Donald Trump:  A Finger in Every Pie

Want to know what it feels like to look down on Manhattan from the uppermost floors of skyscrapers bearing your own name?  Ask Donald John Trump whose net worth is allegedly $2.9 billion.  He chairs his own business empire simply known as “The Trump Organization.”  He is a man whose name is his brand.

Media Magnet Donald

Donald John Trump has always been a curiosity to New Yorkers, Americans, and now due to his internationally aired reality show, “The Apprentice” to the whole world.  Not helping his notoriety any is his trademark hairstyle.

Of course, it all began when skyscrapers bearing his name became a common Manhattan feature (or blight in some people’s opinion).  Donald Trump was never camera-shy and succinctly expressed his opinions to whoever wanted to listen.  Apart from this, he was alleged to have had an affair with a beauty queen.  Whether it was true or not, Donald’s wife, Ivana Zelnickova made the headlines when she confronted Maples and slapped Donald with what promised to be an extremely messy divorce suit.  The divorce was eventually settled amicably between Donald and Ivana, but by then, Donald Trump has acquired mass appeal and Donald Trump’s love-hate relationship with the media has begun.

The Beginnings of “The Donald”

Donald Trump graduated in 1968 from the Wharton School with a bachelor of science in Economics and worked for his father, Fred Trump, after his graduation.  Donald soon proved his mettle when he successfully led real estate development projects.  Donald Trump expanded his empire to include casino resorts like the famous Trump Taz Mahal, Trump Plaza, Trump Marina, and Trump Club Privee.

Bankruptcy Wreaking Havoc

The period from 1990s to 2004 was a bad time for Donald Trump.  He was forced to file conditional bankruptcy and was forced to share profits for his hotels.  He lost Trump Shuttle and was forced to a secondary position in his West Side project.  What remained of his casinos was reorganized into one holding company.  He was forced to relinquish his CEO position in 2004 and downsize his shares because of continued concerns over the failing stock prices.  The Trump Entertainment Resorts Holding finally recovered from bankruptcy in 2005.

Now, Trump is co-owner of The Miss Universe Organization and has subsidiaries called Trump Mortgage, Trump University, Trump Buffet and other branded food-related outlets, and his travel deals website Go Trump.

Donald Trump Celebrity Employee

Whatever his financial troubles were, Donald Trump has become so famous that his name is used to brand vodka, men’s apparel, golf, magazine and water.  He was lampooned in “Bloom County,” a political cartoon and this further increased the public’s awareness of Trump.  He had several TV and movie appearances, but his fame really grew and held when he produced and hosted “The Apprentice.”  Because of its success, Donald’s pay for the second and succeeding seasons grew to 6 times his pay per episode during the first season.

Donald speaks at “The Learning Annex Seminar” and was purportedly paid a cool million for an hour’s work.  When this succeeded, too, this figure increased to $1.5 million per hour.  Donald also became the face of Pizza Hut and Visa Card and he continues to grace prime television shows and series.