Tomorrow at noon EST President Donald Trump becomes citizen Trump again, and, perhaps of more relevance to the travel community, businessman Trump (though some argue the latter never ceased during his tenure).

Indeed, Trump – unlike most ex-presidents who were career politicians before taking office – will not ride off into the sunset, or settle into the speaking circuit, but will instead return to run The Trump Organization, which includes, amongst its varied interests, hotels, golf courses, restaurants, and even a carousel and ice rinks in New York City (for now).

But the question (in travel circles) is: Can the Trump brand withstand the president’s downfall?

Will potential customers forgo bedding down at one of his hotels, teeing off at one of his golf courses, or visiting his vineyard in Virginia – out of principle, disgust, or shame?

Certainly, Trump Org would not be the first brand to face the wrath of consumers, with some past boycotts of prominence having taken shape over such issues (or perceived issues) as health (Nestle), pollution (BP), animal cruelty (SeaWorld), gay rights (Chick Fil A), labour practices (Gap), and, most recently, hate for profit (Facebook).

But unlike the others, consumer choices will be uniquely personal with Trump, not vaguely corporate. And even if he were inclined to change course or claim mea culpa for his actions as president, he cannot effectively undo fomenting insurrection, denying legal election results, and relentlessly undermining other general political and societal principals, norms, and civil decency.

“Trump has made his company a pariah,” the Washington Post observed last week – a week in which the PGA of America notably and publicly cut ties to Trump when it voted to take its lucrative PGA Championship event away from his New Jersey golf course next year.

The decision followed the Jan. 6 Trump-fueled riot at the US Capitol as Congress was certifying the election victory of President-elect Joe Biden and was the second time in just over five years that the PGA removed one of its events from a Trump course (the other being in 2015 after his disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants) – reminding that backlash against Trump is not merely a current phenomenon.

A day later, organizers of the prestigious British Open stated that the event would not be held at the Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland for “the foreseeable future” – confirming a previously held policy put in place when Trump bought the resort in 2014.

“We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself, and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances,” stated R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers.

Trump, in total, owns or operates 16 golf courses (plus three in development), of which 12 are in the US. Most are private, but some – like Miami’s bucket list Doral course – permit public golfers to choose to spend their dollars there – or perhaps not.

Some of the courses include hotels, of which Trump (through The Trump Organization) and/or his children, currently own or license 10 – seven in the US and three in Scotland and Ireland in total. It’s a dwindling roster of properties that saw Vancouver’s Trump International Hotel close permanently last August after a temporary COVID-inspired shutdown in April. However, the property had suffered from public protests before even opening in 2017.

As Vancouver was opening, the owner of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto was paying millions to Trump to drop the branding on a property that had been equally contentious since opening in 2012. The downtown hotel is now a St. Regis.

Several other Trump hotels are reportedly on life support – in trouble before the pandemic and now worse off because of it, an irony caused in part by Trump notoriously downplaying the global health crisis at the outset and later actively inflaming it (in this case to his own detriment).

Two other hotel chains – Scion and American Idea – were launched by Trump and son Eric early his presidency, but the projects were scrapped in 2019 before any locations opened.

With hundreds of business investments over the decades and his company founded/based on real estate, it’s of no surprise that Trump has dabbled in many other hotel ventures. A significant enterprise was Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, which was founded in 1995 and included a dozen properties at its peak before bankruptcy filings in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

He even had a stake in the Empire State Building in New York.

Other notable past travel and tourism-related ventures included the Plaza Hotel, (1988-1995), Trump Shuttle airline (1989-92) and GoTrump.com travel website (2006-07).

But past successes and failures are likely to have little bearing on may be to come.

Since the Capitol insurrection, Trump has, become the first president impeached twice by Congress; been banned – by Twitter and Facebook (the latter at last taking its accusations of allowing hateful propaganda on its platform seriously); had two Trump stores removed by Shopify; lost corporate supporters and donors; and seen the Partnership for New York City, representing 200 influential corporations including major financial institutions, write an open letter against his ongoing efforts to overturn the election.

Several banks, including the Deutsche Bank, to whom he owes a reported US$340 million, have said they will not do business with him again.

Moreover, once Trump loses presidential privilege after the Jan. 20 inauguration, he is likely to face a myriad of investigations, lawsuits, and possibly criminal charges, most notably over both his alleged role in the Washington insurrection and claims of tax evasion.

Altogether, it’s an exponentially expanding scenario and legacy that does not lend itself to a flourishing travel-oriented business – one previously beset with problems and which now has a client base seemingly shrinking further by the day. And which could be impacted even further if this week’s inauguration is disrupted, for which Trump will certainly bear blame, or his expected slate of presidential pardons pre-emptively includes himself and family members, or disliked cronies like Rudy Giuliani.

So, can Trump and his travel empire survive his inglorious demise? Informed opinion says no. Then again, informed opinion has been wrong before.