Oh no, not him again!

Donald Trump is posturing as the potential rescuer of Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal, provided he can get them dirt cheap. (Principal creditor Carl Icahn will have a thing or two to say about that.) In true Trump fashion, he is blaming all their ills on “funds” and let’s forget all the years when he talked big but never did anything — like building something to replace Trump World’s Fair.  Trump is described by a close associate as looking at the matter “cautiously,” although he seems to have achieved his prime objective: being seen in the media as Atlantic City‘s savior.

All this is very odd coming from a man who keeps loudly congratulating himself on having gotten out at the right time. Also, the poor performance of his two namesake casinos tells you how toxic the Trump brand has become. As gaming analyst Alan Woinski puts it, “he seems to think that everyone has forgotten that the first three bankruptcies were his … What is he going to bring to the table that these guys don’t have? He is much better at TV shows and real estate than he was at managing casinos.”

There’s also the matter of an overcrowded marketplace. When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took office, he empaneled a blue-ribbon commission to study the Atlantic City problem. One of its conclusions was that Atlantic City was being leeched by “parasitic” casinos (think Trump Plaza) that were feeding off the business brought in by the healthy ones, such as Borgata. Now that market forces have scythed Trump Plaza, the Showboat, Revel and the lowly Atlantic Club, the Boardwalk has a chance to stabilize. Previously, there was too much supply to go around, something would-be casino owners like Glenn Straub, Icahn and Trump are going to learn the hard way.