The charitable auction to press the button to blow up the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City — the namesake property of the original owner, President Donald Trump — has been cancelled.
The reason for the cancellation? According to Joe Bodnar, the owner of Bodnar’s Auction, the Edison-based auction house handling the bidding process, it’s because lawyers for Carl Icahn, the current owner of the property, demanded the plug be pulled.
“At this time, we unfortunately have to announce the cancellation of this sale,” Bodnar wrote on his website. “Shortly after announcing the sale, the attorneys for IEP AC Plaza LLC, a subsidiary controlled by Icahn Enterprises, sent a letter stating that IEP AC Plaza LLC was not on board with the situation and would in no way participate or help facilitate, citing safety issues. After exhausting every avenue to bring the parties together to make this exciting event happen, we received the final decision from IEP AC Plaza LLC that we must cease and desist.”
The auction was the brainchild of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and all proceeds were set to go to the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City. The current bid was sitting at $175,000, with a live auction set to happen Tuesday. But now, it’s over.