Trump sets his personal fortune at $10 billion
In this June 16, 2015 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. AP
WASHINGTON, United States — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump filed financial documents with federal campaign regulators on Wednesday and set his personal fortune at more than $10 billion with an annual income of more than $362 million.
Trump is relying almost exclusively on his personal wealth to fund his White House bid. He has already lent his campaign $1.8 million, according to federal documents he filed Wednesday. His fortune could help maintain his status as a major player in the Republican presidential primary, much to the dismay of party officials who worry that his hardline immigration statements could alienate Hispanic voters.
Members of his staff had said that Trump would release the financial documents themselves, but they issued only a press release that announced the filing and included a few financial details. It provided little information about how he calculated his net worth.
The $10 billion figure — up nearly 15 percent since the previous year, by Trump’s calculation — would make him the wealthiest person ever to run for president, far surpassing previous magnates like Ross Perot, business heirs like Steve Forbes or private-equity investors like Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee.
Among the sources of Trump’s income has been $214 million in payments from NBC related to 14 seasons of the business reality television show “The Apprentice.” NBC recently cut its ties with Trump following his controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants.
Filing a personal financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission is one of the requirements, set by the hosts, to participate in next month’s televised Republican debate.
Trump’s statement Wednesday noted that a hypothetical Trump building worth $1.5 billion would be reported as simply worth in excess of $50 million on the federal forms, which offer broad ranges for asset values.
Previous reviews of Trump’s real estate holdings by both Forbes Magazine and commercial real estate trade publication The Real Deal did not identify any single property with a valuation in excess of $1 billion.
His campaign noted that Trump held stakes in almost 500 business entities and said the federal forms are “not designed for a man of Mr. Trump’s massive wealth.”
Trump also valued his personal brand and marketing deals at $3.3 billion when he announced his candidacy.
Forbes Magazine, however, valued his brand at just $125 million. And that was before Trump’s comments about Mexican immigrants cost him business partnerships with companies such as Macy’s and Univision, which experts on brand valuation said have at least temporarily tarnished the value of his name in corporate sponsorship deals.
