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Donald Trump Can't Stop Advertising His Businesses

by Kelly Tunney

Donald Trump faced Hillary Clinton in their first presidential debate on Monday. And, as with many other times in his campaign, Trump plugged his business ventures when he talked about his Pennsylvania Avenue hotel in what might be a presidential debate first.

To be fair, Trump is constantly talking about his properties and products, mostly to brag of his business-minded skills that he says he could bring to the presidency. But the more he mentions his products and how successful/great they are, it comes off as one big advertisement. Using his presidential campaign to hawk his own products makes it look like he's doing all of this for the wrong reasons. Worse, even is his incorrectly amplifying his success. So many outlets have disproven his claims of successful ventures, even his DC hotel that he mentioned during the debate.

While trying to once again use his business as an example of his qualifications to be president, he seemed to try to make a joke about the White House that came off more awkward than poignant.

We're just opening up [the hotel], on Pennsylvania Avenue, right next to the White House. So if I don't get there one way, I will get to Pennsylvania Avenue another. We're opening the old post office, under budget, ahead of schedule, saved tremendous money, a year ahead of schedule, and that's what this country should be doing.

And people were quick to point out the hotel mention came at a kind of inappropriate time — right in the middle of the debate.

We all know by now that Trump's endorsements of his products only shows his business failures, not his successes. Some people believe that Trump does not really want to be president, and these comments only reinforce the argument. When he spends so much time plugging his own projects, which is so unnecessary in the context of a presidential debate, it makes him seem less and less serious about his presidential bid. For Trump to sneak little mentions of his hotels into debates is outrageous.

Further, for him to nonchalantly say that he'll get to Pennsylvania Avenue via the presidency — that he'll get there via his business — is so gross to brag about. It was a careless line that exposed his true feelings about the race. It's also an insult to those who have worked hard to prepare and fight for the job of president that he could so easily joke about not winning and staying at his hotel instead. Honestly, it might be best for everyone if he did just concede now and go back to building hotels.