trump Organization announced the closing of the Trump National Doral restaurant, cutting jobs for 98 employees. He's basically had to kiss goodbye whatever money he invested in the stock market. If Trump doesn't lift the national lockdown before spring ends, he'll probably be filing for business bankruptcy for the fifth time.

Trump is also worried Americans will get used to staying indoors and relying on home delivery applications and social media to entertain them. The world was already heading in that direction, but the pandemic is accelerating it. More people are just going to use Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates to get food, dine in, and watch the latest movies with their Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Virtual house parties are blowing up. This past weekend, DJ D-Nice did a long set on Instagram Live that saw damn near 100,000 people log on. With a Bluetooth connection, people could play the music on their home stereo systems. D-Nice was even shouting out celebrities who dropped in to listen, including Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg. It was a worldwide house party.

Trump is more afraid of people cutting down on travel and not renting hotel rooms than of losing the election. He will go from the White House to the poorhouse if he doesn't turn the lights back on. He has to open everything up again, even if thousands of Americans die. He's certainly not going to let his family-run empire die. Don't think for one minute Trump is going to take an L on his business.