Tax records reveal how fame gave Donald Trump a $427 million lifeline

By analysing the tax records, The New York Times was able to place a value on Donald Trump’s celebrity.

 

While the returns show that he earned $197 million directly from The Apprentice over 16 years — roughly in line with what he has claimed — they reveal that an additional $230 million flowed from the fame associated with it.

 

The show’s big ratings meant that everyone wanted a piece of the Trump brand, and he grabbed at the opportunity to rent it out. There was $500,000 to pitch Double Stuf Oreos, another half-million to sell Domino’s Pizza and $850,000 to push laundry detergent.

 

There were seven-figure licensing deals with hotel builders, some with murky backgrounds, in former Soviet republics and other developing countries.