The Trump Organisation has removed the president’s name from two ice skating rinks in New York that Trump has been running since the 1980s, The Washington Postreported on Tuesday.
The ice rinks, which are located in the southern and northern parts of Central Park, are some of Trump’s oldest businesses. They reportedly no longer bear his name on the boards around the rink.
Any references to the president’s name at the ice rinks are now smaller and less apparent, according to the media outlet. It has also been covered up with a white tarp where visitors rent skates in one of the facilities, although the capital letter “T” still sticks out.
“It’s a complete rebranding", Geoffrey Croft representing watchdog group NYC Park Advocates said to the Post. “These rinks, which once shouted the president’s name, now barely mention it. They’ve taken [the name] off everything. Off the uniforms, everything”.
While the two rinks are officially known as Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, they have for a long time been emblazoned with Donald Trump’s name, but now visible changes seem to be underway.
“The Trump Organisation notified us in late August that they planned to change the on-rink branding", spokeswoman for the city parks department Crystal Howard said in response to the media in an email, but noted that the company did not explain the reason for such a rapid change.
In the meantime, Trump’s ice rinks have not suffered any financial losses in connection with the president’s name as their income has reportedly risen around 12%.
Trump’s name has been removed from three hotels and six independently-owned Manhattan residential buildings since he was inaugurated in 2017. The Trump Organization did not respond to a question about the rebranding when reached for a comment.