My Experience with Trump Toronto Tower. And Why It Didn’t Work.
My Experience with Trump Tower Toronto: A Balanced Retrospective
Around the mid-2010s, when I owned Three Towers Residential — a luxury furnished property company in Toronto focused on corporate housing relocation — I had an intriguing encounter with Trump Tower Toronto. It began when I was contacted by a marketing executive from the Trump Tower. They wanted to leverage my expertise in the luxury property market, specifically in helping them attract high-end tenants and furnish their properties. This marked the beginning of an eye-opening journey into their operational world.
My involvement with Trump Tower took an exciting turn when Trump’s team/partners and staff took me on a guided construction tour of the building. During this visit, he actively promoted Trump Tower Toronto, and walking through the skeletal structure provided a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the progress of luxury development. The tour offered a firsthand glimpse into the scale of the project and the quality standards Trump aimed to uphold.
I learned much during this tour — from the level of detail they were putting into construction to the specific types of materials used for various elements of the property. Trump was keen to emphasize the luxury aspect of the building, mentioning the use of premium finishes and high-end design concepts to attract an elite clientele.
Well, he didn’t know Three Towers Residential (TTR) was actually named for the Holy Trinity (Creator, Lord of the history of salvation, Father, and Judge, as revealed in the Old Testament; (2) as the Lord who, in the incarnated figure of Jesus Christ, lived among human beings and was present in their midst as the “Resurrected One”; and (3) as the Holy Spirit, whom they experienced as the helper or intercessor in the power of the new life.) Anyways, not to belabor the story… Here’s what I saw and how I initially thought about the marketing effort (pics attached — cobranding approved by Trump team/staff). (in hindsight: i thought there was alignment since he’s so pro-Christian! But I guess. not. LOL!!!
Cornishes that cost about $1000 per 1 foot segment. It cost $800 million to build and was delayed and over budget. Huge delays. I guess they’re not great project managers or lack experience. Right? Let’s get real.
During subsequent meetings, I learned more about the internal structure, training processes, staffing, and marketing strategies of Trump Tower. They asked me to create a marketing plan to drive their tenant acquisition and elevate their brand presence in the city. As part of my approach, I offered them access to my established network in Toronto. My connections ranged from MBA graduates to executives and academics — individuals with both the financial means and interest in luxury real estate.
One of the potential partnerships I proposed was with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. I believed that leveraging Rotman’s extensive networks could give Trump Tower the brand visibility and client base they were seeking. After careful consideration, Rotman came back with an offer: a $5 million donation in exchange for granting access to their networks and associating Trump’s name with the university. It was a bold proposal that reflected the school’s appreciation for the power of strategic branding.
I toured the spa and rooftop bar (when I felt I was dealing with either major drug dealers, powerplayers and questionable but calm leaders/HNWIs, and their compatriots). It was obvious to me.
However, this proposal hit an immediate roadblock. The Trump Tower team and the developer balked at the $5 million price tag. They claimed their budget simply couldn’t accommodate such an expense. Around this time, in October 2012, Donald Trump was publicly making a similar $5 million offer. News reports from that period show that Trump had offered to donate $5 million to charity if then-President Barack Obama released his college and passport records. The timing was uncanny, to say the least.
While Trump’s $5 million offer became widely reported in media outlets like CNN and The Washington Post, I couldn’t help but notice the parallel between this public spectacle and my private dealings with his Toronto team. Here was an organization seemingly unwilling to invest $5 million into a strategic branding initiative that could have solidified its reputation in Toronto’s luxury market, yet was willing to throw the same amount into a controversial public challenge.
- Sky News reported on October 24, 2012, that Donald Trump offered $5 million to a charity of Barack Obama’s choice if Obama released his college and passport records.
- NBC Chicago also covered the story, highlighting that Trump’s offer came with a deadline of October 31, 2012, emphasizing the stunt as part of Trump’s ongoing criticism of Obama at the time.
- Yahoo News similarly reported on Trump’s $5 million offer, characterizing it as an attempt to pressure Obama during the 2012 presidential election season.
Although direct links are currently unavailable, you can find references to these events in various news archives by searching for “Trump $5 million offer to Obama 2012” on major news websites like CNN, The Washington Post, NBC, and others.
Probably just a coincidence.
Interestingly, as the years went by, both Toronto and Vancouver city governments would push for the removal of the Trump name from their cities, and ultimately succeded not because of legislation but because nobody in their right minds in Canada would stay there and they went bankrupt… the only thing that the Orange One understands (he doesn’t ‘get’ marketing — customer persona and value-delivery to his customers per each country’s values (Product-market and brand values-misalignment). In Toronto, the building faced financial troubles, and eventually, the Trump name was removed in 2017 after the property was sold. In Vancouver, there was also significant public opposition, with city officials and residents expressing their desire to distance themselves from the Trump brand.
In the end, I decided to walk away from any deal. They were unwilling to pay for the strategic work I had already performed. I was also assigned a project to furnish an apartment and secure a client for them, but that too fell apart due to staff issues and mismanagement. Interestingly, the staff member coordinating the deal felt that my furniture wasn’t “good enough” for the wealthy Nigerian owner — someone I had met and with whom I had developed a good relationship. This mismatch in understanding and approach further highlighted the disconnect.
From the construction tour with Trump to the various negotiations, the entire experience left me with a lingering sense of discomfort. The organization seemed to be driven by a desire for power and control as a management style, echoing elements of the McKinsey 7S framework — particularly a focus on “strategy” over values, and on rigid structures rather than adaptability. Their unwillingness to invest in quality partnerships for long-term success suggested larger, systemic issues. It felt, quite frankly, too aggressive and misaligned with Canadian values.
As a trained global management consultant and executive, I now see this dynamic in hindsight. Many fall prey to organizations that operate in this way, becoming victims of a management approach that prioritizes power and control over collaboration and long-term value creation. The root cause is probably an addiction to profit incentives, unchecked by ethics, morality, or self-control. This approach might have made someone successful in the short term, but it is not sustainable — not in ethical terms, nor in alignment with the principles of God.
This brief engagement with Trump Tower Toronto was an enlightening experience that ultimately reinforced my belief in aligning with organizations that share my values. Although I had hoped for a mutually beneficial partnership, sometimes walking away is the best decision when integrity is at stake.
Reflecting on it now, I see Trump as a figure who has remained loyal to the white, underprivileged community, becoming a voice for them in America, Brazil, and elsewhere. And so, let it be. It is the world — NATO, Myanmar, Russia, BRICS, and other global societies — that will shape the future, not me. I’m simply here to share my experience.
Call to Action:
Think about your values and beliefs. As a voter and a believer in democracy (whatever it may mean today), use your voice to uphold your values and contribute to your community. Just do it. Like Nike says, “Just do it.” No one else can do this for you.
