Donald Trump’s net worth hits US$6.5 billion, one of world’s 500 richest

[Dos Equis]

I wouldn’t invest anything with trump’s name on it right now. It’s too crazy.  But that wouldn’t mean I wouldn’t in the future.  Hell, look at Uber that just reported a profit after 3 or something years.

He's one of the few people whose name is worth a lot of money.  He doesn't own or build all of the hotels with his name on it.  He had a "Trump Hotel" in Hawaii for many years, that he did not build.  They just paid for the use of his name.  The hotel recently rebranded. 

I agree it is now risky to rely on his name, with him being Hitler and all, but I'm not sure he is any less risky than most investments. 

Regarding Uber, I don't remember how long Amazon failed to make a profit, but it was quite a while.  And we know how that played out.

[chaos]

I know, right? According to Republican or right leaning folks,  he is the head of a crime family which is in business with foreign countries for millions if not billions of dollars (including are our adversaries, China for example). Plus, he has been ripping off the U.S. government for unearned paychecks for more than five decades (since he first became a senator in 1972). He has never filed for bankruptcy, either personal or business related. He does not pay alimony since he has never been divorced. His wife has a net worth of $9 million. Hmmm, something is amiss, he should be wealthier than he is. His paltry net worth is approximately $10 million. Peanuts compared to Trump. He should start selling the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition of the Bible for $60 a pop, and trading cards, although he does not have a mug shot to sell, so it is not clear what the trading cards would look like.


Oh, and BTW, Trump may not be in the top 500 for long. A week after it went public, folks realized today there was no way that stock was worth the risk as it begins the dissent to zip. At least Trump was worth a bundle on paper for a second or so before it got flushed down the toilet. What goes up, must come down. Duped again!

I would expect that Biden couldn't go bankrupt, he's been living off our tax dollars pretty much his entire life. When you're as crooked as he is all you have to do is sell your vote to the highest bidder and you'll have plenty of money. You keep talking about Trumps failures, I assume you would have given up and become a janitor instead of failing a few times and still succeeding often enough to become a billionaire.

[LurkerNoMore]

Do you really think it will take that long for the truth of this fiasco stock gimmick to be outed? Whether now or six months from now Coach and others will fabricate an excuse or explanation such as it is all another media 'witch hunt' and the stock is doing just fine as is Trump's fortune.

Six months is the waiting period for El Lardo to cash in.  Unless he does so early and screws them over.  What?  He would do that?  You don't say?   

Then again, in six months it could be worth 100 billion.  April Fools.

[Dos Equis]

I would expect that Biden couldn't go bankrupt, he's been living off our tax dollars pretty much his entire life. When you're as crooked as he is all you have to do is sell your vote to the highest bidder and you'll have plenty of money. You keep talking about Trumps failures, I assume you would have given up and become a janitor instead of failing a few times and still succeeding often enough to become a billionaire.

One of the greatest success stories in American history. 

[chaos]

One of the greatest success stories in American history.

It's funny to me that people think dwelling on Trumps failures would minimize his successes.

[OzmO]

He's one of the few people whose name is worth a lot of money.  He doesn't own or build all of the hotels with his name on it.  He had a "Trump Hotel" in Hawaii for many years, that he did not build.  They just paid for the use of his name.  The hotel recently rebranded. 

I agree it is now risky to rely on his name, with him being Hitler and all, but I'm not sure he is any less risky than most investments. 

Regarding Uber, I don't remember how long Amazon failed to make a profit, but it was quite a while.  And we know how that played out.

Well I am happy with Uber because I bought some right before they posted their earnings, I benefitted, at least for now, from a nice jump. 

I know at one point his name was worth a lot. I don’t really know specifically when.   Right now if his stock is tanking that means no one with money has confidence in him.  That’s why Tesla hasn’t completely tanked because investors have seen Musk rebound many times. 

[OzmO]

One of the greatest success stories in American history.

I don’t see that.  He started with quite a bit.   Do you know if he started with more or less advantages than Gates, Bezos, Buffet or Musk?

[chaos]

I don’t see that.  He started with quite a bit.   Do you know if he started with more or less advantages than Gates, Bezos, Buffet or Musk?

So if someone gave you $100 and you used it to make $10,000 would that minimize your achievement?

[OzmO]

So if someone gave you $100 and you used it to make $10,000 would that minimize your achievement?

Not sure what you are getting at.  If you are trying to say that what a person starts with doesn’t give them advantages over people who start with less I disagree.   When you have more money to start with and  have better connections that give access to other people’s money you will certainly have advantages over the person who starts with only $10,000, from a middle class neighborhood or low income one.   

As for Trump. He has certainly achieved great things.  But a great American success story?  Nah.

[chaos]

Not sure what you are getting at.  If you are trying to say that what a person starts with doesn’t give them advantages over people who start with less I disagree.   When you have more money to start with and  have better connections that give access to other people’s money you will certainly have advantages over the person who starts with only $10,000, from a middle class neighborhood or low income one.   

As for Trump. He has certainly achieved great things.  But a great American success story?  Nah.

I'm saying to take a small amount of money (relative to where he currently is) and turn it into huge profits takes some sort of skill, knowledge and technique to grow that initial amount. Of course the rich get richer, not exactly a surprise. According to Forbes there are 735 billionaires in the US. Wonder how many of them started with nothing, a few thousand bucks or a few million?
What would you consider a great American success story?

[Dos Equis]

I don’t see that.  He started with quite a bit.   Do you know if he started with more or less advantages than Gates, Bezos, Buffet or Musk?

He is literally one of the wealthiest persons on the planet.  Yes his father was very successful, so that helped, but not everyone who has a successful parent becomes a billionaire.  There is no denying that he is one of the most successful businessmen in American history. 

I don't know the backstory of Gates, etc.

[Dos Equis]

It's funny to me that people think dwelling on Trumps failures would minimize his successes.

Yeah it's just dumb.  You got people calling him a "grifter," etc.  Absolutely ridiculous.  He has had a number of business ventures fail.  But the ones that were successful made him one of the wealthiest persons on earth.

[OzmO]

He is literally one of the wealthiest persons on the planet.  Yes his father was very successful, so that helped, but not everyone who has a successful parent becomes a billionaire.  There is no denying that he is one of the most successful businessmen in American history. 

I don't know the backstory of Gates, etc.

From ChatGPT:

Donald Trump received substantial financial support and wealth from his father, Fred Trump, throughout his life. The exact amount is difficult to pinpoint due to the complexity of their financial transactions, but investigations and reports suggest it was at least hundreds of millions of dollars. The New York Times published an investigative report in 2018 revealing that Donald Trump received the equivalent of at least $413 million from his father's real estate empire, starting from his childhood and continuing into adulthood. This included not just inheritance but also loans, gifts, and other financial support. This figure contradicts Trump's narrative of having received a small loan of $1 million from his father, (Bezo got 250K from his parents, which was their life savings) which he claimed to have repaid and then built his own fortune independently. The report detailed various tax evasion schemes and wealth transfer tactics that were used to pass Fred Trump's wealth to his children.


What ever the truth is, I am not denying his accomplishments.  I just don’t think he is anywhere near one of Americas greatest success stories. 

[OzmO]

I'm saying to take a small amount of money (relative to where he currently is) and turn it into huge profits takes some sort of skill, knowledge and technique to grow that initial amount. Of course the rich get richer, not exactly a surprise. According to Forbes there are 735 billionaires in the US. Wonder how many of them started with nothing, a few thousand bucks or a few million?
What would you consider a great American success story?

Depends.  How would you define success?

Like for example, would it be measured financially?

Or something like he immigrated legally with nothing, no education, no skills and was able to start a business from scratch, own land, savings etc.  and pay for their children’s education?

[Dos Equis]

From ChatGPT:

Donald Trump received substantial financial support and wealth from his father, Fred Trump, throughout his life. The exact amount is difficult to pinpoint due to the complexity of their financial transactions, but investigations and reports suggest it was at least hundreds of millions of dollars. The New York Times published an investigative report in 2018 revealing that Donald Trump received the equivalent of at least $413 million from his father's real estate empire, starting from his childhood and continuing into adulthood. This included not just inheritance but also loans, gifts, and other financial support. This figure contradicts Trump's narrative of having received a small loan of $1 million from his father, (Bezo got 250K from his parents, which was their life savings) which he claimed to have repaid and then built his own fortune independently. The report detailed various tax evasion schemes and wealth transfer tactics that were used to pass Fred Trump's wealth to his children.


What ever the truth is, I am not denying his accomplishments.  I just don’t think he is anywhere near one of Americas greatest success stories.

I don't know where ChatGPT got it's info, but it's based on "investigations and reports" and "equivalent" money.  Not the most reliable source.

And Trump is objectively one of the most successful businessmen in American history.  He literally has one of the most profitable and recognizable brands in the world (his name).  He has developed billions in successful real estate projects.  He has employed likely hundreds of thousands of people over the course of his career.  He has a net worth that makes him wealthier than almost everyone in the country and the world.  Many of the successful projects in New York are his.  He owns and developed one the most profitable estates in the country in Mar-a-Lago.  There is no way to reasonably deny any of this.   

I get that a lot of people hate him since 2015, but if we are looking at his success in the historical context, it's pretty obvious.

[OzmO]

I don't know where ChatGPT go it's info, but it's based on "investigations and reports" and "equivalent" money.  Not the most reliable source.

And Trump is objectively one of the most successful businessmen in American history.  He literally has one of the most profitable and recognizable brands in the world (his name).  He has developed billions in successful real estate projects.  He has employed likely hundreds of thousands of people over the course of his career.  He has a net worth places makes him wealthier than almost everyone in the country and the world.  Many of the successful projects in New York are his.  He owns and developed one the most profitable estates in the country in Mar-a-Lago.  There is no way to reasonably deny any of this.   

I get that a lot of people hate him since 2015, but if we are looking at his success in the historical context, it's pretty obvious.

ChatGPT isn’t 100% All the time, but I am willing to bet this is fairly accurate as Bing, Claude and others would probably say the same thing. I will try Claude tomorrow sometime.

[chaos]

Depends.  How would you define success?

Like for example, would it be measured financially?

Or something like he immigrated legally with nothing, no education, no skills and was able to start a business from scratch, own land, savings etc.  and pay for their children’s education?

This is where I question whether or not you can answer the question. We are talking about financial success, you are downplaying Trumps success and when I ask for what you would consider an American success story you post this above.
Who or what entity would you consider an American success story?

[Dos Equis]

ChatGPT isn’t 100% All the time, but I am willing to bet this is fairly accurate as Bing, Claude and others would probably say the same thing. I will try Claude tomorrow sometime.

Don't know who or what Claude is, but ask him about this, which includes a list of the hotels, casinos, towers, golf courses, etc. that Trump either built or licensed all around the country and all around the world. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_things_named_after_Donald_Trump

[OzmO]

This is where I question whether or not you can answer the question. We are talking about financial success, you are downplaying Trumps success and when I ask for what you would consider an American success story you post this above.
Who or what entity would you consider an American success story?

I am not down playing is success.  I am being factual about it.  He started with a shit load of money and advantages over normal people.   Much more than Bezo, Gates, and Buffet.  Oprah, John Shultz (Starbucks), Larry Ellison (oracle) and John Paul Debora (Paul Mitchel) started out with practically nothing.    Becuase of that he is far from being one of americas greatest success stories.

[OzmO]

Don't know who or what Claude is, but ask him about this, which includes a list of the hotels, casinos, towers, golf courses, etc. that Trump either built or licensed all around the country and all around the world. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_things_named_after_Donald_Trump

Claude is another AI platform that’s said to be better than ChatGPT. 

My contention is not if Trump is successful. My contention is that Trump is not one of Americans greatest success stories.   I say this because Trump started with an obscene amount of advantages over normal people.  Even people like Gates, Musk and Bezos.

[Dos Equis]

Claude is another AI platform that’s said to be better than ChatGPT. 

My contention is not if Trump is successful. My contention is that Trump is not one of Americans greatest success stories.   I say this because Trump started with an obscene amount of advantages over normal people.  Even people like Gates, Musk and Bezos.

So someone who has a huge advantage, and improves that advantage by orders of magnitude, becoming one of the most successful persons on planet earth, is discounted because of where they started from?  I don't think that's a reasonable take, but ok.   

And let's not mention this man then became one of 46 people in American history to become POTUS, despite campaigns by the FBI, DOJ, Obama, the media, academia, Hollywood, etc.  Plus did an outstanding job as POTUS. 
 
He did all this while being involved with beautiful women and has a beautiful wife.  And raised three successful kids and one rising adult.   

The man's life is a Hollywood movie.   

[Primemuscle]

It's funny to me that people think dwelling on Trumps failures would minimize his successes.

You are right dwelling on the negative is unproductive. Timing is everything. Rather than rehashing ad nauseum Biden and Trump's histories, it could be more interesting to juxtapose these men in the present. Comparisons between the two should be based only on what  occurs now, not the future, which is uncertain, and not on the past, which is unchangeable.

Does anyone know if the court date has been set for the NY fraud case appeal which Trump just paid with the $175 million bond? I can find nothing in the media that addresses this. The good news for Trump is if he wins the appeal, he pays no fine including the $175 million bond. The unwelcome news is if he loses the appeal he will have to cover the full amount of the fine plus interest. Can you imagine the stress this causes for him?

[OzmO]

So someone who has a huge advantage, and improves that advantage by orders of magnitude, becoming one of the most successful persons on planet earth, is discounted because of where they started from?  I don't think that's a reasonable take, but ok.   

And let's not mention this man then became one of 46 people in American history to become POTUS, despite campaigns by the FBI, DOJ, Obama, the media, academia, Hollywood, etc.  Plus did an outstanding job as POTUS. 
 
He did all this while being involved with beautiful women and has a beautiful wife.  And raised three successful kids and one rising adult.   

The man's life is a Hollywood movie.   

In addtion to mutliple divorces, adultery, admitting to sexual harrassment on tape, under multiple inditments, including fraud, paying hush money, slander and possibly election interference and inciting the capitol riot. 

Also, refusing to leave office with dignity when losing the election, being impeached, poor leadership and handling of the COVID pandemic and the riots.

Yes, even without all the crap above, he still isn't one of America's greatest success stories. 

IMO having a "huge advantage" disqualifies him from any consideration as one of America's greatest success stories. 

He is a success story, no doubt.  But he also a degenerate bafoon... who ran against another, far worse option for us and then lost to an even worse one than her?

[Primemuscle]

So someone who has a huge advantage, and improves that advantage by orders of magnitude, becoming one of the most successful persons on planet earth, is discounted because of where they started from?  I don't think that's a reasonable take, but ok.   

And let's not mention this man then became one of 46 people in American history to become POTUS, despite campaigns by the FBI, DOJ, Obama, the media, academia, Hollywood, etc.  Plus did an outstanding job as POTUS. 
 
He did all this while being involved with beautiful women and has a beautiful wife.  And raised three successful kids and one rising adult.   

The man's life is a Hollywood movie.   

Trump's life is definitely the stuff of a Hollywood movie and it gets more interesting each day.

People admire a rebel, like Trump, especially those who are anti the status quo.

[Dos Equis]

In addtion to mutliple divorces, adultery, admitting to sexual harrassment on tape, under multiple inditments, including fraud, paying hush money, slander and possibly election interference and inciting the capitol riot. 

Also, refusing to leave office with dignity when losing the election, being impeached, poor leadership and handling of the COVID pandemic and the riots.

Yes, even without all the crap above, he still isn't one of America's greatest success stories. 

IMO having a "huge advantage" disqualifies him from any consideration as one of America's greatest success stories. 

He is a success story, no doubt.  But he also a degenerate bafoon... who ran against another, far worse option for us and then lost to an even worse one than her?

That's really why you cannot admit the obvious.  It's an emotional response based on hatred of the man.  I was where you are 2016, and made an emotional decision, based in part on false info (allegedly mocking a disabled reporter) to not vote for him.  But I was able to put the emotion aside and focus on what he actually did as POTUS (rather than what he said on Twitter, etc.).  When I did that, I could clearly see and accept the fact he was an outstanding Commander in Chief, nailed the tax issue, and presided over one of the best economies in American history. 

In the same vein, I can put the emotion aside and look at what he has accomplished during his amazing life. 

I don't agree with all of your characterizations/descriptions of his bad acts, but I'll just address one:  he did not incite a capitol riot.  He expressly told his supporters to "peacefully and patriotically" protest.  That's the opposite of incitement.  It was a dumb thing to do, and terrible optics, but not incitement of a riot.