The narrative surrounding Trump and his success in business has long been part of what voters have known about him before his debut in the political realm. Both his large, brooding towers and infamous reality TV show have given him a sweet spot in being a household name. But where did the all the success start? And which successes really mattered? As part of the rhetoric that surrounds Trump’s claim to fix America on the basis of business must, one must look at picking a strategic beginning to his story of sucessful business ventures.
Where he really began
After successfully shadowing his father, a real estate mogul in his time, Trump was given control of the company in 1971. From then, his personal real estate growth as a mogul has only skyrocketed as he first opened a Grand Hyatt in a now booming Manhatten corner to establishing hospitality towers under his own name.
What his rhetoric focuses on
In an effort to persaude Americans that an outsider from politics, AKA a self-proclaimed business tycoon, is best for the country, the campaign took the stride to begin his story of success on moments of time where he took a dire situation and turned it into gold. For example, his smart business record can be placed all the way back in 1995, when he chose to claim a near $1billion in operating losses that further helped him avoid paying taxes for upto 2 decades.
What his opponent has to say
From the moment Trump uttered the words “good business experience makes a good president”, the Clinton campaign has been out to prove him wrong. In the first presidential debate, Hilary Clinton made a task to point out Trump’s ability to undermine others in attempts to get ahead in business. See clip below (2:15)
The Clinton campaign wants to rhetoric surrounding Trump’s business record to begin at any point in which he has bent the law or ridden on the backs of others to acheive his success. This beginning point could begin with his incorrect perception of $1million being a small loan or a near $1billion claim in operating losses or simply cutting corners with whom he does business with in efforts to only benefit himself.
This constant tug of war for what is good and bad business has
To the average person, 1 million dollars is an outstanding loan for anybody; but when you truly look at the end progress, he was able to turn 1 million into 3.7 billion dollars. a huge jump. the proportions are big. in a sense, he took a 1 dollar lemonade stand and turned into a $3700 franchise.