Would president Trump care if his business empire fell apart?

“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about,” chimed witticist Oscar Wilde in the late 19th century – a quote that embodied the epoch’s penchant for succès de scandale and the notion that there is ‘no such thing as bad publicity’.

This, however, was long before the advent of social media. Where controversy, mystery and notoriety once contributed to fame and fortune, it’s now easy fodder for criticism, disgrace and ruin.

A bad review on TripAdvisor can cripple a hotel. An ill-advised tweet can cost you your job. A viral campaign can destroy the reputation of a celebrity, business leader or politician. All in a matter of minutes.

There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Everybody is in the firing line – some more than others. Which brings us to Donald Trump.

Recent reports suggest his contentious and antagonistic campaign to become the Republican candidate for the United States presidential elections has had a detrimental effect not just on his personal brand but also his business interests across the globe.

Since announcing his run for GOP candidate one year ago, he has alienated several sectors of society at home and abroad. Muslims, Mexicans, women, African Americans, socialists, conservatives, liberals, members of his own party, disabled people, the media, war veterans, and citizens of countries dotted around the planet have all come in for special treatment in the past 12 months. Many have the potential to be paying customers at his hotels and golf resorts. All of whom have the ability to voice their disapproval in ways that influence other people.

The outcry has been deafening. People have been outraged. And business has suffered.

A Bloomberg report earlier this year claimed that business partners in Canada and Turkey want to sever ties with Trump, that his resorts in Scotland and Ireland are losing money, and that his condominium