Donald Trump launched his political career by promoting the racist “birther” conspiracy theory, publicly questioning whether Barack Obama—the nation’s first Black president—was born in the United States and therefore eligible to serve as president. In a March 23, 2011 appearance on …
In June 2010, Trump University changed its name to “The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative” following sustained pressure from the New York State Education Department, which had repeatedly warned since 2005 that the organization was illegally using the term “university” without …
The Better Business Bureau issued Trump University a D- rating in 2010, the lowest rating the enterprise received during its active operations. The rating resulted from multiple consumer complaints the BBB received documenting deceptive practices, high-pressure sales tactics, and unfulfilled …
Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, owing $1.2 billion. Initially, Trump worked with Avenue Capital Management to restructure the company, rejecting an earlier partnership with Andrew Beal’s Beal Bank. Carl Icahn then purchased 51% of Beal Bank’s first …
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested at the governor’s home on federal corruption charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. The 76-page FBI affidavit revealed that Blagojevich was captured on …
Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev purchased Trump’s Palm Beach mansion, ‘Maison de L’Amitié’, for $95 million—more than double Trump’s 2004 purchase price of $41.35 million. The transaction, occurring during the 2008 financial crisis, drew significant scrutiny from …
Donald Trump sold the Palm Beach estate to Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million in July 2008. The structure was demolished in 2016 and the land subdivided; subsequent lot sales totaled roughly $108 million.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation paid $258,000 in charitable funds to purchase a six-foot portrait of Donald Trump at a charity auction in Palm Beach, Florida. The portrait, painted by artist William Quigley, was supposed to be sold to benefit charity, but instead the Foundation used tax-exempt …
Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. The decorated Vietnam War fighter ace admitted to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors in exchange for …
Donald Trump formally launched “Trump University” on May 23, 2005, a real estate training program that operated without proper academic licensing or accreditation. The enterprise, incorporated in 2004 with Trump owning 93% of the company, conducted three- and five-day seminars marketed …
In a Howard Stern radio interview, Donald Trump admits to deliberately entering Miss Universe and Miss USA dressing rooms while contestants were undressed, stating: ‘I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant… You know, they’re standing there with no …
Donald Trump purchased Maison de l’Amitié for $41.35 million at a November 30, 2004 bankruptcy auction, outbidding Jeffrey Epstein who went up to $38.6 million. During the auction, Epstein’s attorneys tried to disqualify Trump over title insurance demands, but Judge Steven Friedman …
Justice Charles J. Tejada of the New York State Supreme Court vacated the convictions of all five men wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 Central Park jogger case, ending one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in American legal history. The exoneration came after Matias Reyes, a convicted …
Donald Trump’s 2002 comment to New York Magazine calling Jeffrey Epstein a “terrific guy” who likes women “on the younger side” becomes key evidence of their relationship and Trump’s awareness of Epstein’s preferences.
A 2000 photo shows Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Melania Trump together at a Mar-a-Lago charity fundraiser, documenting the social connections between all four individuals.
Donald Trump founds Trump Model Management (originally T Models), which would bring approximately 250 international models to the United States. Investigative reporting later revealed systematic H-1B visa fraud, with models instructed to lie to customs officials and work illegally on tourist visas. …
From 1998-2016, Deutsche Bank loaned Donald Trump and his companies over $2.5 billion despite Trump’s history of bankruptcies, defaults, and “Donald risk” that caused all other major US banks to refuse him. This lending relationship persisted even as Deutsche Bank was …
Donald Trump purchases the Miss Universe Organization, including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, from ITT Corp and Madison Square Garden. This acquisition establishes infrastructure later used for alleged exploitation patterns. Trump would later admit judges were too focused on intelligence, …
Jeffrey Epstein attended Donald Trump’s wedding to Marla Maples on December 20, 1993, at New York’s Plaza Hotel. CNN’s KFile discovered photos showing Epstein among the 1,000 guests, including one with Howard Stern, Robin Leach, and Swedish model Cecilia Nord.
Department of Justice exhibits from U.S. v. Ghislaine Maxwell include Epstein aircraft logbooks showing Donald Trump’s name on several domestic flights in the 1990s, primarily between Florida and New York. Media tallies commonly count seven or more such entries; there is no evidence of travel …
NBC archival footage from November 1992 shows Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein partying together at Mar-a-Lago with Buffalo Bills cheerleaders. The video shows Trump grabbing dancing women and both men pointing out women while making comments, including Trump telling Epstein about a woman …
New Jersey casino regulators fined Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino $200,000—at the time one of the largest civil rights penalties ever imposed on an Atlantic City casino—for systematically removing Black employees and women from craps tables to accommodate the racist demands of Robert LiButti, a …
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal purchased Trump’s yacht “Trump Princess” for $20 million in 1991, providing crucial liquidity during Trump’s severe financial crisis. Trump had bought the 282-foot yacht (originally owned by arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi) for $29 million in 1988, …
Donald Trump debuted his third Atlantic City casino, the Trump Taj Mahal, but immediately struggled to make payments on $675 million in high-interest junk bonds used for construction. Financial analyst Marvin Roffman predicted the casino would need to make nearly $1.3 million daily to break even, …
Donald Trump opened the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City in April 1990, financed by $675 million in high-interest junk bonds at 14% rates. Within months, the casino faced severe financial challenges, missing debt payments and signaling the beginning of Trump’s broader Atlantic City …
Jeffrey Epstein purchases an 8,000-square-foot mansion at 358 El Brillo Way in Palm Beach for $2.5 million, positioning himself approximately two miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. This strategic location facilitates their social relationship that would span nearly two decades.
Two weeks after five Black and Latino teenagers were arrested for the brutal rape and beating of a jogger in Central Park, Donald Trump spent $85,000 to place full-page advertisements in four major New York newspapers calling for their execution. The ads, which appeared in The New York Times, New …
Just three years after settling the landmark housing discrimination case with a court-supervised consent decree, the Department of Justice returned to federal court with new allegations: the Trump Organization had violated the settlement terms and continued systematic discrimination against Black …
After nearly two years of aggressive legal combat, Donald Trump and his father Fred Trump signed a consent decree settling the Department of Justice’s landmark housing discrimination lawsuit. The settlement included the standard legal disclaimer that it was “in no way an admission” …
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a major civil rights lawsuit against Donald Trump, his father Fred Trump, and their real estate company, Trump Management Inc., for systematic racial discrimination in housing. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, …