*Donald Trump has used his business resume to become the Republican nominee for president. At some point I thought his competitors would thoroughly examine his history to their advantage. But since they didn’t, here we go.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he should be president because his business acumen will enable him to turn around the failing American economy. First it is noteworthy that the American economy is no longer failing in the way it was when President Obama took office. But that issue aside Trump is selling himself to the American public based on a skill set that he may or may not possess.
Here is a list of Trumps biggest business successes: the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Trump Tower, Wollman Rink, 40 Wall Street, Trump Place, Trump International Tower Chicago, and The Apprentice. Outside of the reality television show, all of the items on that list involve real estate locations. Essentially Trump picked geographical locations where there was interest in renting and/or buying space. It is a skill to be able to know where people will want to live and conduct business; Trump has this skill and that should be acknowledged.
On the other hand here is a list of some of Trumps failure business ventures: Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Steak, Trump Casinos, Trump: The Game, Trump Magazine, GoTrump.com, Trump University, and Trump Mortgage. In addition Trump has dealt with allegations of racial housing discrimination and tenant intimidation, has been accused of not abiding by casino regulations, has had to deal with hiring undocumented workers, has a line of contractors who claim he has not paid them for work, and lent his name to what seems to have been a scam: Trump Institute. The take-aways from this group of business ventures are that the Trump name is not a golden ticket to success and that Trump is not as good at building a business or a brand as it seems. The take away from the scandals is that Trump is not a universally minded businessman.
All of the failures are related to his ability to take a product that doesn’t have a large market share and gain ground. But Trump failed in these instances. Trump was unable to drum up interest in steak, vodka, a board game or a magazine. If he were really the business genius he claims he should have been able to make those products winners.  During this campaign season Trump has spoken as if everything he touched business-wise has turned to gold. In doing this Trump set up an impossibly high bar for him to reach – but that was his choice and his doing. The fact that he isn’t the business golden boy means that those who are voting for him based on this claim are supporting someone who may or may not be able to maintain the economic success that the country is experiencing right now. And if you believe the untruth that the economy needs help, Trumps record suggests that he is just as likely to fail as he is to succeed in turning things around.
That these failed products bared his name is important. Trump speaks as if the fact that he is president that his name will inspire other political leaders to negotiate with the United States and enter into new trade agreements. But if his past history is any indication his name is hardly some great door opener or bargaining chip.
Also pertinent to Trump’s theoretical ability to negotiate on behalf of the country is the number of times people have claimed that he is not abiding by the rules or outright not upholding his end of a deal. Trump has been accused of racism in his real estate dealings and hiring undocumented workers. There is also a large group of workers and contractors who claim Trump has not paid them for labor rendered. As an individual businessman one could almost argue that Trump is operating in an understandable manner. He minimized costs by finding a questionable labor force that would cost less or simply not paying his labor bills in full. He also maximized his possible profits by avoiding African-American clients that might have hurt his chances to rent other units around the black tenants.
But as president Trump would be tasked with looking past his own bottom line. Acting prejudicial against certain countries would need to be done with care because of the long lasting repercussions that are possible. In the past when presidents didn’t fully appreciate long lasting consequences our support of a western style leader led to a religious revolution in Iran, then our support of a dictator in Iraq which led to a drawn out military action in the Middle East. Furthermore Trump would have to be diligent in making sure that the country stays solvent. Trade deficits are important but the confidence in the international community that the United States will pay its debts is most important. Without other countries believing in us we will have a hard time negotiating any sort of trade agreements. Again this sort of mindset when approaching a negotiation is wrong in all circumstances but it is inexcusable when someone is purporting to speak for the entire nation.
When faced with the accusations of all these scandals Trump has repeatedly distanced himself by declaring he did not know of any wrongdoing on the part of his company. This sort of excuse is reasonable once maybe twice from a child. As an adult ignorance is hardly an acceptable reason for not being held responsible. When your name is on the company (and it always is with Trump) you need to be sure of what is going on. At the very least as the leader you have to know that your subordinates are handling things in the manner in which they should be handled. In fact this is the very thing that Republicans are so up in hams with Hillary about. In all instances Trump claims that he did not know of anything negative going on with his companies.
So on the one hand Trump is someone who is talented in spotting up-and-coming locations or renovating properties that are in established locations but are somehow unsuccessful. This makes him a decent real estate mogul. But on the other hand Trump is a person who has apparently looked out for his company by taking advantage of small businesses and not paying them; Trump is a person who has not been able to create solid business on his own; Trump is a person who has no knowledge of what is going on under his leadership; Trump is a person who greatly overestimates his ability and reputation.
Trump may be a decent businessman. But he is not a business wunderkind. Anyone supporting him for that reason is fooling himself or lying to the rest of us.
Trevor Brookins is a free lance writer in Rockland County, New York. He is currently working on a book about American culture during the Cold War. His writing has appeared in The Journal News. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @historictrev.
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