What is Donald Trump’s net worth?
That question has been floating for decades, as the real estate magnate has taken measures to keep his full assets from the public view but he has made many boasting declarations that he is worth several billions — even up to $10 billion.
That was the net worth figure that Donald Trump claimed when he filed a Federal Election Commission disclosure report back in the summer. In all caps, Trump claimed that his “massive” net worth was “in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS.” But, at the same time, Trump refused to offer specifics on where the net worth came from, saying that the form “was not designed for a man of Mr. Trump’s massive wealth.”
“For instance, they have boxes once a certain number is reached that simply state $50 million or more. Many of these boxes have been checked. As an example, if a building owned by Mr. Trump is worth $1.5 billion, the box checked is ‘$50,000,000 or more,’” the statement said (via Business Insider ).
But, there is widespread disagreement about Trump’s true net worth. In its analysis of the world’s richest people, Forbes estimated his true value at $4.5 billion, placing him at No. 324 overall. The list is compiled using a team of reporters to meet with candidates, also interviewing their peers, rivals, and even ex-spouses. All assets are used to compile the list, including stake in public and private companies, real estate, and even yachts.
In its report, Forbes noted that Trump has made only a very small dent in his net worth with the presidential campaign.
“Donald Trump’s abrasive, longshot campaign for the Republican nomination for president is looking less unrealistic after big wins in early primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina. So far he’s had to spend only $18 million of his $4.5 billion fortune on his run (in all, his campaign has raised just $25 million). Trump has stirred controversy, starting with negative remarks in June 2015 about Mexican immigrants and his call to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S.”
There has been some contention that Donald Trump is actually worth less than $1 billion, but the election disclosure noted assets of at least $1.5 billion.
The question of Donald Trump’s net worth may likely become a campaign issue as both his opponents and GOP insiders have taken aim at the real estate magnate in recent days. With Trump starting to pull away from the field, some Republican Party insiders have reportedly grown nervous that a Trump ticket will sink the GOP in November. That led to attacks from prominent party members including Mitt Romney, who assailed Trump in a speech this week.
Trump’s business empire, his major strength going into the campaign, has been one of the biggest points of attack for opponents. In the speech, Romney repeatedly called Trump a “phony” and called on him to release financial records as well as transcripts from a meeting with the New York Times editorial board, in which Trump reportedly reversed some of his campaign promises.
“We will only really know if he’s a real deal or a phony if he releases his tax returns and the tape of his interview with The New York Times ,” Romney said (via the New York Times ). “I predict that there are more bombshells in his tax returns. I predict that he doesn’t give much, if anything, to the disabled and to our veterans. I predict that he told The New York Times that his immigration talk is just that — talk.”
As the pressure intensifies, the questions around Donald Trump’s net worth are likely to grow in number unless the Republican front-runner finally releases full financial disclosures.
[Image via Instagram /Donald Trump]