The point is no one knows how much Trump inherited, how often he was bailed out by his father, or how much he is worth today. Estimates vary to the extreme. I read one report that speculated that had Trump simply invested his inherited money in passive income producing investments he would be better off financially than he currently is. True or false? I don't know.
Trump works hard. He makes money. Most of us can't copy and emulate his habits because we don't inherit millions with which to start us off. What I will say is that I admire people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Michael Dell who have used their money to help others in this country and around the world more than Donald Trump who has given a pittance of his money to help those less fortunate than himself.
Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX
There is no question Trump is worth vastly more than his father ever was. He didn't fritter it away like so many spoiled rich kids do – instead, he took his family wealth and multiplied it. He ignored his father's advice to stay out of the jungle of Manhattan real estate. I'm not asking anyone to admire him, just stop denigrating his success and put his career into proper, non-partisan perspective. Yeah I know, he hypes and exaggerates his accomplishments and net worth (real estate is highly cyclical). But his detractors are far worse in denying he deserves ANY credit. Just look at this thread – one idiot loser insists (with a straight face) the only reason Trump became rich is because he declared multiple bankruptcies and didn't pay his bills!
It's not that hard to estimate how much he is worth today. Forbes does it all the time, without seeing everyone's private tax returns. Most of Trump's property investments are known. Just figure out how much equity he owns in each, based on current appraisals, and add them up. Claiming he could have done just as well by investing his wealth in an S&P index fund is nonsense. Such comparisons can be easily manipulated by cherry-picking the start date, plus they compare apples and oranges – liquid versus illiquid investments, pre-tax versus after-tax returns, etc.
Most successful people have glaring personal strengths AND weaknesses. Nobody needs to emulate the flaws, just the good habits, the ones that generate success. Of course I know not everyone inherits millions, but funding is only one component of success. There are many sources of seed capital for anyone who is creative, enterprising and hard-working. Ever watch Shark Tank?
Criticizing Trump for not being as good at philanthropy as his peers is completely legitimate. However, that makes him a bad philanthropist, not a lousy businessman. You need to have the skills to earn money in the first place, before you can give it away. What irks me is reading so many reflexively negative, anti-business comments by snarky, ignorant assholes who don't know or care how dumb they look. Trump is a “target-rich environment” - yet they are always way OFF-TARGET in criticizing him!