Search This Blog

De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Trump: The Deal Maker!

By Rich Kozlovich

Donald Trump is now looking like the man who will be the Republican nominee, and one of the things he's touted is his "fabulous" business sense.  However - his business sense may leave a lot to be desired.  Especially to those whose money he either took or wasted.  True, he's personally never declared bankruptcy, but that's a red herring to hide his failures and his businesses that did go bankrupt or failed, which are numerous and troubling.  He's a deal maker all right, and he's made a lot of money with his deals, but apparently not a very good deal maker for many others.  Why would we think he would be any better as President of the United States with Putin or Khomeini? 

Trump Airlines: Failure - "The story does, however, reveal much about the Trump now appearing in the national spotlight. He lied about his competitors. He trotted out plans to attract customers—but many of them made no sense from a business standpoint. Those who worked with him at the airline describe him as a loose cannon; a generous and engaged boss on the one hand, obnoxious and impulsive at other times—especially in public.   As former Trump Shuttle president Bruce Nobles told The Daily Beast, “I cringed every time he opened his mouth.”   “He really didn’t understand the business and at times he said things that really weren’t helpful” to his new company, Nobles said. “That was his style and it really hasn’t changed.”' ....

Trump Casinos: Failure  - "No wonder Donald Trump lied so vehemently during the Republican debate about not trying to introduce casino gambling to Florida. The truth is he tried and failed. Worse if you are The Donald, he was then bested by a onetime real-life apprentice whose firm went on to make more than $1 billion on gambling while Trump’s own gaming enterprise ended in bankruptcy...... "

Trump Mortgage: Failure - "Weak market, grand ambitions, exec's troubles doom firm Donald Trump has pulled the plug on Trump Mortgage less than two years after its launch.  Plagued by bad timing and the disclosure that the firm's chief executive had inflated his credentials in his official biography, the mortgage brokerage never came close to reaching its financial goals. Observers say another reason the company stumbled is that it expanded too quickly, instead of taking the time to build relationships with real estate brokers and lenders."

Trump University: Failure - "Donald Trump has made a shocking announcement this morning, stating that he plans to reinstate his extreme failure, Trump University, and – even more surprisingly – plans to give all applicants free admission......Trumps poll numbers soared on the announcement."

Republican presidential candidate - "Donald Trump will be taking a break from his campaign schedule sometime this spring to testify in a lawsuit against his defunct university, Politico reported yesterday. The suit was filed by a former student of The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative, originally known as Trump University, who claims Trump bilked students out of thousands of dollars with deceptive marketing tactics. The 2010 suit, filed in California by Tarla Makaeff, claims the costly seminars offered by Trump were of no educational value and Trump University “…is more like an infomercial, selling non-accredited products.”    New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed suit against Trump University in 2013 alleging violation of state education law and failure to provide promised services to students.  A May 2014 opinion by New York Supreme Court found Donald Trump personally liable for operating a non-licensed, for-profit school....."

Trump Vodka: Failure - "The Donald had a vodka. Trump vodka (labeled super premium, naturally) was introduced in 2006 to much fanfare. Under the slogan "Success Distilled," the liquor was touted as the "epitome of vodka" that would "demand the same respect and inspire the same awe as the international legacy and brand of Donald Trump himself." At the time, Trump predicted the T&T (Trump and Tonic) would become the most requested drink in America, surpassed only by the Trump Martini. On Larry King Live, he said he got into the vodka business to outdo his friends at Grey Goose. Six years later, Grey Goose is still on top shelves throughout the country. As for Trump vodka? Yeah, we'd never heard of it either......."

China Connection: Failure - "'The problem with our country is we don't manufacture anything anymore," Donald Trump told Fox News a year ago. "The stuff that's been sent over from China," he complained, "falls apart after a year and a half. It's crap." That very same Donald Trump has his own line of clothing, and it's made in ... China. (O.K., O.K. — not all of it. Salon, which reported this intriguing, head-scratching fact, notes that some of his apparel is from Mexico and Bangladesh.)"

Trump Board Game: Failure - "Trump even had a board game, a Monopoly-like game launched in 1989, which was ultimately discontinued. He put out an updated version tied to “The Apprentice” in 2005. That one was put on ice, too. As the rebooted game’s tagline proclaimed, “Parker Brothers and Donald Trump are challenging consumers to determine whether they have the brains and the brawn to be the next Donald Trump.” Apparently, not enough were interested...."

Trump Magazine: Failure -  "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."

Bankruptcy's: Four - "Donald Trump, official presidential candidate, has never personally declared bankruptcy. The business ventures that bear his name, however, are a different story. After spending much of the millennium flirting with the idea, Donald Trump actually announced on June 16 that he’s going to make a run for the Republican presidential nomination (or, at the very least, spend as much time as he can drawing attention toward himself during the debates). And while that means the 69-year-old will have plenty of time to air his heady political blend of opinion and charisma, it also means that the flamboyant entrepreneur will fall under more financial scrutiny than ever before."

Go Trump Travel: Failure -  "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 Steaks: Failure - "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: Failure - What happened: Trump Ice has been available at Trump's casinos for some time, and according to Trump "it was so good that people wanted to buy cases of it!" So the bottles were produced and distributed to the masses. They never hit it big.  You can still find bottles on eBay if you're interested in tasting the "purest" bottled water. And although it was discontinued, the official Trump website says that you can find Trump Ice at "specialty food stores and grocery chains nationwide." What Trump said about the bottle design: "It is fiery, isn't it? It's fire and ice! The water puts out the fire." It shut down in 2010.

Trump and The USFL: Failure - "The final game in United States Football League history, a 28-24 victory by the Baltimore Stars over the Oakland Invaders, was played 30 years ago on July 14. The 1985 USFL championship game was held at Giants Stadium, home of the New Jersey Generals, who were owned by future presidential candidate Donald Trump. And it was Trump's strategy for the league that is widely considered to have led to its demise."

Trump Tower Tampa: Failure - "Jay Magner was watching the noon news one day when he heard that real estate tycoon Donald Trump and a group of local developers were planning a 52-story condo tower on the river in downtown Tampa.   "It changed the course of my life, literally,'' says Magner, who at the time owned a dollar store. "I thought, 'Oh my God, I could finagle that and live there.' "  Magner put down a deposit, joining dozens of other buyers eager to own part of what Trump called a property "so spectacular that it will redefine both Tampa's skyline and the market's expectations of luxury.''  A decade later, the city's skyline has indeed changed but not because of Trump Tower Tampa. Magner often walks or cycles by the acre and a half site, still weedy and empty.  "I lost $130,000,'' he says. "I didn't know people could take your money and not build the building.'''

As for his marriages - his actions speak for themself.  Trump is a spoiled brat, and egomaniac, and a petulant bully who's really good at dishing it out but lousy at taking it.  He won't see anything except what he wants to see and he loves being surrounded by boot lickers.  Does anyone really believe he has any more concern about the Constitution than Obama?  Not a good deal for America!

No comments:

Post a Comment