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Documented Racial Discrimination by Trump Organization Against Employees and Tenants

John O'Donnell's 1991 memoir 'Trumped!' quoted Trump making explicitly racist remarks about a Black accountant: criticizing the employee's work and saying he preferred having 'short guys that wear yarmulkes every day' do his accounting rather than Black men. In a 1997 Playboy interview, Trump was asked about the quotes and replied the book was 'probably true' — then added that he had been 'playing golf' when he said it and denied the remarks were racist. New Jersey Casino Control Commission records documented that supervisors at Trump's Castle were instructed to remove Black dealers from tables when certain high-rolling guests requested it, a discriminatory practice that resulted in regulatory sanctions.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
Atlantic City, NJ / New York, NY
Category
Civil Rights
Legal posture
Judicial finding
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Cross-referenced
ICC relevance
No
Sources
4 cited
Stable ID
trump-pre-presidency-racial-discrimination-employees
Victims
Black employees of Trump Organization properties subjected to discrimination; casino employees subjected to racially discriminatory removal from the floor; prospective employees subjected to racially biased hiring practices
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, Owner and operator of Trump Organization properties; documented making racial remarks about employees; confirmed the accuracy of discrimination accounts— Trump Organization

Key points

  • John O'Donnell, a former president of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, wrote in his 1991 book 'Trumped!' that Trump made an explicitly racist remark about a Black accountant, stating a preference not to have Black men handling his money; when asked about the quote in a 1997 Playboy interview, Trump responded that it was 'probably true'
  • The New Jersey Casino Control Commission found in the early 1990s that supervisors at Trump's Castle casino were instructing dealers to remove Black employees from gaming tables when a particular high-rolling guest requested it; the commission fined Trump's Castle $200,000 for the discriminatory practice — one of the largest fines for this violation in New Jersey casino history at the time
  • Kip Brown, who worked at Trump's Castle in the early 1990s, gave interviews in which he described being removed from the casino floor along with other Black employees when Trump visited; Brown said the pattern was consistent and understood among employees
  • Trump's 1973 housing discrimination case (documented separately) established a pattern of discriminating against Black applicants at his father's properties; the employee discrimination accounts in Atlantic City and New York documented the pattern extending into his own business operations a decade later
  • During the 2016 campaign, Trump denied the O'Donnell book quotes in some interviews while his 1997 'probably true' acknowledgment was on the record; Trump campaign surrogates argued the quotes were taken out of context; O'Donnell reaffirmed the accuracy of his account
  • Accounts of racially disparate treatment extended to Trump's casinos in their early years: former employees, including dealers and pit bosses, described informal policies under which diversity on the floor was managed based on perceived preferences of high-value customers rather than merit-based scheduling

Overview

John O'Donnell worked for Trump for years. He heard things. He wrote them down. When he published them in 1991, Trump denied them. When asked about them again in 1997, Trump said they were "probably true."

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission did not rely on O'Donnell's account. They had their own findings: documented removal of Black employees from casino floors at customer request. They fined Trump's Castle $200,000.

O'Donnell's Account

O'Donnell ran Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino. His 1991 book "Trumped!" documented the internal culture of Trump's Atlantic City operations. The racial remarks he attributed to Trump were specific: about a Black accountant, about who Trump preferred to have handling his money.

When Trump was asked about the quotes in a 1997 Playboy interview, his response was notable: he said the book was "probably true," then tried to contextualize the remarks as made while playing golf, then denied they were racist. The admission — "probably true" — was on the record and was not subsequently retracted.

The Commission Findings

The New Jersey Casino Control Commission's findings were not based on any individual's account. Regulators documented a pattern at Trump's Castle: Black dealers were instructed to leave tables when certain high-value guests requested it. The compliance was systematic enough to result in a formal finding and a $200,000 fine.

Casino floor staffing decisions made on the basis of race are discrimination under federal and New Jersey law. The commission found it was happening. The fine was among the largest the state had imposed for that specific violation.

The Pattern

The 1973 housing discrimination case, the Atlantic City employment accounts, the casino floor removal findings — they did not emerge from a single incident or single accuser. They covered different contexts, different decades, different types of discrimination. The pattern was documented by regulators, by former employees, and by Trump himself, in the only interview where he was asked directly and answered honestly.

Update log

  1. Based on 1997 Playboy interview and 1992 New Jersey casino commission findings.

Sequence of events

  1. DOJ housing discrimination suit — context established

    The Department of Justice sues Trump Management for racial discrimination in housing (documented separately). The suit establishes the legal and documented pattern context for later employment discrimination accounts.

  2. O'Donnell publishes Trumped! — racial remarks documented

    John O'Donnell, former Trump Plaza president, publishes 'Trumped!' documenting Trump's racial remarks about employees including a Black accountant. The book is published while Trump is managing Atlantic City casinos.

  3. New Jersey Casino Control Commission fines Trump's Castle $200K

    The New Jersey Casino Control Commission finds that Trump's Castle supervisors instructed staff to remove Black dealers from tables at the request of high-rolling guests. The commission imposes a $200,000 fine — one of the largest for this violation in state history.

  4. Trump tells Playboy the O'Donnell quotes are 'probably true'

    In a 1997 Playboy interview, Trump is asked about the racist quotes in O'Donnell's book. He responds that the book is 'probably true.' He adds context suggesting he was playing golf and denies the remarks were racist.

Sources

  1. Donald Trump's Long History of Racism — Politico
  2. Trump Defends Casinos After Discrimination Fine — The New York Times
  3. Trump casino discrimination regulatory findings — The Associated Press
  4. Trump's long history of racial controversies — The Washington Post

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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