Donald Trump sheds criticism like water off the proverbial duck’s back. Always bouncing back with a bigger media story.

But what to make of The Donald’s management company being fired as the manager of a building that bears his name. Could this be the real reason behind Donald Trump’s $5 million offer to charity if President Obama releases his school and travel records. Preempting what could have been an embarrassing news cycle and replacing it with a positive spin of his own. If this is true, you have to love “The Donald” as a master spinmeister and media manipulator. 

According to news reports …

Donald Trump fired from management of Trump Place

Effective Nov. 1, AKAM Living Services will take over the management duties of Trump Place. The upscale New York City condominium felt it was time to make a change. Condominium board members said they had given the Trump Organization several years to improve their service. The service did not improve to the board's satisfaction.

The Trump Organization claimed they were unaware of the change in management companies. The board notified Trump that his services would no longer be necessary last week. It was not long after when Trump began spreading word of his 'major announcement'.

Trump's faced his own share of negative headlines over the years. Divorce, bankruptcy, claims of false advertising, and struggling casino investments have all dogged Trump. Despite these negative headlines, he has continued to believe he is the man with the golden touch. Trump Place, which bears the Trump name, believes the change will help the condominium to maintain its reputation as a high end community in New York.

It's fitting irony the man who trademarked "You're Fired!" is being fired from his own building. <Source: Donald Trump fired from management of Trump Place - Baltimore Democrat | Examiner.com>

But Anna Fishbeyn, vice president of the Trump Place board, said the change was a long time in coming. "We've been waiting for their services to improve for years," Fishbeyn told the Huffington Post. "And when they didn't, we started investigating other services." Although Fishbeyn said the decision to replace the Trump company was difficult, especially given the name recognition, the board ultimately made the right call. The Real Deal quoted anonymous sources as saying some residents were displeased by the change, but Fishbeyn countered the claim, saying her office has been flooded with thank you's. "I have received email after email thanking me for the decision," she said. "We were in part responding to [residents who] over the years who had been accruing complaints, and talking about the lack of responsiveness... of maintenance issues." <Source: The Huffington Post>

Bottom line …

I wouldn’t read too much into this story. Residents are wont to fire their property manager for a host of ills, some real and some imagined, so over time, these types of management company changes are seen. Whether or not Trump timed his Obama announcement to coincide with a news cycle is unlikely as Trump himself is often the story and overshadows almost all other coverage.

But it is sort of fun to imagine the President of the Board walking up to Trump and saying “You’re Fired!”

-- steve