Councillor Matlow to request Trump name be removed from downtown tower
Posted December 8, 2015 2:48 pm.
Last Updated December 8, 2015 7:50 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Donald Trump is an “infamous bigot” and his name should be removed from downtown Toronto’s Trump Tower, city councillor Josh Matlow argued on Tuesday.
Matlow said he will write a letter to the owners of the tower, urging them to remove the Republican presidential candidate’s name because of his “fascist public policy proposals.”
On Monday, Trump suggested a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
Matlow says it’s time for Toronto to “dissociate” itself from the Trump brand.
“One way we can do that in Toronto is to see that the Trump Tower be renamed to virtually any other than a brand that is associated with somebody who has a history making comments targeting Mexicans in the past, calling them criminals and rapists, and most recently he’s targeted all Muslims in the world,” Matlow said.
“Donald Trump is no longer simply a silly clown who’s getting into fights with Rosie O’Donnell,” he added.
“He’s no longer The Apprentice. He’s one of the leading candidates for the presidency of the United States. And I believe that all decent people of the world are going to find ways to push back to make their voice known. and this is one way that we as Torontonians can say we don’t want Trump associated with our city any more.”
The high-rise at Bay and Adelaide streets is owned by Talon International Development Inc.
In an email to CityNews the PR company representing Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto said:
“The Trump Organization is the operator of the Hotel, not the owner. Donald Trump’s opinions as a private citizen in no way reflect the position of the company’s views or those of its other investors and owners.”
“At one point it was actually a very attractive brand,” Matlow said of the Trump name. “But it is now associated with an infamous bigot and I’m going to be presenting a case to them to do the right thing and I hope they hear me.”
Matlow added that he wouldn’t bring the issue up in city council.
Trump’s name did provide some comical relief on Monday night after one of the letters that adorns the high-rise burnt out, leaving RUMP.
