DC residents remove homes from Airbnb for inauguration week after Trump victory

Before November 8th, you know, back in the halcyon, optimistic days of yore, homeowners in Washington DC were raking in the bucks with advanced reservations on Airbnb for the anticipated inauguration of Hillary Clinton as the 45th President of the United States.

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After Donald Trump’s victory, these reservations have been cancelled at an alarming rate by Hillary supporters who now have no interest in observing the peaceful transition of power scheduled to occur on January 20th: (HuffPo)

Karl Scarlett, owner of Great Dwellings, which manages Airbnb rentals for homeowners, said he had 90 cancellations for the roughly 100 properties he manages in D.C. in the 48 hours after the election.

A number of the cancellation emails came with explanations, Scarlett said. “Every single one of them had expected a different outcome.”

A rental customer told Guesty that the 50 percent cancellation fee was the least of her worries now that Trump will be president, according to Nathan Tobin, director of sales at the company. Guesty provides services to property managers with Airbnb rentals.

“It shows how strongly the guest felt about not wanting to attend the inauguration and the price she was willing to bear to do so,” Tobin said.

And with those 50% cancellation fees totaling as high as $2,000 per booking it’s clear that money is no object for disgruntled Americans who were #WithHer.

Also noteworthy is the lack of hospitality on behalf of many of these Airbnb lessors. Apparently, many DC residents who were more than eager to temporarily rent their homes to Hillary supporters are now reticent to offer their homes to Americans on the Trump train.

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But some individuals who had planned to post their D.C. area homes on Airbnb said they are feeling conflicted about renting to or sharing their place with people who voted for Trump.

“I have a visceral reaction to the thought of having a Trump supporter in my house,” said Lobna, who had planned to rent out a room in the apartment she shares with two roommates. All three of them are Clinton supporters.

“No amount of money could make me change my mind,” she said. “It’s about moral principles.”

“We don’t trust Trump supporters to stay in our place,” said “Meredith” who would only give HuffPo her first name for fear of retribution for openly expressing her intolerance toward those she views as intolerant.

Not only is this why Trump won but this is also why DC will never be a state.

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