New York Times story on Trump's billion-dollar tax write off was told by Trump 15 years ago on 'The Apprentice'
The New York Times led readers to believe it had blown the lid off of President Trump’s massive business failures with its very long report Tuesday night, detailing his $1.17 billion loss between 1985 and 1994.
But the story has been told before, by Trump himself, on NBC’s “The Apprentice.”
On Jan. 8, 2004, at the top of the show’s very first episode, Trump laid out a summarized version of the same story about himself that the Times so proudly ran Tuesday.
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Here’s a side by side of what Trump said in the monologue in 2004 with what the Times report said 15 years later.
Trump, 2004: “It wasn’t always so easy. About 13 years ago, I was seriously in trouble. I was billions of dollars in debt.” Times, 2019: “The numbers show that in 1985, Mr. Trump reported losses of $46.1 million from his core businesses — largely casinos, hotels and retail space in apartment buildings. They continued to lose money every year, totaling $1.17 billion in losses for the decade.”
Trump, 2004: “But I fought back and I won big league. I used my brain. I used my negotiating skills. And I worked it all out.” Times, 2019: “Mr. Trump’s 2005 returns … showed that by then he had significant sources of income and was paying taxes.”
Trump, 2004: “Now my company’s bigger than it ever was, stronger than it ever was and I’m having more fun than I ever had. I’ve mastered the art of the deal and I’ve turned the name Trump into the highest quality brand.” Times, 2019: “Mr. Trump built a business licensing his name, became a television celebrity and ran for the White House by branding himself a self-made billionaire.
Anyone interested in the specifics of how Trump blew through hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and credit loans, or how he sunk bad dollar after bad dollar in failing projects can learn a lot from Trump’s 35-year-old tax information, though history suggests there’s little appetite for it.
The Times certainly had a big Trump story on Tuesday. It’s just that Trump had already told it 15 years ago.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/new-york-times-story-on-trumps-billion-dollar-tax-write-off-was-told-by-trump-15-years-ago-on-the-apprentice