They Will See How Great It Will Become 2009
When Donald Trump has been pressed on his casinos performance during his presidential campaign, he has repeatedly said he left Atlantic City at the right time.
Atlantic City is a disaster, and I did great in Atlantic City, he said during a Republican Party debate last September, according to a transcript. I knew when to get out. My timing was great. And I got a lot of credit for it.
That would suggest Mr. Trump willingly left sometime around 2006, the year that revenues peaked in Atlantic City and that Pennsylvania allowed its first casino to open, a development that marked the start of a rapid downward spiral in the city. The drop-off was exacerbated by the recession that began in 2008.
But in early 2009, as Trump casinos lurched toward bankruptcy for the fourth time, Mr. Trump was still trying to hang on. At loggerheads with board members who had been selected by bondholders after the 2004 bankruptcy, he offered to buy all or a part of the casino company bearing his name. He was rebuffed, and he quit the board soon after.
Testifying in bankruptcy court in Camden, N.J., Mr. Trump argued that the company could not use his name, since shortly before filing the bankruptcy it had stopped paying him the $166,000 a month he received under the services agreement. He testified that his brand was worth $3 billion. He also testified that he was personally negotiating the settlement of a lawsuit in Florida that would yield more than $100 million for the company.
Donald Trumps Business Failures Were Very Real
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Many of Donald Trumps tweets arent worth paying attention to, but on Tuesday morning he posted a pair that demanded inspection. Like many other people, me included, the President had apparently been reading a story in the Times that punctured the mythology surrounding his business career. Based on Internal Revenue Service transcripts of Trumps tax returns from 1985 to 1994, the Timesreport said that Trumps core businesses racked up losses of more than a billion dollars in a ten-year period. During 1990 and 1991, the story said, Trumps losses were so large that they were more than double those of the nearest taxpayers in the I.R.S. information for those years.
Trump could simply have ignored the report or dismissed it as old news. But, with cable-news networks featuring it prominently, and the Daily News, one of Trumps home-town papers, running the front-page headline BIGGEST LOSER, he did what he usually does and counterattacked. This is what he wrote on Twitter:
These are significant sums, certainly. But, as the Times article points out, depreciation charges arent nearly large enough to create the massive losses that Trumps businesses incurred. Some fraction of Donald Trumps losses can be attributed to depreciation, Susanne Craig, one of the authors of the Times piece, wrote in a , responding to Trump. We found most of it was just bad business.
Used Law To Protect Interests
Critics have cited the Trump corporate bankruptcies as examples of his recklessness and inability to manage, but the real estate developer, casino operator, and former reality-television star says his use of federal law to protect his interests illustrates his sharp business acumen.
Trump said in August 2015:
âI have used the laws of this country just like the greatest people that you read about every day in business have used the laws of this country, the chapter laws, to do a great job for my company, my employees, myself and my family.
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Fourth Time’s A Charm: How Donald Trump Made Bankruptcy Work For Him
Trump Plaza, Atlantic City. Image via Flickr.
Here at FORBES, we’ve been tracking Donald Trump‘s wealth since the inaugural Forbes 400 rich list in 1982. Today, we value him at $2.7 billion, although he claims he’s worth far more. One question we’re often asked when talk turns to Trump’s fortune: how can a man who has been bankrupt so many times remain a multi-billionaire? How is he worth more now, post-bankruptcies? We spoke to bankruptcy lawyers and casino industry experts — some of whom have had firsthand involvement in Chapter 11 cases connected to Trump — in an attempt to explain how he has survived corporate bankruptcies and thrived in the aftermath.
1. It’s nothing personal…
First things first: Donald Trump has filed for corporate bankruptcy four times, in 1991, 1992, 2004 and 2009. All of these bankruptcies were connected to over-leveraged casino and hotel properties in Atlantic City, all of which are now operated under the banner of Trump Entertainment Resorts. He has never filed for personal bankruptcy — an important distinction when considering his ability to emerge relatively unscathed, at least financially.
“Corporations, limited partnerships, and LLCs in which he had an ownership interest or companies that had his name attached have filed for bankruptcy,” said Michael Viscount of Atlantic City law firm
In Presidential Bid)
2. …it’s just business.
3. It’s better than the alternative.
4. He’s leveraged his persona.
6. He’s not the one to blame.
Bankruptcy In The United States
Like the economy, bankruptcy filings in the U.S. rise and fall. In fact, they are like dance partners where one goes, the other usually follows.
Bankruptcy peaked with just more than two million filings in 2005. That is the same year the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act was passed. That law was meant to stem the tide of consumers and businesses too eager to simply walk away from their debts.
The number of filings dropped 70% in 2006, but then the Great Recession brought the economy to its knees and bankruptcy filings spiked to 1.6 million in 2010. They retreated again as the economy improved, but the COVID-19 pandemic easily could reverse the trend in 2021. It seems inevitable that many individuals and small businesses will declare bankruptcy.
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Despite Holding Huge Assets Trump Needs Money More Than His Presidential Predecessors Ever Did But He Faces Multiple Barriers Of His Own Making
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
As Trump knows only too well, lawyers are expensive
What next for Donald Trump? World leaders dont, as a rule, go hungry upon leaving office. There are positions on corporate boards to take up, lucrative speaking engagements to be booked, handsome advances for books even if they dont sell quite as well as expected . The consulting opportunities are endless, as Tony Blair has proved. Theyre not always terribly savoury but that usually merits only passing attention.
Trump, however, is in the difficult position of needing the money more than any of his predecessors did, despite holding huge assets. He also faces barriers of his own making the insurrection he fomented the most obstructive of all to at least some of the perks former presidents typically enjoy. Many of the people who welcomed George W Bush and cut him a cheque when he wasnt painting wont want to associate with Trump.
His legal problems, meanwhile, are just beginning and legal experts consider the idea of Trump preemptively pardoning himself a non-starter. Besides, this would only cover federal, and not state, offences.
Trumped: The Donald Has Filed For Bankruptcy Multiple Times What’s His Strategy And What Can It Teach You
With a net worth in the billions of dollars, you would never have guessed it. But, lo and behold, Donald Trump has filed his businesses for bankruptcy four times since 1991. Was this a mistake? Did the billionaire Trump make a fatal error that caused his corporations to collapse? Just the opposite, in fact. Trump says that every bankruptcy filing was strategic. He even goes further to expand his strategy to the business community, in saying that every high-level business man should take advantageous of the laws, including the laws of bankruptcy. To understand Trump’s decisions, we fist must understand the full situation behind his actions.
While Trump’s businesses have filed for bankruptcy Trump himself has never filed for personal bankruptcy. From 1991 onward, four of his businesses have filed for Chapter 11 restructuring. For a more in depth look at Trumps bankruptcies, take a look at a review of his bankruptcies. On a high level, here is how the Chapter 11 filings turned out:
1.Trump Taj Mahal, 1991
Trump had initially financed the establishment by selling north of $1 billion of “junk” bonds, with a promised return of 14 percent interest. When the economy tanked, the Trumpt Taj Mahal was over $3 billion in dept. What Trump then did, to make amends with his lenders, was giving up half of his ownership state and selling his plane and yacht.
2.Plaza Hotel, 1992
3.Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, 2004
What then, were the factors that enabled Trump to create his fortune?
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New Report Details Decades Of Presidents Taxes And Financial Failures
On Sunday, The New York Times published a blockbuster report on the Presidents tax returns, revealing details from decades of confidential filings and information related to Trumps businesses. The report paints a picture of a president whose business interests are in financial distress and whose looming money challenges could push him into bankruptcy in the near future. The findings pose a troubling, but important, question to ask:
Is President Trump actually broke?
The explosive reporting by The New York Times is based on a review of two decades of Trumps personal and corporate tax record, ranging from his days as a high-profile real estate developer to the beginning of his tenure as President. In publishing their findings, the Times explained the rationale behind their decision.
We are publishing this report because we believe citizens should understand as much as possible about their leaders and representatives their priorities, their experiences and also their finances. Every president since the mid-1970s has made his tax information public, the Times wrote in an editors note accompanying the report. Mr. Trump, one of the wealthiest presidents in the nations history, has broken with that practice.
The Times added, The records show a significant gap between what Mr. Trump has said to the public and what he has disclosed to federal tax authorities over many years.
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Trump Never Loses Another Chance
Despite his many missteps, Trump has always rebounded and found new ways to pursue his interests. Trump shifted his business from developing projects to licensing and management deals after he had failed in the 1990s.
Trumps star rose to new heights when he was made a reality TV star as The Apprentice even though his casino business went bankrupt twice more. He capitalized on his fame to run for President in 2016, defeating two political dynasties, the Clinton and Bush families, on his way to becoming the White House.
Even if he loses in democrats2020 and experiences the same embarrassing setback as his hotel or casino failures, Trump will still be there. Trump has an extraordinary gift for selling that leads to more deals, sometimes with ex-partners who have reacted negatively to him but then warmed to him again.
Trump sued Deutsche Bank in 2008 to get some of his loan payments back. He was trying to sell condos in his Chicago tower. After two years of legal battles, the two sides settled, and Deutsche Bank began lending Trump money again in 2011. Trump likely hopes that 2020 voters will be equally forgiving.
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Personal Vs Corporate Bankruptcy
One point of clarification: Trump has never filed personal bankruptcy, only corporate bankruptcy related to some of his business interests. I have never gone bankrupt, Trump has said.
Here is a look at the six Trump corporate bankruptcies. The details are a matter of public record and have been widely published by the news media and even discussed by Trump himself.
Personal Bankruptcies 2020 Based On Demographic Profile
9. Well-educated people file 20% of American bankruptcies.
Many misconceptions are flying around when it comes to bankruptcy. But the simple truth is it can happen to anybody.
The American Bankruptcy Institute Statistics clearly show that, while 20% of filers have a college degree, 29% have some form of college education, and 36% are high school graduates. As you might recall, even President Trump has occasionally filed for corporate bankruptcy over the years. While the Trump bankruptcy cases were not individual claims, he has filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy claim as much as six times.
10. Personal bankruptcy rates for males are higher than for females .
According to findings by Dan Mangan at CNBC, men are more likely to file for bankruptcy than women. The gap between the two is very small, but the reasons are very different.
The majority of men who file for bankruptcy do so after losing high-paying jobs. In contrast, 48% of women who file for bankruptcy are forced to do so due to a divorce, as the divorce statistics show.
11. 60% of people who file for bankruptcy earn less than $30,000 a year.
Data on American bankruptcies show that many people filing for bankruptcy are on low household incomes. The figures also show that only 9.2% of people who earn $60,000 per year go bankrupt.
12. According to personal bankruptcy statistics, 64% of people who file for bankruptcy are married.
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Famous People Who Have Filed For Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is something we have all heard about. Maybe we even know someone who has had to go down that road.
For some, their finances have gotten so bad that they wonder if bankruptcy is the only option left. As you consider that option, there is probably shame and fear and a huge weight on you that you have allowed it to get this bad.
You are right: bankruptcy is a last resort option and should only be taken with the determination that it is never going to happen again. You have to commit to change, no debt and even counseling, if you really want it to get fixed. It took a lot of work to get into bankruptcy and will take a lot to get out of it.
But the shame has to stop. The guilt isnt going to help you starting over, it will just keep you in the same mindset that got you trapped in the first place.
Did you know that there are a lot of famous people who have declared bankruptcy at one point or another?
Lets take a look at some celebrities who had to start over:
Kim Basinger – Oscar winner and ex-wife of Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger was forced into bankruptcy after a breach of contract lawsuit. She declared $8 million in her bankruptcy filing and was able to settle 4 years later and continue on with her acting career.
These twenty celebrities are just a few of the examples of people who have had to go through bankruptcy court. The range of debt is extreme to much more extreme.
