Trump’s Childhood Home Sells at a Huge Loss—Overrun by Feral Cats.
President Donald Trump’s childhood home in Queens, New York, has finally sold—though not exactly for a huge sum. The once-iconic residence, which had been left to rot and become a playground for feral cats, was snapped up for a bargain-basement price of $835,000 by a Brooklyn-based LLC named 1388 Group, property records show.
That’s less than half of what it sold for in 2017, when it was purchased for a whopping $2.14 million—a price tag no doubt inflated by Trump’s cult of personality. Unfortunately for the previous owner, a lawyer named Michael X. Tang who reportedly buys properties for Chinese investors, the house has since fallen into serious disrepair, proving that just because something has Trump’s name on it doesn’t mean it’s a good investment. (See: Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump University.)
Photo Credit: Realtor.com
A House Left to Rot
The Tudor-style house, located in Jamaica Estates and built in 1940 by Trump’s father, Fred C. Trump, had been vacant for years—aside from its unofficial new feline tenants. When a photographer recently visited, the front door was wide open, exposing stripped-down interior walls. Construction workers were busy gutting the place, tossing debris into a graffiti-covered dumpster. “A beautiful house was left abandoned and no one took care of it for all this time,” said a frustrated neighbor. “No one occupied it, no one used it and it was left as an eyesore and we, the community, had to take care of it.”
By "take care of it," the neighbor means mowing the lawn, because the property had become so neglected that local residents felt compelled to step in. Before renovations began, the house had been slapped with multiple “vacate” and “water shut off” notices, a clear sign of its decline. The basement had also been flooded and filled with mold after a burst pipe—fitting for a house once occupied by the man who flooded the market with bankrupt casinos.
Photo Credit: Realtor.com
Trump’s Childhood Home: A History of Flipping and Fading Glory
Originally, the house was briefly rented out on Airbnb, with some guests paying a staggering $815 per night to sleep in a room labeled as the spot where “President Donald J. Trump was likely conceived.” (A horrifying thought, even for the most die-hard MAGA fan.) The buyer at the time, “Trump Birth House LLC,” even launched a GoFundMe campaign in 2021 to raise $3 million to gift the house to Trump. Unfortunately for them, much like Trump’s failed attempts to build a border wall with crowdfunded money, this plan flopped, too.
The home’s previous sales history reflects the volatile mix of real estate speculation and Trump’s fleeting brand appeal. In 2008, the house sold for $782,500. In 2016, following Trump’s election, it changed hands for $1.4 million. Then, just months later in 2017, it sold for $2.14 million—more than double the price of similar houses in the area. This peak price coincided with a wave of Chinese interest in Trump properties, as reported by The New York Times in 2020: “Trump’s image as a successful businessman has drawn him strong admiration in China.” (A bit ironic, considering his anti-China rhetoric.)
Photo: Facebook/Donald J Trump
The Future of the House—and Trump’s Legacy
Now, the home has been picked up by a known house-flipping firm, with two mortgages totaling $931,500 taken out for its purchase and renovation. The new owner remains tight-lipped about their plans, but the house will likely be renovated and resold at a profit—unlike Trump’s Atlantic City casinos, which were demolished and turned into parking lots.
A Fitting Metaphor
In the end, Trump’s childhood home mirrors the trajectory of his entire brand: once propped up by hype and speculation, now left crumbling and abandoned, only to be salvaged by opportunists looking for a quick flip. Even the feral cats had the good sense to move in and claim it before the flippers did.
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And really, what better metaphor could there be for Trump’s legacy? He inherited something solid, turned it into a circus, and left others to clean up the mess—whether it’s a bankrupt casino, a crumbling democracy, or a mold-infested house full of stray cats. It’s the Trump touch: everything he touches turns to—well, let’s just say, not gold.
