Latest news with #rejection
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
For Sale: Trump leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses
If one theme has emerged in President Donald Trump's second term, it's this: He's leveraged the power of his office for personal gain unlike anyone before in history. ADVERTISEMENT From crypto coins to bibles, overseas development deals to an upcoming line of cellphones, Trump family businesses have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars since his election, an unprecedented flood of often shadowy money from billionaires, foreign governments and cryptocurrency tycoons with interests before the federal government. "He is president and is supposed to be working in the public's interest," said James Thurber, an emeritus professor at American University, who has researched lobbying, campaign finance and political corruption for decades. "Instead, he is helping his own personal interest to grow his wealth. It's totally not normal." The sums amassed by the Trump Organisation, the collection of companies controlled by the president's children, are far greater than those collected by the family during the president's first term, when patronage of his hotels, resorts and golf courses was de rigueur to curry favour with the famously transactional commander-in-chief. The second time around, the Trump family's ambitions are far grander, stretching from cyberspace to far-flung regions across the globe. One of Trump's cryptocurrencies is conservatively estimated to have pulled in at least $320 million since January, while another received a $2 billion investment from a foreign government wealth fund. A third has sold at least $550 million in tokens. ADVERTISEMENT His sons have jetted across the Middle East to line up new development deals, while his daughter and son-in-law are working with the Albanian government to build a Mediterranean island resort. Even first lady Melania Trump has inked a $40 million documentary deal with Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, was a frequent target of Trump during his first presidency and whose companies contract extensively with the federal government. ADVERTISEMENT The dealmaking is a rejection of Trump's first-term pledge to "drain the swamp" in Washington and dwarfs the influence peddling efforts of former President Joe Biden's family, whom Trump and his allies attacked as the "Biden Crime Family". While Democrats have condemned Trump for his overlapping roles as a beneficiary and president, he is not likely to face any immediate repercussions for such extensive conflicts-of-interest. ADVERTISEMENT Congress is controlled by fellow Republicans, and his administration is stocked with loyalists who have dismantled many guardrails of oversight. Last summer, the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority cemented by Trump, ruled that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution. Even in the rare cases where Trump's allies have urged caution, the president has ignored them. That's what happened when he accepted a $400 million "beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane" from the Qatari government. Trump said the Boeing 747 "would go directly" to his presidential library upon leaving office. ADVERTISEMENT "It's the Mount Everest of corruption" said Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat. Since Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, presidents have gone to great lengths to avoid the appearance of such conflicts. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan kept assets in a "blind trust," while George H W Bush used a "diversified trust," which blocked him from knowing what was in his portfolio. His son, George W Bush, used a similar arrangement. Barack Obama was an exception, but his investments were mostly a bland mix of index funds and US treasuries. During his first term, Trump even gave a nod toward ethics. He issued a moratorium on foreign deals. But instead of placing his assets in a blind trust like many of his predecessors, he handed the reins of the Trump Organisation to his children, which kept his financial holdings close. This time, he has made no such gesture. His sons, Eric and Donald Jr, are again running the business while Trump is in office. And though the White House says he is not involved in its day-to-day decisions, the trust he has established continues to profit. He promotes his resorts, merchandise and the family's crypto ventures while residing in the White House, often from his account on Truth Social, the social media company he and his allies launched. He's also touted a line of Trump shoes, a Bible, which is made in China, and Trump guitars, one of which is a $1,500 Gibson Les Paul knockoff, featuring "Make America Great Again" fret inlays. Conservative groups and Republican committees have spent at least $25 million at Trump properties since 2015, with most of it coming from Trump's own political organisation, campaign finance disclosures show. Yet, those ventures pale in comparison to his exploits in cryptocurrency, which offers perhaps the clearest example of the conflicts of interest that have come to dominate Trump's second term. Trump was once a crypto sceptic who declared that cryptocurrencies were "not money," were based on "thin air" and seemed "like a scam." By the time he was running again for president, however, he'd become a proponent of the industry. "The difference now is he has realised that it can be his scam," said Hilary Allen, a law professor at American University who specialises in banking and cryptocurrencies. Trump has pledged to turn the US into the "crypto capital of the world" and promised to roll back oversight of the industry. Deregulation, of course, will help his own businesses. At the height of the campaign, Trump announced the launch of his own crypto coin and World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm that would be run by his sons and several business associates. Among those partners was Steve Witkoff, now one of Trump's top diplomatic envoys. The Trump Organisation and World Liberty Financial declined to comment. But it was also rooted in his 2024 campaign. At a crypto event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in May 2024, he received assurances that industry figures would spend lavishly to get him reelected, The Associated Press previously reported. Asked recently at the White House if he'd consider having his family business step back from its crypto investments to avoid questions about conflicts of interest, Trump said: "We've created a very powerful industry. That's much more important than anything that we invest in." "I don't care about investing. You know, I have kids and they invest in it, because they do believe in it," Trump added of crypto. "But I'm president, and what I did do there was build an industry that's very important. And, if we didn't have it, China would." Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, reiterated that Trump's crypto boosterism isn't driven by self-interest. He "is taking decisive action to establish regulatory clarity for digital financial technology and to secure America's position as the world's leader in the digital asset economy," Fields said. "The Trump administration," Fields added, "is fulfilling the president's promise to make the United States the crypto capital of the planet by driving innovation and economic opportunity for all Americans." Trump is soon expected to sign cryptocurrency legislation approved by Congress on Thursday. Among the provisions is a ban on members of Congress issuing their own brand of a particular type of cryptocurrency. The prohibition does not extend to the president. Fields said it was unfair to equate critics' charges of conflicts of interest against Trump with the president's own suggestions that Biden's family benefited financially while he was in office. He said Trump's policies haven't benefited the president personally and have nothing to do with his family's financial concerns - and said Trump entered the White House an already successful businessman who didn't need a political career to become rich. Even so, Trump's family is poised to benefit financially from the crypto industry's growing clout. It holds a majority ownership stake that entitles them to 75% of earnings from their first coin, released last September, according to World Liberty Financial's website. The coin, $WLFI, was not an immediate success. Then, after the president's election, sales took off. Days before his inauguration, Trump announced a new meme coin, $Trump, during the "Crypto Ball," a Washington gala intended to showcase a regulatory sea change he vowed to usher in. "Time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!" Trump posted to his X account. "Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR $TRUMP NOW." Trump's meme coin generated at least $320 million in fees Often created as a joke with no real utility, meme coins are prone to wild price swings that often enrich a small group of insiders at the expense of less sophisticated investors. $Trump soared to over $70, but its price soon collapsed, losing money for many. It has hovered around $10 since March. Trump did well, though. By the end of April, the coin had earned over $320 million in fees, according to an analysis by the crypto tracking firm Chainalysis. A third cryptocurrency, a "stablecoin" called USD1, launched in April. There appear to be upsides for Trump's cryptocurrency investors and associates. Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto billionaire, has disclosed investing nearly $200 million in the Trumps' various crypto ventures. Amid this spree, the Trump administration announced it had paused a securities fraud case against him. In June, Sun announced he was taking his crypto company, Tron, public after securing financing through a deal brokered by Eric Trump. Last week, Sun posted on Twitter that he was purchasing an additional $100 million worth of Trump's meme coin. Sun is not the only one. Changpen Zhao, a convicted felon who founded the crypto exchange Binance, was part of a megadeal in which a United Arab Emirates-controlled wealth fund invested $2 billion in the Trump stablecoin, USD1, which it used to purchase a stake in Zhao's Binance. The deal gave outsized publicity to World Liberty Financial and instantly made the stablecoin one of the top in the market. It will also allow the Trump family and their business partners to reinvest the $2 billion and collect interest, estimated to be worth as much as $80 million a year. Soon after the purchase was announced, Trump granted the UAE greater access to US artificial intelligence chips, which it had long sought. Binance and Zhao benefited, too. Binance is restricted in the US and entered a settlement with the Biden administration that sent Zhao to jail in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program. Prosecutors said he looked the other way as criminals used his platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism. In May, Trump's Securities and Exchange Commission dropped the final federal enforcement action against Binance. Zhao, who goes by CZ, is now seeking a pardon. The White House says no decision has been made on issuing such a grant of clemency. Trump announced several months ago a new promotion that would trade on his presidency: He was hosting a dinner at his Virginia golf club for the top 220 investors in his meme coin, $Trump, with a special White House tour for the top 25. That fuelled a temporary rise in the coin's value. It also helped enrich the Trump Organisation, which is entitled to collect fees when the coin is traded. A month later, Trump addressed attendees of the dinner, standing before a lectern with the presidential seal. The White House said at the time that it had nothing to do with the meme coin. For decades, campaign contributions and lobbying have been governed by laws that place limits on how much donors can give, require a degree of transparency and limit how politicians can spend the money they raise. Trump's venture into cryptocurrency effectively sidesteps these laws, legal and finance experts say. "It's a lot like the Trump Hotel from the first term, but what crypto has done is dispensed with the need for the hotel," said Allen, the law professor. "Because crypto assets can be made out of thin air, he has found a way of creating an unlimited supply of assets to offer to people who want to give."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
How NEET failure led to Rolls-Royce and Rs 73 LPA for this 20-year-old. Who is Rithuparna KS? Check her educational qualifications
When Rithuparna KS missed out on a government medical seat after her NEET results, it felt like the end of a dream. What she didn't know then was that the rejection would reroute her towards something bigger — a job with Rolls-Royce 's Jet Engine Manufacturing Division, a jaw-dropping Rs 72.3 lakh package , and a future in aerospace innovation. All by the age of 20. Her educational qualifications Hailing from Koduru in Thirthahalli taluk, Karnataka, Rithuparna initially aspired to become a doctor. But when her NEET scores didn't fetch her a government seat, she turned to engineering — not by choice, but necessity. She secured admission to Sahyadri College of Engineering through CET in 2022 and enrolled in the BE course in robotics and automation. Though disappointed at first, she quickly shifted gears, determined to make the most of her unexpected path. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Data Science Data Science Management Project Management Public Policy MCA others Cybersecurity Leadership Operations Management healthcare Data Analytics Others Artificial Intelligence MBA Product Management Finance Healthcare Technology Design Thinking PGDM CXO Digital Marketing Degree Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details From the first day of college, Rithuparna threw herself into learning, building, and innovating. Her first project — a robotics-based arecanut harvester and sprayer — won gold and silver medals at the Goa INEX competition. She collaborated with doctors to study robotic surgery, contributed to solid waste management tech with local officials, and even worked with a research team at NITK Surathkal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The Rolls-Royce chapter Driven by a burning desire to intern with a global firm, Rithuparna reached out to Rolls-Royce. The response was brutally honest. They questioned her qualifications and said she likely couldn't complete even one of their assigned tasks in a month. Instead of stepping back, Rithuparna asked for a chance — one task. She received a challenge with a one-month deadline. She finished it in a week. Impressed, Rolls-Royce sent her more assignments. Over the next eight months, she faced relentless challenges and tough interviews. Just when the dream seemed distant, she got her break: a pre-placement offer in December 2024. Midnight shifts, soaring rewards Since January 2025, she's been working from home — logging in from midnight to 6 am — while simultaneously managing her college coursework. Once she completes her seventh semester, she will relocate to Texas, USA, to join Rolls-Royce full-time. In April, her annual package was revised from Rs 39.6 lakh to a stunning Rs 72.3 lakh.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
15 Marriage Proposals So Embarrassing You'll Drop To Your Knees And Thank God You Weren't The One Being Asked
Before anyone walks down the aisle, there's one big moment that sets everything in motion: the proposal. However, sometimes popping the question misses the mark just a bit. So here are some of the most awkward, painful, and just plain wild proposal rejection stories we found on Reddit: 1."My story is pretty brutal. I was walking down the beach with my then-girlfriend, and an airplane flew by with a banner that said, 'Tiffany, will you marry me? —Tom.' My name is Tom, and her name is Tiffany, but that was not my proposal. She starts screaming 'yes' and hugs me. I am in shock, staring at the sky, not even realizing she has her arms around me. After I was silent for a while, she figured it out. It was the quietest, longest, most painful walk home of my life. What a fucked up coincidence." —u/plzkillme 2."I was in 3rd grade when some dude came into the classroom and proposed to our teacher. She just started crying and left the classroom. We found out that her answer was no." —u/StanleyBaratheon 3."Oh man I feel awkward just recounting this story. It wasn't me but I was dating my high school boyfriend and spent Easter with his family. His cousin (I'd say he was about 24) decided to stash a ring for his girlfriend in an Easter egg and send her on an Easter egg hunt. He spent all morning planning it out and putting people in charge of snapping pictures, popping champagne, etc. The girlfriend gets to the house, and the boyfriend tells her she has an Easter egg hunt to go on. She gets pissy, says she's tired, and doesn't want to. He finally breaks down and says, 'There's a really special thing in the egg that I know you'll be excited to find.' She said, 'If it's a fucking engagement ring, the answer is no.'" "But now he's dating a Miss America contestant, and I recently saw that ex-girlfriend working at Claire's lol. She told me all about her boyfriend who sells phone cases at the stand in the mall. So I guess it all works out in the end!" —u/Lp1234 4."My good friend was dating this guy for nearly two years. I could tell things were getting a bit stale with them, and one day when we went out to get lunch she told me that she was going to break it off with him. She seemed far more stressed about hurting the guy and was asking for advice. Right in the middle of me giving her some input, the guy comes in and looks a bit frantic. He musters up the courage and walks right to our table, completely ignoring me, gets on one knee and pulls out the ring. I was so in awe of it being the worst timing ever, that my mouth was open in shock. Guests gathered around the table started cheering, but my friend just got up and walked out to her car and drove off. I almost died from second-hand embarrassment. All I remember is the gasps and snickering and he just sat in her place looking crushed. I didn't know what to say. I got the check and gave him a pat on the back. My friend is still recovering from the whole ordeal..." —u/Foxy-Jessica 5."I had been with the lady in question for two years. We were in our own little world, doing our own thing together. We had ups and downs but nothing too dramatic, and I at least was happy. I saved for a while to buy the ring and had a day planned out. I did the one kneed bit, and she flat-out laughed but said yes. I was overjoyed and euphoric, so I put the laugh down to nerves or shock perhaps; who cares, I was getting married! The next day I got up first, took the dog out and got home to find her just getting off the phone with someone. I asked if she was telling someone about our engagement but she didn't answer me. I joked that it was her lover and she was having an affair. Her face dropped, my heart sank to my ankles, and she then told me, quite plainly and calmly, that yes, I had guessed right and that she was off to pack a bag." "...And then she did. Three days later it was almost like she was never there. She tore my soul out and wiped her arse with it. I would love to wrap up with some kind of revenge or twist to it, but she married him. Hurt more than a bit, caused some depression and a bit of drinking. It seemed totally out of the blue at the time, but I was always a poor judge of character when it came to women." —u/bong_sau_bob 6."I saw it happen at a ball game once — the whole jumbotron thing with the text and then the closeup of the couple. The girl actually laughed, and then you could see the guy's dejected face. He started to lump back into his seat and looked like he was going to cry before the jumbotron cut off. The place started to boo the girl, and people started throwing shit at her. Security had to help her get out." —Anonymous 7."I got turned down for buying the 'wrong ring.'" —u/tsmartin123 8."I work in an airport in international arrivals, so I see joyous reunions that are so filled with love it makes me want to puke. (Can you tell I've been working there for a long time?) One day, I was sitting in my store, minding my own business, when I heard a trombone. The song started going, and I recognized the tune... The Imperial March from Star Wars. I was confused and trying to find out where it was coming from. As I scanned the crowd, I saw this girl whose face was beet red. I'm assuming she had something to do with whatever is happening, so I kept my eyes on her. She ends up walking to the guy who is playing the trombone. He finishes up the song and gets down on one knee. The girl is about 25 feet away from me, so if words were exchanged, I did not hear them. But, what I did see was the guy smiling, then suddenly looking dejected. He stood up and walked away from the girl while she stood there — her face still red like a tomato. It was hard to watch." —u/Mediocre-raptor 9."I had been dating my girlfriend for seven years and she always said that I could propose to her with a ring pop and the ring didn't matter. After her cousins wedding, I got down on one knee and proposed to her with a plastic Green Lantern power ring. It was the pink Love ring. She said no. Apparently, the gesture was not enough." —u/tangforcefive 10."I used to work at a fine-dining restaurant and saw a few proposal rejections. The incident that stands out the most is when a guy did the whole having the ring brought out with the dessert and proposed. The woman seems shocked and pretty annoyed at the situation. She turned him down. One of the servers overheard her say, 'You're not even my fourth or fifth choice.'" —u/Nicosuave47 11."I had someone propose to me, then take it back an hour later. In one day, I had a boyfriend, a fiancé, an ex-fiancé, and an ex-boyfriend. To elaborate, we went for a walk one day, and he was visibly nervous. He finally stopped and said very hesitantly, 'I've been thinking of the long-term benefits of marriage.' Then he said he'd left the ring in the car but would pretend his wallet was the ring box. He got down on one knee and asked officially. I said yes. We walked home, and he told me not to tell anyone yet. This was the first inkling I had of something being wrong (the aforementioned awkwardness and scatterbrained-ness were characteristic of him). We got back to our apartment and ate dinner as usual. He was quieter than normal. After, when we were sitting on the couch, he put his head between his knees and said, 'I've made a huge mistake.' We ended the engagement and broke up." "I took a very long drive and came back three hours later. We talked and agreed to keep dating. Four months after that, he told me he wanted to break up for good. When I asked him why, he hemmed and hawed for a while before responding, 'We went to Target way too much. Also, I didn't love you.' We still haven't talked. We dated for nearly four years before the 'proposal,' and he almost immediately vanished without a trace when we broke up." —u/verdandi 12."We were in a long distance relationship but we lived together before she moved, so we had been together for awhile. I flew out to see her and propose, but as soon as I landed I got severely sick. My mother took it upon herself to ask my girlfriend for me. She immediately told her no, but I was never informed of this. I went to propose and heard it all laid out in front of me." —u/Cypher26 13."I come from a traditional Indian home. My parents thought sending me to a marriage convention would be a good idea, so I decided to go so I wouldn't have to deal with unnecessary drama. When I got there, I went to the first girl I saw and asked her to marry me. She said, 'no.'" —u/Pandaless1 14."I proposed on the Eiffel Tower. Had it planned out and all, but was really nervous and didn't know how to start. Then I saw someone had carved a proposal into the handrail. I read it aloud, and then asked my girlfriend if she'd marry me. My tone maybe was off, because she said, 'Of course I'll marry you,' like it was hypothetical (like yeah, I'd marry you, if you'd ask). That ended the conversation, we went on with the vacation a bit awkwardly, and then talked about it a few nights later. I said yeah, that was supposed to be for real..." —u/phargle lastly: "I never got the chance to actually propose because she basically found out I was planning on it and broke up with me. We are still friends, she just wanted to get her professional life sorted before her personal life, which is a reasonable thing to do honestly. No hard feelings, just sad that it happened. As I said, we are still very close, and things might work out in the future, or they might not." —Anonymous Have you ever witnessed a cringey marriage proposal rejection? Let us know via the Anonymous Comments form below and you could be featured in a follow-up post! NOTE: Some submissions have been editing for length and/or clarity.
UAE Moments
12-07-2025
- Health
- UAE Moments
Leadership Is Not a Popularity Contest!
Have you ever felt anxiously judged when the only answer you got in the room was a no or silence, in the best case? Most leadership advice focuses on influence, vision, and communication—but few talk about one of the hardest parts: being rejected, criticized, or misunderstood. Nobody wants to feel rejected in their personal life, not to mention professional life, where we mostly need to feel in control. Social rejection hits hard because 'our need to belong' is primal. In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, belonging is the third level in the pyramid, sitting above physiological needs (like food and shelter) and safety needs (like job security and personal safety), and just below esteem and self-actualization. This level represents our innate desire to connect with others—to feel accepted, cared for, and part of something larger than ourselves. It's about all our social and close relationships, including workplace camaraderie. In simple words, we are wired to care about belonging. Now, if we want to dive scientifically deeper, from an evolutionary standpoint, being excluded from the group once meant danger or even death. So even a small 'cold shoulder' or disagreement can feel threatening. That's how our brain, which has one ultimate mission: to protect us and help us survive, was programmed through all these centuries. A UCLA study, led by Naomi Eisenberger and Matthew Lieberman, used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to explore what happens in the brain when people experience social rejection. It concludes these two key findings: Social exclusion activated the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)—the same region of the brain that processes physical pain. The right ventral prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate pain distress, was also activated—suggesting the brain was trying to cope. So, it's not just in our heads. It literally HURTS!. Although we always step forward first as leaders and mostly for ideas or contexts that might sound insane, exaggerated, or too bold, we need to understand that 'not every no is personal'. It could be just their natural human reaction, like our reaction to rejection. From a psychological perspective, rejection might come from 3 main areas: ego protection, fear of change, or loss of control. Always remember, sometimes it's not about you. It's about the story they're telling themselves. It's about their past experience, their biases, and their insecurities. Thus, whenever you see leadership content that tells you that ' If people don't like you, they won't follow you,' it's time to rethink the sources that promote such ideas. Because this kind of myth that has been implanted in the heads of a lot of emerging leaders creates a dangerous leadership trap. That's why we witness leaders who are sacrificing truth, clarity, and accountability for the sake of maintaining harmony and good feelings. In his book 'Authentic Leadership' and later work at Harvard Business School, Bill George emphasizes that leaders who are true to themselves, who act on their core values and maintain consistency between words and actions, earn deeper trust. He argues that likeability can be fleeting, especially when it conflicts with doing what's right or making tough calls. Also, he believes that authentic leaders are transparent, self-aware, and purpose-driven, which fosters long-term followership and credibility. Now, you might be asking yourself: how can I balance being authentic without getting enemies all through the way?. The answer is: Healthy Boundaries. Focusing on just receiving love and applause will most likely lead you to burnout, delayed decision making, and weakened team effectiveness, let alone losing your people's trust. On the other side lie healthy boundaries that protect your mental health and build mutual respect. You're not a bad leader for saying no. You're a clear one. And clarity is one of the highest forms of kindness and respect—both for your team and yourself. BUT how you say no is the skill that you need to master as a leader. Let me give you three quick tips to do so: Say no without an apology or drama: Avoid overjustifying. The more you explain, the more it sounds negotiable. You are not in a weak position here. Discuss the idea, not the person: Whenever your brain says 'you are mean!' remember that you're not rejecting the person, you're protecting the system. Introduce alternatives (when possible): You can help in different ways. There are always ways to walk around and get things done. Conclusion: When guilt knocks on your door, pause, take a deep breath, and analyze the situation. Is it your survival instinct? Is it them projecting their own stories on you? Or is it a true constructive feedback that needs to be considered for the benefit of all? In all cases, keep in mind that love isn't the answer here. It's respect, trust, and authenticity because leadership isn't about being perfect. It's about showing up with courage, consistency, and emotional maturity—even when it's uncomfortable.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Livvy Dunne Wanted Babe Ruth's Old Apartment. The Co-op Board Said No.
New York City co-op boards can be notoriously difficult to get past. It's not just about being rich and successful: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Calvin Klein and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. have all been rejected. But the social media influencer and former gymnast Olivia Dunne was still shocked that she faced the same fate when trying to buy Babe Ruth's former apartment on the Upper West Side. Ms. Dunne, a New Jersey native known as Livvy, shared her story with her eight million TikTok followers this week. 'I was gonna pay with cash, like I wanted this apartment bad. Like it got to the point where the realtor was so confident,' she said. Ms. Dunne, 22, continued: 'Then the week that I'm supposed to get my keys to my brand-new apartment, I get a call, the co-op board denied me. So pretty much the people in the building voted to not have me live there.' The apartment at 345 West 88th Street would have been Ms. Dunne's first real estate purchase, she said in the video. She had visited with her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, the star Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, who, like her, was an athlete at Louisiana State University, where she made millions through endorsement deals. Ms. Dunne's representatives and the building's management office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Under the co-op structure, boards tend to have lots of power, more than those of condos. They have the right to turn down any applicant, as long as it's not for reasons that are discriminatory or have to do with self-dealing from a board member. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
