MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren interviewed by Fox Business
Steve Wynn is not the only casino executive appearing on Fox News. MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren was interviewed Wednesday in New York by Fox host Neil Cavuto. Part two will air Thursday.
Murren gave a brief description of how the company avoided bankruptcy in the spring and is on track to open the $8.5 billion CityCenter in December. He was also upbeat about Las Vegas’ future, saying the city will have 35 million visitors this year, 38 million next year and 40 million in 2011.
“We create great value,” Murren said. “People are stressed and we create a venue for those people. They come to Las Vegas and tell friends they had a good time.”
Unlike Wynn, Murren wasn’t overly critical of how President Barack Obama is handling the economy.
“I thought I had it tough. I can’t speak for him but I think he needs to focus more on job creation,” Murren said.
Murren said Obama “misspoke” when he told a town hall audience in February that companies receiving bailout money shouldn’t take trips to Las Vegas.
“It wasn’t that he disliked Las Vegas. He just wanted to curb extravagant spending,” Murren said.
While the remarks may have contributed to the city’s decline in convention business this year, Murren had sharper words for Gov. Jim Gibbons, who refused to meet with the President when he traveled to Las Vegas.
“That was silly. He’s the President of United States,” Murren said. “Be a man about it and talk to him about it.”
Murren also gave interviews to Bloomberg and other New York-based financial media.
