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New York — What’s in a name? For three New York City apartment buildings, it’s no longer “Trump.”

Workers pried 3-foot-high gold letters spelling “Trump Place” off the buildings on Wednesday.

In some places, a shadow of the old name lingered. The workers scraped and power-washed the surface where the letters had been.

New signage displays the buildings’ street addresses.

Hundreds of residents had signed a petition to remove the name after the release of a recording of Donald Trump boasting about kissing women without their consent.

The Chicago-based company that bought the buildings in 2005 says the goal was a “neutral building identity.” Equity Residential chairman Sam Zell tells The New York Times the petition signed by tenants had “no role” in the decision

Meanwhile, Trump hadn’t been seen in public for days when he walked into New York’s 21 Club to applause from fellow diners. The unannounced evening out with family was a contrast to the behind-the scenes machinations that suggested a struggling transition as names surfaced and sank for top administration positions.

Not to worry, Trump suggested in a Tuesday night tweet: “Very organised process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions. I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!”

Before dinner at the midtown Manhattan restaurant — he broke with protocol and left his press contingent behind — Trump met with the head of his transition team, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, but another day passed without a Cabinet announcement.

Arriving at Trump Tower on Wednesday morning, son Eric Trump said “likely” when reporters asked if any appointments would be made during the day.

Strains were showing within the process. Trump’s allies engaged in an unusual round of public speculation about his potential appointments. Former Representative Mike Rogers, a respected Republican voice on national security issues, quit the transition effort. And an apparent clerical oversight temporarily halted the Trump team’s ability to coordinate with President Barack Obama’s White House. — AFP