ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. _ Standing beneath the faded outlines of the Trump Plaza sign that for years threw red light on Atlantic City's boardwalk, Hillary Clinton on Wednesday attacked the presumptive Republican nominee as a con man who fleeced the working class and declared him "temperamentally unfit" for the presidency.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, turned the words and record of Donald Trump against him in a brief but detailed repudiation of his life before entering politics, full of lawsuits, bankruptcy and anecdotes of dubious tactics. And she blamed the current financial troubles of Atlantic City on Trump's biggest supporter, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
"If your governor would start doing his job instead of following Donald Trump around holding his coat, maybe we could really get New Jersey's economy moving again," Clinton said, before attacking Trump for the next 15 minutes.
She warned that electing Trump to the White House would result in the same type of fate as all three of his former casinos here.
"It's the same scam all over again," Clinton told a crowd on the boardwalk, adding, "Remember what he promised: 'I'm going to do for the country what I did for my business.' Well, we should believe him _ and make sure he never has the chance to bankrupt America the way he bankrupted his businesses."
Beyond the bankruptcies, Trump has been involved in about 3,500 lawsuits the last three decades, or one every three days, Clinton said. As Trump has gone on to become the Republican Party's standard-bearer on the promise that he will secure the same type of success for the country as he did for himself, the stories of hardship from former workers and contractors have dented his image as a keen businessman.
Marty Rosenberg's family business, Atlantic Plate Glass, was hired to install floor-to-ceiling curtain walls of glass at Trump Taj Mahal two decades ago. Before introducing Clinton, Rosenberg told the crowd that Trump owed the company more than $1 million, but paid about half in a settlement.
"Donald Trump made a promise to me, my family and to the people of Atlantic City. If you do a good job, in a timely manner, you will be paid an agreed-upon agreement. This promise went unfulfilled," Rosenberg said. "Trump's actions caused great financial burdens to most of us. Some lost their businesses, some went through a bankruptcy, all suffered emotionally. All the while, Mr. Trump went about his extravagant lifestyle, never giving any of us a second thought."
Trump has portrayed his dealings in Atlantic City as business-savvy. Before Clinton spoke, Trump fired off several messages on Twitter in his defense, saying he "made a lot of money in Atlantic City and left 7 years ago" and blamed city leadership for making "all the wrong moves."
"I have built a tremendously successful business, which has created tens of thousands of jobs. Out of the hundreds of businesses I have owned over the decades, and hundreds of deals and transactions, I have used the chapter laws of our country in four instances, much as many of our country's elite business people do (but nobody cares about)," Trump said in a statement, referring to the four bankruptcies at his three casinos.
Visitors on the boardwalk cared. Michael Gallagher, a 61-year-old resident of Harrison, said a history of capitalism doesn't make someone fit to lead the country.
"Trump sucked this place dry," Gallagher said. "He burned all his contractors, the unions, and now he wants support from the common people? Give me a break."
Striking union workers from Trump Taj Mahal, which Trump sold several years ago, rallied on the boardwalk in support of Clinton and against Trump. The new casino owner, Carl Icahn, has been floated by Trump to serve in his Cabinet should he win the general election.
"Mr. Trump and Carl Icahn have had multiple" bankruptcies, said Peter Battaglini, a bellman at the casino for 26 years. "It's taken effect on the whole city and the county as a whole."
