RIVER NORTH — Blustery real-estate developer, reality-TV star and newly announced Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will speak to the City Club Monday at a sold-out luncheon.
Trump had called for the luncheon to be moved after it quickly sold out in the club's usual location, Maggiano's Banquets, but the City Club rejected the request.
City Club Executive Director Tweed Thornton confirmed Friday that the club had 2,000 people on a waiting list for Monday's luncheon, with more than 300 expected to attend.
Trump has sparred with architecture critics and local politicians over the controversial "TRUMP" sign on his Downtown skyscraper at Wabash Avenue and the Chicago River, insisting, "Everybody loves it," even after Mayor Rahm Emanuel said it left the building "scarred," and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) called it "extremely tasteless."
He has starred for years in the running NBC reality-TV series "The Apprentice," where his trademark line is "You're fired."
In Chicago, the New York City business mogul has also had to defend himself against charges of bait-and-switch sales tactics at Trump Tower.
More recently, Trump has bridled over being depicted as a clown by the New York Daily News when he announced his candidacy for president earlier this month.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
