Donald Trump went $3.4 billion into debt building things. He came back by putting his name on things other people built. That one pivot made him president.
1990. Four bankruptcies in three years. Taj Mahal, Trump Castle, Trump Plaza, the Plaza Hotel. Yacht sold. Airline shut down. Banks put him on a personal spending allowance. The New York Post runs "UH-OWE!" on the front page. Forbes drops his net worth to $500 million, then questions if even that's real.
By 1992 he throws himself a comeback party in Atlantic City. Most of the debt is still there. But the cameras show up anyway.
That's when he sees it.
The buildings lose money. The name doesn't. The name fills rooms. The name gets cameras. The name gets the party thrown even when the math says you shouldn't be throwing parties.
So he stops building.
Trump Tower Toronto. Trump SoHo. Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. He didn't build them. He didn't own them. He didn't finance them. Developers paid him millions just to put his name on the glass. If the building failed, they ate the loss. He kept the licensing fee.
By 1997 he publishes The Art of the Comeback and tells NBC the brand is the business. Not real estate. The name.
He licensed it onto steaks. Vodka. A university. A board game. A reality show. Most of it failed. Didn't matter. Every failure kept the name in circulation and every dollar of risk belonged to someone else.
The man who nearly lost everything because he personally guaranteed $832 million in debt never personally guaranteed anything again. He made other people bet on his name while he collected a percentage for showing up.
By 2004 The Apprentice made him the most recognized businessman in America. By 2016 he used that recognition to win the presidency.
The buildings bankrupted him. The name on the buildings made him the most powerful man in the world.
When you grow up around people who don't speak English as their first language, you learn to listen to what people mean, not just what they say.
Watch the full conversation on my YouTube channel.
Afrique Du Sud: la facture de la honte | AFO AU QUOTIDIEN par Livingstone AMANG.
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"America, we have lost this city."
Pastor Lorenzo Sewell unloaded during a Dearborn, Michigan, city meeting, accusing the city of operating under Sharia law.
"This is a city that is no longer up under American laws; we are up under Sharia law. We will not have it anymore," Sewell said.
"Enough is enough."
The outburst, which came amid a series of other anti-Islam protests in Dearborn, vocalizes fears that Muslim populations in Michigan are working to bring their communities more in line with their religious worldview, views Sewell believes are at odds with the vast majority of the country.
Abu Dhabi.
Une scène impensable
Le chanteur émirati Ahmed Alhosani et l'isra��lienne Nicole Raviv ont interprété ensemble l'Hatikva l'hymne national d'Israël , lors de la toute première cérémonie de Yom Haatsmaout organisée aux Émirats arabes unis, dans le cadre des Accords d'Abraham.
Voilà ce que l'intelligence entre les peuples peut produire.
Deux cultures, deux histoires, une seule voix, c'est ça, la vraie paix.
Pendant qu'en Europe on brûle des drapeaux israéliens, dans le monde arabe on chante l'espoir.
Ce duo restera dans l'Histoire. Chapeau bas.
🎬 The journey isn't over. After seven months in Italy, The Resurrection of Christ has wrapped filming. Now comes the final shaping of the story. See you in 2027—two parts, one unforgettable truth.
Sweden led the way. Who’s next?
On The @SmokelessWord, Kingsley and two of BAT's comms experts, Pippa and Thibault, discuss how Greece and New Zealand are following suit.
The smokeless transformation is just getting started.
Tune in to hear more.
The father of the 10-year-old boy who was saved by lifeguard Ryder Williams in Santa Cruz says his son was seconds from dying.
Sumit Rai says his son, Nathaniel, lost consciousness during the incident & says his daughter is traumatized after witnessing what happened.
"Ryder's only 16 years old himself. He's a teenager and for him to take that kind of leadership and go out and have that type of courage and bravery to go out and save someone else's life is remarkable, and I cannot thank him enough," Rai said.
"We got lucky that he didn't die, but this outcome could've been very different. I am incredibly and extraordinarily grateful to the lifeguard. He's the only reason that my son is alive."
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Marine Le Pen in the Middle East:
"I will not wear the Headscarf. I'm leaving."
This is the type of President France needs. And the good news, she is currently leading in the polls 🇫🇷
"STOP MISGENDERING ME!"
Newly released bodycam footage shows a trans University of Central Florida student's pronoun meltdown after a confrontation with police quickly spiraled into an arrest.
Jarrett Vick was ultimately charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer with violence for the 2025 incident.
Throughout the confrontation Vick ignored police orders, repeatedly shouted female pronouns at officers, and attempted to evade arrest.
Police say Vick became combative after they responded to reports of a verbal altercation and were ultimately forced to use pepper spray, deploying a Taser, and handcuff Vick.
Justin Bieber Had the Most Powerful Moment of the World Cup
"My favorite part about the whole World Cup was Justin Bieber. Cause every artist, Madonna, Shakira, they had, you know, dancers, explosions, graphics, fire production, lip syncing. He walked out by himself with a guitar, his earpiece, and a mic, and sang A cappella while walking playing the guitar."
"This is the biggest stage, and the song that he chose to pick to sing was Everything Hallelujah. It's about God, It's about gratitude and recognizing God's blessings, and being thankful for every day. It was so intentional."
I don't add bananas to my smoothies.
Why?
Not because bananas are bad (I love bananas). They contain polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that can break down polyphenols. And studies suggest that when you add banana to a blueberry smoothie, you may absorb fewer of the beneficial polyphenols from the berries!
So instead, I use avocado. It gives the smoothie the same creamy texture with the bonus of monounsaturated fat in avocado, which can increase absorption of carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin from kale - nutrients important for eye and brain health.
I talked about this recently on my appearance on The Mel Robbins Podcast.
Prophet Makandiwa Urges Zimbabweans Not to Fight South Africans Over Immigration
Zimbabwean preacher Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has reportedly urged Zimbabweans not to clash with South Africans over immigration, saying South Africans have the right to address issues affecting their own country.
His remarks come as immigration remains a key topic of public debate in South Africa.