Donald Trump Buys the Berkley Pit
Earlier today, businessman Donald J. Trump secured ownership rights to Butte’s famous Berkley Pit and the property on which it is located. The billionaire and Republican Presidential frontrunner said he planned to develop a luxury hotel on the land.
“We are going to build a great hotel here in Silver Bow County. Really beautiful. Guests will have views of the great Rocky Mountains to the north, and the marvel of American industry, which is the Berkley Pit to the south. It will be the greatest hotel in Montana history by a mile.”
When asked about the project at a campaign stop in Wisconsin, Trump said he hopes to break ground on the project this year, but plans could be delayed by federally mandated environmental feasibility studies:
“Listen up folks. The federal government might come in and say ‘you can build in Montana, Donald. It’s poisonous, blah blah blah. I hate business and helping communities, blah blah blah’ Well guess what Mr. Environmental Study. Your job is going to be very very different come January 2017.”
Via Gage Skidmore/Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/5440392565/in/photostream/
Political commentators from across the country are saying Trump’s purchase is a blatant attempt to win over Montana voters before the June primary. In a taped segment this afternoon, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews slammed the deal as “shady. It’s like out of a bad movie made by person without a brain. He is trying to BUY votes in Montana and no one is stopping him.” Politico has compiled a list of other luxury hotels Trump has promised to build while on the campaign trail. Almost all of them are in states that have yet to hold their primary.
The range of views in Montana over the acquisition and planned hotel were quite diverse. Butte resident Dan Danielson said he’s glad to see the development, “We have a giant poisonous pit in the middle of town and so far no one has a plan on how to get rid of it. Hats off to Mr. Trump for doing something. If the pit has to be here, the town might as well make some money on it.”
Former Republican senate candidate Bob Kelleher does not share this optimism, “The pit is filled with toxic water and Mr. Trump is trying to bring more and more people closer to it, which will undoubtedly make them sick. It’s a perfect allegory to the 2016 presidential race.” Kelleher continued, “it will be over my dead body this hotel will be built.”
Through a spokesperson, Trump acknowledged the challenges building near the pit presents: “Step one: I will bring in the greatest minds from the state, from the country, and from the world to figure out how to clean up the pit. The Trump Hotel in Toronto was built on top of an asbestos mine and we figured out how to keep most people safe. Step 2: I will build a glass walkway from one side of the pit to the other. The glass walkway will give people the opportunity to really see the pit, which will make it less scary, without exposing them to direct contact with the water, which would almost certainly kill them.”
This story was filed on April 1, 2016 by staff writer Jim Jimson.
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