One unifying theme links the solar system of reality TV stars and their shows: The appearance of wealth is more important than real wealth. When it comes to "The Apprentice" host Donald Trump, the question is when does the appearance end and the real wealth begin. And is this too dangerous a question to ask?
Trump has filed a defamation suit against Timothy O'Brien, a New York Times editor who questioned Trump's net worth in the 2005 book "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald." O'Brien claims Trump's net worth is between $150 million and $250 million -- well below the real estate dealmaker's varying claims. Trump pegs his net worth as anywhere between $3.5 billion to $6 billion depending upon when you ask him.
However, his figures don't exactly stand up to independent analysis. The Wall Street Journal said in 2005 Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB) estimated Trump's net worth as $788 million. In an interview with the WSJ Sunday, Trump disputed that number, saying Deutsche Bank looked at some of his assets, not all of them, and didn't do independent appraisals. Still, in a deposition for the case, Trump said, "They [Deutsche Bank] still come up with numbers that are many times" higher than what O'Brien claimed.
In the same deposition, Trump admits that his net worth is essentially an image game. "I'm not different from a politician running for office," he said. Politician maybe, but no one will ever mistake The Donald for a diplomat. On Sunday, Trump said when he was done with the author, O'Brien will "wish he never heard of that God damn book." - Matthew Wurtzel
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I would think the Trump brand name is worth a billion at least.