A brief history of Donald Trumps many, many business failures

[Indus]

A brief history of Donald Trump’s many, many business failures

So Donald Trump somehow scored his first political win in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night.

Sounds like a good time to remind America his many losses.

The blustering businessman is famously obsessed with winning everything, always. His colorful career, though, shows that his track record ain’t quite so successful.

Sure, he’s built buildings and brought in billions for himself doing so. But that second-place finish in the Iowa caucus last week was hardly the first epic fail with Trump’s name written all over it (often literally).

The man who says he’s going to build a border wall, crush ISIS and boost “the brand of the United States” has a nasty habit of hyping ventures that last less than half the time of one presidential term. Think hard, America: Do you want a man in the White House who couldn't even create a successful board game?

Let’s take a quick look at some of The Donald’s bungled promises. Here’s to many more Trump failures to come!

Trump University

This for-profit school ended about as well as you’d expect for anything called “Trump University.” The campus-less institute opened in 2005 and allegedly swindled some students for up to $35,000 with grand promises of top-notch business lessons.

“As soon as I attended the first workshop, I knew I had been scammed,” one student, Robert Guillo, told the Daily News last year.

Four students sued the school in 2010, leading Trump to change its name to the “Trump Entrepreneur Initiative” before closing it down altogether. The New York Attorney General sued Trump and the shuttered school for $40 million for alleged fraud.

The lawsuits against Trump University may soon be heading to trial, and have somehow barely been mentioned on the campaign trail.

Trump Mortgage

“I think it’s a great time to start a mortgage company,” Trump told CNBC in 2006 about his new mortgage company, adding, “Who knows about financing better than I do?”

Wrong and wrong.

The real estate mogul failed to make any splash with the company, as the housing market collapse neared. He also chose to run the company with E.J. Ridings, an acquaintance who claimed to have extensive Wall Street experience after only working there for three months.

The company lasted less than two years.

Trump magazine

2007 wasn’t a wise time to start launching print magazines. But Trump apparently didn’t get the memo, and trumpeted his new rag as a magazine that would be “tapping into a rich cultural tapestry.”

Turns out the tapestry wasn’t so rich — it folded in 2009.

If around today, there’d be at least one publication willing to endorse Trump for President.

Trump Airlines

Trump dumped $365 million to buy the tiny Eastern Air Shuttle in 1989 and decked out its Boeing's with gold-colored bathrooms and a maple wood veneer. But no one wanted to travel in Trump’s style.

The airline never made a profit and The Donald had to default on his loans to square the debt. The company flew away for good in 1992.

GoTrump

Touted at the time as Trump’s “biggest venture to date,” he helped launch this travel site in 2006, which gave vacation recommendations based on Trump's own favorite spots.

“I love to travel and I invite everyone to experience GoTrump.com,” he said in a press release.

Few took the invite. GoTrump went away after only a year.

Trump: The Game

Nope, this isn’t referring to his presidential run.

Trump tried invading American homes in 1989 with a Monopoly-esque Milton Bradley board game in his name. But the board game business itself is something Trump couldn’t win.

The game disappeared from shelves after a year. Some copies are still floating around eBay for about $20.

The Apprentice board game

Winners don’t just lose — they play again!

Not content to let his board game stakes slip, Trump roared back on the scene with a Hasbro game based on his TV show. It was essentially similar to his first game, especially when it came to sales — this one, too, was swiftly discontinued.

It’s now on eBay for as low as $6.

Trump Steaks

Donald Trump selling steaks exclusively through Sharper Image. Debuting them in a TV ad where he claims he just “raised the stakes” on steaks. This was primed to be a delicious failure from the very start.

He claimed his steaks were the “world’s greatest,” and accordingly priced them for at least $199 a pack.

But the meat slabs slowly disappeared from shelves nationwide, and the Trump Steakhouse in Las Vegas even got shut down for a bit following more than 50 health code violations. Disgusted reviews are still on QVC to give everyone a taste of what they missed.

“They pop fat all over the counter while on the grill.”

A bloated, explosive mess. How fitting.

Trump Ice and Trump Vodka

Trump tried turning the branded bottled water sold at his casino into a home product throughout the mid-2000s. It fizzled, and assorted bottles are now eBay, but some made their way to Marco Rubio as an insult.

Trump Vodka also drowned around the same time, disproving its tagline, "Success Distilled."

Anyone noticing a product pattern here?

Trump Entertainment Resorts

Trump’s most successful stab at any gaming industry — by which we mean, it hasn’t failed completely.

But with Trump resigning from the casino group in 2009, after one of its bankruptcy filing, these Atlantic City casinos are clearly another losing hand for him. The company is still clinging on even after its fourth bankruptcy filing two years ago.

Trump even failed to win against an 80-year-old Atlantic City woman, whose house he tried to destroy to make way for a limosuine parking lot. She beat him in court.

Trump Tower Chicago

The Second City is hardly the only place afflicted with a Trump skyscraper. But it certainly has one of the most annoying buildings bearing his name.

In 2014, Trump put “TRUMP” on the building’s side — destroying one of the most scenic views of Chicago’s Riverwalk. It moved Mayor Rahm Emanuel to propose a new law banning any building sign so massive.

Who says Trump can’t get things done in government?

Are we sure he's not a con-artist instead of the guy to make America Great again?

Oh and I think I make better steaks on my weber grill than those $200 steaks. Just saying.. I'll even give you a photo proof later.

 

[DrPizza]

I think the majority of the population does a face palm when they hear one of their friends explaining why Trump will make a great leader.

 

[waggy]

A brief history of Donald Trump’s many, many business failures



Are we sure he's not a con-artist instead of the guy to make America Great again?

Oh and I think I make better steaks on my weber grill than those $200 steaks. Just saying.. I'll even give you a photo proof later.

I think he is just running to promote his name. I don't think he really cares if he wins.

As for the business failures i'm not upset about. I DO think some of them look like scams though.

 

[Blackjack200]

I think he is just running to promote his name. I don't think he really cares if he wins.

As for the business failures i'm not upset about. I DO think some of them look like scams though.

Promote his name? He literally has state governments voting to permaban him.

There's no question in my mind he's running to win, and it's costing him a lot of his relationships and reputation.

 

[zinfamous]

As for the business failures i'm not upset about. I DO think some of them look like scams though.

Somewhere between "scam" and "fucking stupid idea," exists Trump.

 

[MongGrel]

Failed project lands Trump in Florida appeals court

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay...d-project-lands-trump-in-florida-appeals.html

Trump Tower Tampa site sold for $5M

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2011/06/22/trump-tower-tampa-site-sold-for-5m.html

 

[Nebor]

Amazing that after all that, he can pick himself up and become the President of the United States.

 

[Spungo]

I think him being a joke is the main appeal. We voted for Obama in 2008 because he was different and he promised to change everything; McCain was destroyed because he voted with Bush almost every time. Ron Paul was very popular because he was different. Bernie is popular because he's different and promises to change everything. Trump is popular because he's different.

Remember when the right tried to trash Obama by saying he was the most liberal candidate ever, but this completely backfired and made Obama even more popular? We get sick of seeing the same crap over and over again.

Amazing that after all that, he can pick himself up and become the President of the United States.

He at least has enough sense to cut his losses when appropriate. Trying to double down and throw good investment money after bad is a great way to go broke.

 

[BoberFett]

Trump: The President America Deserves

 

[Spungo]

Trump: The President America Deserves

I'm not even sure about that. He's the only candidate who is openly against raping Mexican women.
The Donald (lol) made a statement saying we need to do something about the rape epidemic that is occurring along the southern US border. The other candidates and the news media wasted no time in saying that Trump was wrong, rape is good because bitches deserve it, and we should do everything possible to maximize the number of women being raped.

As many as 80% of women sneaking into the US are raped along the way.

This bald Canadian fellow covers this and many other topics in great detail
https://youtu.be/Gw8c2Cq-vpg?t=542

 

[zinfamous]

I'm not even sure about that. He's the only candidate who is openly against raping Mexican women.
The Donald (lol) made a statement saying we need to do something about the rape epidemic that is occurring along the southern US border. The other candidates and the news media wasted no time in saying that Trump was wrong, rape is good because bitches deserve it, and we should do everything possible to maximize the number of women being raped.

As many as 80% of women sneaking into the US are raped along the way.

This bald Canadian fellow covers this and many other topics in great detail
https://youtu.be/Gw8c2Cq-vpg?t=542

wat?

 

[Victorian Gray]

wat?

Performance art.

 

[MongGrel]

Amazing that after all that, he can pick himself up and become the President of the United States.

Pick himself up from what ?

He was born with more money than he ever would need, has never had to pick himself up

 

[JSt0rm]

 

[MongGrel]

"It takes money to make money"

Just another old one, helps if you're born with a ton of it to begin with.

Most people do not have the disposable income to just randomly start business's regardless of whether they will fail or not.

 

[JSt0rm]

bootstraps.txt

The picture is talking about success not money They are very different.

 

[Spungo]

wat?

He tried to draw attention to a rape epidemic, and other candidates did everything possible to silence these concerns. If you try calling the police to report a rape, you can bet someone like Hillary Clinton will knock the phone out of your hand, stop you from reporting it, and then call you racist because you're not pro-rape like she is.

I wonder if she would carry this "lol obstruction of justice" mentality to other sectors of her life, such as that time she was obviously guilty of obstruction of justice. Instead of knocking phones out of hands and calling people racist, she deleted all records of illegal activity she was involved in. Stay classy, Hillary.

 

[compuwiz1]

With some 500 businesses within the Trump organization, a few failures is the expected norm, as it would be with any company that large. I guess companies like American Airlines, PG&E, K-Mart, Sears, General Motors, Chrysler and Washington Mutual aren't running for president though, so that makes the Donald fair game. Business climates change. I hear people say he shouldn't be running for president because he filed for bankruptcy 4 times. Nope, he has never filed for personal bankruptcy. Corporations do it all the time and this is nothing unique for Trump.

 

[zinfamous]

He tried to draw attention to a rape epidemic, and other candidates did everything possible to silence these concerns. If you try calling the police to report a rape, you can bet someone like Hillary Clinton will knock the phone out of your hand, stop you from reporting it, and then call you racist because you're not pro-rape like she is.

I wonder if she would carry this "lol obstruction of justice" mentality to other sectors of her life, such as that time she was obviously guilty of obstruction of justice. Instead of knocking phones out of hands and calling people racist, she deleted all records of illegal activity she was involved in. Stay classy, Hillary.

wait....wat?

 

[zinfamous]

very true.


this is why the idea of a businessman as President has always been the dumbest fucking idea ever. People that think running a country is the same as running a business are some of the dumbest people anywhere.


plus, Trump was never really invested passionately in any idea. Money was handed to him, he always had it, so it was more like flinging shit around until something stuck. He still makes money regardless of nothing but failures (ok, if you call massive debt money, but whatever)

Trump as POTUS would be like electing Burlusconi, whom I imagine Trump admires greatly. yeah, we need a Burlusconi like we need a crabs epidemic.

 

[BoberFett]

very true.


this is why the idea of a businessman as President has always been the dumbest fucking idea ever. People that think running a country is the same as running a business are some of the dumbest people anywhere.

Without defending Trump or claiming that he'd be a good president in ANY way... There's no relation to that image and what you're saying here. Do you believe that entrepreneurs keeping failing until they succeed, while presidents only ever succeed or fail?

 

[SMOGZINN]

I think the majority of the population does a face palm when they hear one of their friends explaining why Trump will make a great leader.

I'm convinced that Trump is doing so well in the polls due to hipsters voting for him ironically. If we wins he might very well be the first ironic presidential candidate.

 

[Mai72]

"It takes money to make money"

Just another old one, helps if you're born with a ton of it to begin with.

Most people do not have the disposable income to just randomly start business's regardless of whether they will fail or not.

Another person whose jealous of the rich. I'm not rich but I'm not envious as well.

Oh, and people who are successful have failed over and over and over.

 

[zinfamous]

Without defending Trump or claiming that he'd be a good president in ANY way... There's no relation to that image and what you're saying here. Do you believe that entrepreneurs keeping failing until they succeed, while presidents only ever succeed or fail?

the bar for failure as a President is much higher.

Obviously, Presidents fail. The greatest presidents failed several times, sure.

I should clarify that my complaint about business men as presidents isn't so much about that, is that there is this preposterous confusion that running a business is just like running a country!

While I think that accepting failure over and over and over again hoping for success isn't a commendable quality for a president, I do agree that being willing to fail at times, and being able to learn and tough it the fuck out when you do, is a great quality that translates between business and high office.

 

[zinfamous]

I'm convinced that Trump is doing so well in the polls due to hipsters voting for him ironically. If we wins he might very well be the first ironic presidential candidate.