During a recent press conference, GOP candidate Donald Trump touted several business ventures bearing his name in order to convince voters of his deal-making prowess. There was only one problem: these business ventures are not entirely legitimate.
Trump was seemingly defending himself against 2012 GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s speech targeting Trump days earlier. Romney cited Trump’s failed business ventures as proof that Trump is not suited to be commander-in-chief.
Amidst a backdrop of Trump Steaks, Trump Natural Spring Water and Trump Wines, and with a copy of what he claimed to be Trump Magazine in hand, Trump devoted several minutes of speaking time to each product, determined to convince voters that these business ventures were still successful.
According to several news outlets, all of these ventures are either not currently owned by Trump, were never owned by Trump or have since gone out of business.
An NPR article states that Trump did in fact have a line of steaks several years ago. The steaks, along with other cuts of meat, were originally sold at the Sharper Image, but the product is no longer available. A search of the QVC website contains one entry for Trump steaks, but QVC does not sell the steaks, either. According to NPR, a reporter at the press conference noted that the steaks on display were labeled “Bush Brothers.”
Trump water, which is served at all of Trump’s hotels, restaurants and golf clubs, is not bottled by Trump, nor does he own the bottling facility. Another reporter, cited by NPR, found that a company in Willington, CT, Village Springs Spring Water, bottles the water. On trump.com, the water is said to be “one of the purest natural spring waters bottled in the world.”
What Trump claimed during the press conference to be his magazine is actually an annual publication that Trump does not own. The Jewel of Palm Beach is published by the Palm Beach Media Group and is described as “the exclusive publication of Donald J. Trump’s spectacular Mar-a-Lago Club” among other Trump properties. According to NPR, Trump does not own the publishing group.
Several years ago, Trump did in fact have a magazine, aptly named Trump. According to the Daily News, the magazine was published quarterly from 1998 until 2009, when it folded after several publishing companies tried to save it.
Last but not least, Trump spoke about his winery and wines. A simple Google search reveals that his son, Eric Trump, owns the winery. The Trump Winery website’s legal page states that Trump Winery is “not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, the Trump Organization or any of their affiliates.”
While Trump did purchase the winery and its surrounding estate in 2011 and 2012, he seemingly has nothing else to do with the property or the wine that is produced there.
