How Donald Trump Is Making More Money During His Presidential Bid
Trump raked in more money with his hotels and golf courses now than last year.
— -- Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s personal income has spiked over the course of the businessman’s presidential bid, launched nearly a year ago, according to an ABC News analysis of his personal financial disclosure documents.
The millions of new dollars flowing into Trump’s pockets come thanks to a higher income from at least half of his companies. It’s all coming to light nearly a full year into his media-saturated presidential campaign, during which he often boasts of his real estate empire and explicitly plugs his personal brands.
In a statement, Trump said his new financial disclosure form, required by the Office of Government Ethics of all presidential candidates, “shows a tremendous cash flow, and a revenue increase of approximately $190 million.”
The real estate mogul continues to refuse to release his full tax returns despite calls from both sides of the aisle to make them public, citing an ongoing audit. Trump has said repeatedly that he will release his returns once the audit is complete.
Trump took in at least $619 million last year, according to an ABC News analysis of the 104-page document.
Here’s a breakdown of how Trump’s income climbed between the first reporting period, from January 2014 to July 2015, and the second, from January 2015 to present.
Golf Courses
Over the last year and a half, Trump saw his income from his golf courses soar 59 percent compared to the period before, combining for a total of more than $300 million in profits. Fourteen of the 18 golf courses listed on the form saw increased profits for Trump, while two held steady and two fell.
Trump's National Doral golf course in Miami got the largest boost, with profits soaring from $50 million to $132 million. But nearly all of his courses around the country saw significant gains, including a 39 percent climb in Charlotte, 44 percent in Jupiter and 25 percent in Washington, D.C.
Books
Trump also saw climbing royalty payments from several of his books, including some of his lesser-known titles published more than a decade ago. “Crippled America” -- his newest title -- brought in the top haul for Trump: more than $1 million.
But five of his previous books also got a boost. His 2009 “Think Like a Champion” climbed from at least $5,000 to at least $15,000. His 1987 “The Art of the Deal” climbed from at least $15,000 to at least $50,000 in royalties. And his 2011 “Time to Get Tough” climbed from at least $50,000 to at least $100,000.
Hotels and Resorts
The real estate mogul’s Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Palm Beach, Florida -- a property where Trump has held several news conferences over the course of the campaign -- also handed him some of his sharpest gains. His profits from that resort almost doubled from $16 million last year to nearly $30 million this year.
Trump’s other hotels increased Trump’s profits 15 percent from the year and a half before his presidential bid to the last 18 months, according to the financial disclosure documents. And Trump saw a 57 percent hike in income from his hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, while taking in nearly $30 million from his hotel in Las Vegas.
Trump-Branded Companies
While Trump’s massive real estate holdings may bring in the big bucks, they aren’t the only companies fattening Trump’s wallet since he launched his bid. Some of Trump’s most visible companies in New York City are also seeing a boost.
Trump got a 49 percent spike in income from his ice rink in Central Park and his carousel there gave him a 19 percent boost in dollars. Even his bottled water company called “Trump Ice” gave him a 48 percent increase in income from the time before his presidential bid to the last year and a half.
His Miami restaurant at the Doral resort more than doubled its profits for Trump, up to almost $8 million in the last year and a half. And an international string of management companies branded after the billionaire also saw success, climbing roughly 31 percent.
What Didn’t Make Money
Still, not every single business venture on which Trump embarked was successful. An ABC News analysis finds that only one in 10 of his companies returned less income to the billionaire than before his 2016 launch.
Income from Trump’s golf courses in Turnberry, Scotland, fell 11 percent from 2014 to 2015, and his income from a company tied to his Doral course was cut in half. His line of menswear brought in less than $1 million in the last 18 months -- a decrease from the $1 million to $5 million in profits reported the reporting period before. And Trump’s modeling agency’s commissions fell 15 percent during that same timeframe.
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