Trump era in Atlantic City to end with a blast

When the long-vacant shell of the Trump Plaza hotel tower is imploded Wednesday, it will also erase Atlantic City’s last remaining link to the Donald Trump era.

The casino-hotel, built in 1984 at a cost of $214 million, was the flamboyant developer’s first venture in the city. Several other Trump buildings followed, and the Trump name glowed all over the skyline.

But the glittering gaming halls, which were burdened by high debt, struggled and eventually failed as legal gambling spread to nearby states.

Trump finally cut ties with his casino firm just days before its 2009 bankruptcy. “You can’t take away the fact that he invested his money and got a lot of jobs for people,” said Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. “But he stiffed a lot of people and was selfish.”