Difference between revisions of "Net Worth"

Revision as of 19:00, 29 September 2019

By Year

1982

2004

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $2.6 billion, ranking him the 74th richest person in America. “It looks like the U.S. billionaire's club isn't quite as exclusive as it once was. There are now 313 billionaires in the country, the largest number ever and a huge jump over the 262 counted last year, according to Forbes magazine, which Thursday released its annual ranking of the 400 richest Americans. […] Donald Trump's net worth edged up $100 million to $2.6 billion, despite the financial problems of his casino empire. But Trump slipped three spots on the list, falling to 74 from 71.” (Los Angeles Times, September 24, 2004)

2005

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $2.7 billion, substantially less than the $3.6 billion that Trump claimed to control. “Last month we published our annual rankings of the 400 richest people in America. Donald Trump came in 83rd with a net worth of $2.7 billion. Necessarily this number involved some guesswork about real estate values, but it was designed, as is our practice, to err on the low side. Trump protested that he is worth $3.6 billion. He has been raising similar objections to our valuations for most of the time the Forbes rich list has been around.” (Forbes, November 28, 2005)

2006

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $2.9 billion, substantially less than the $6 billion that Trump claimed to control. “Donald Trump; $2.9 billion; Real estate. New York City. 60. Twice divorced, remarried; 4 children; Son of Brooklyn developer borrowed heavily, built big, lived large, became billionaire during the 1980s. Nearly lost it all after 1990 realty crash. Stayed flamboyant, smartened up and embraced reality TV. Now other builders affix "Trump" to their condos and pay The Donald a generous cut of the gross; there are 8,200 such condos in development that will bear his name. Housing slowdown? Perhaps not a problem: large-scale Trump Organization projects in Chicago (92-story hotel-and-condo complex) and Las Vegas (with casino mogul Phillip Ruffin) are almost completely sold out. Now fighting with a New York Times reporter who claimed in a book that Trump was worth just a few hundred million dollars. Sued for defamation; judge recently ruled that $5 billion lawsuit can proceed. Disputes FORBES' net worth estimate: ‘I'm worth $6 billion.’” (Forbes, October 9, 2006)

2007

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3 billion, substantially less than the $7 billion that Trump claimed to control. “Donald Trump; $3 billion; Real estate. New York City. 61. Twice divorced, remarried; 5 children; Son of Brooklyn developer borrowed heavily, built big, lived large, became a billionaire during 1980s. Eviscerated in 1990 real estate crash; stayed flamboyant, embraced reality TV. Now other builders pay him millions to license ‘Trump’ brand. Despite looming housing woes, the Donald's retail, office and hotel business is up. Recently signed Gucci in record lease in New York's Trump Tower; Trump Chicago hotel opens December. Annually disputes FORBES' net worth estimate: ‘I'm worth $7 billion.’” (Forbes, October 8, 2007)

2008

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3 billion, substantially less than the $10 billion that Trump claimed to control. “Donald Trump $3 billion Real estate. New York City. 62. Twice divorced, remarried; 5 children; ‘I'm worth $10 billion.’ We don't think it's that much, but the Donald continues to build around the world. Began erecting Trump Tower Dubai, his first project in the Middle East, with local developer Nakheel in July. Signed new deals in the Philippines, Egypt, Turkey and Puerto Rico. Opened long-awaited 5-star hotel in Chicago this year. Son of Brooklyn developer invaded Manhattan in mid-1970s, borrowed heavily, talked tough, became a billionaire. Nearly lost it all in 1990 real estate crash; bounced back, embraced reality TV. Prized buildings: Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, 1260 Avenue of the Americas. Sold a Palm Beach mansion to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million in July. A planned $2 billion golf course near Aberdeen, Scotland raising local ire; embroiled in lawsuits with Trump Tower Tampa condo developers.” (Forbes, October 6, 2008)

2009

• Forbes estimated that Trump's net worth had fallen in half since 2008 (to ~$1.5 billion), but noted that strange transactions with Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev had helped prop up Trump's plunging balance sheet. “Last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today there are 793. How $1.4 trillion vanished. […] Donald Trump, we estimate, has seen nearly half of his net worth disappear. His casino company is in bankruptcy--again. His $1 billion hotel and condo tower in Chicago hasn't closed enough previously agreed-to sales and can't find new buyers. Evidently having some difficulty making timely repayments of $640 million in unguaranteed construction loans from Deutsche Bank, he sued the lender last fall (but recently took the lawsuit off the table). As cranes stand idle above half-built residential real estate projects around the world, Trump's ability to profit from licensing his name and marketing expertise to other developers has become impossible to gauge--despite his popularity. ‘We're not going down; we're going up,’ says Trump. ‘We're buying things we couldn't have dreamed of buying two years ago. And we have a lot of cash.’ The Donald always makes a few shrewd moves. Last May Trump sold a Palm Beach, Fla. house to Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, who was worth $12.8 billion last year, for $100 million. In the months that followed, shares of the new homeowner's publicly traded fertilizer outfit, Uralkali, cratered, erasing three-quarters of his fortune. Trump dumped some of the cash he made into a few golf courses put on the block by their cash-strapped owners.” (Forbes, March 30, 2009) Dmitry Rybolovlev

2010

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2011

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $2.4 billion, ranking him as the 153rd richest person in America. “The Forbes 400: […] 153. Donald Trump; Worth: $2.4 billion; Source: Real Estate; Age: 64. Married, 5 children; Residence: New York city; Education: U. of Pennsylvania; Wealth Watch: Trump is hard to ignore. He offered to buy out an investor in the controversial Islamic Center near Ground Zero; no deal. His Celebrity Apprentice is now syndicated in China and signed for another season on NBC. The Donald promotes his golf courses through the Golf Channel and is producing MTV's new reality series Ladette to Lady. His name is emblazoned on alcohol, ties, even mattresses. But does the brand have value? Trump says it's worth $3 billion. Carl Icahn's camp argued that quality, not the Trump brand, attracts a crowd. The judge disagreed, saying, ‘The Trump brand is worth millions of dollars to the debtors,’ then awarded the casinos to Trump and Mark Lasry. But name isn't everything. Trump SoHo opened this spring and so far has been a dud. A group of 15 buyers sued Trump, who has a licensing deal, and the developers, alleging they were duped by inflated sales figures.” (Forbes, October 20, 2011)

2012

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.1 billion. “The Richest People In America […] 128. Donald Trump, $3.1 billion; Source: Television, Real Estate; Age: 66 Residence: New York City; Real estate developer and star of The Apprentice recently bought Washington, D.C.'s Old Post Office building to turn into a luxury hotel. His controversial $150 million golf course in Scotland opened for business in July; he remains locked in a battle over proposed wind turbines off the Aberdeenshire coast that he says will spoil the ocean views.” (Forbes, October 8, 2012)

2013

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.5 billion. “New York City's real estate market is booming, as residential and commercial prices rise and huge new projects get under way. These are nine of the richest developers with skin in the game. Not included are some of the storied real estate dynasties whose fortunes are split among numerous family members. […] Donald Trump. Net worth: $3.5 billion; Son of Brooklyn developer invaded Manhattan in mid-1970s. Today "The Donald," star of The Apprentice, owns Trump Tower on 5th Avenue, 67-story Trump Building at 40 Wall Street, among others.” (Forbes, February 10, 2014)

2014

• Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.9 billion, ranking him the 388th richest person in the world. “The world billionaires. […] 388 Donald Trump UP $3.9 bil television, real estate” (Forbes, March 24, 2014)

2015

• Forbes estimated that Trump's net worth was $4.5 billion, substantially less than the $10 billion net worth Trump claimed on the campaign trail. “Trump's valuation this year holds extra importance, of course, due to his audacious second act: his highly unlikely--but no longer inconceivable--path to the presidency. Trump has filed statements claiming he's worth at least $10 billion or, as he put in a press release, TEN BILLION DOLLARS (capitalization his). After interviewing more than 80 sources and devoting unprecedented resources to valuing a single fortune, we're going with a figure less than half that--$4.5 billion, albeit still the highest figure we've ever had for him.” (Forbes, October 19, 2015)

2016

• Forbes reported that Trump had a net worth of $4.5 billion, ranking him as the 324th wealthiest billionaire in the world. “The World's Billionaires: […] Donald Trump UP $4.5 bil #324 television, real estate […] His abrasive, long-shot campaign is looking less unrealistic after big wins in early primaries. So far he's had to spend only $18 million of his $4.5 billion fortune on his run (in all, his campaign has raised just $25 million). Others haven't seen such a strong return on investment: 27 billionaire megadonors, including Richard Kinder and Kelcy Warren, have given a collective $46 million to candidates who are already out of the race.” (Forbes, March 21, 2016)