'Queen of Soul' Atlantic City Connections Remembered, Including Ties to Trump
The late great Aretha Franklin did kinda, sorta work for US President Donald Trump ... in the 80s.
Trump paid tribute to the “Queen of Soul” Thursday immediately after news broke of her passing.
But it was these comments that had a few people scratching their heads:
“I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions,” Trump said to a press pool on Thursday. “She was terrific — Aretha Franklin — on her passing. She brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God — her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.”
While many folks just scratched their heads or simply didn't read much into the condolences , others took great offense.
Jeffrey St. Clair, Editor of CounterPunch, tweeted out:
When Trump says Aretha "worked for him many times," he says with the arrogance of a slave owner...
Turns out Aretha performed at one of Trump's casinos, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, in the 80s. It was one of a half dozen AC casino properties she had deals with.
Aretha was also known for letting employees at the now defunct Trump Castle watch her 2½ hour concert rehearsal during their shift breaks in a 450-seat showroom on that property in 1988.
Aretha's ties to Atlantic City went deep, as highlighted by this Press of Atlantic City piece.
Franklin passed away early Thursday from pancreatic cancer. She was 76.
- Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
