These Are All of Trump’s Various Business Ventures Over the Years

Established: 1980
Location: Central Park, New York City, NY
Status: Active

The Wollman Ice Rink is an iconic New York landmark, nearly as much as Central Park itself, or 30 Rockefeller Plaza, home to NBC. Built in 1980 by the Wollman family on what was once a famous concert venue, Trump stepped in to purchase the rink in 1986 when renovation costs began to go far over budget. 

Wollman Ice Rink @cdrin / Shutterstock.com | @CoryTV / Twitter.com

The mayor at the time, Ed Koch, happily let Trump take over the necessary renovations needed to get the rink up and running, as the city had already sunk over $12 million into the project when the proposed budget was $4 million. Since then, it has been operated by the Trump Organization.

Established: 2001
Location: New York City, NY
Status: Active

The Trump Grill (also spelled “Grille”) is an American steakhouse located inside of the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, which also houses Gucci and Tiffany & Co. stores. The restaurant has been heavily panned by food critics across the board, though the website claims that it is, “an iconic fifth avenue lunch destination”. 

Trump Steakhouse @Jer123 / Shutterstock.com

The restaurant is open daily from 11:30AM-4:00PM, and features a brunch menu as well as a lunch menu. Fare includes classic American staples from Maryland crab cakes to caesar salad, as well as popular European-inspired dishes such as French onion soup. Prices are steep, as a simple breakfast omelet will run you $19 dollars. 

Established: 2015
Location: Nationwide
Status: Inactive

Back in 2015, when the Keurig coffee machine was all the rage, Donald Trump came out with his own line of coffee cups. Called “Select by Trump” there were several flavor variations such as the “Tower” light roast, “Skyscraper” dark roast, and “Clubhouse” medium roast. 

Select By Trump @COAF Field Team / Shutterstock.com

All flavors of the K-cups were panned across the board, with many internet reviewers champing at the bit to make The Apprentice jokes in their negative reviews of the product. Select by Trump was quietly discontinued in early 2018, as reported by The Washington Post. When contacted, the company behind the coffee cups admitted that sales were simply too low to continue production. 

Established: Unconfirmed
Location: Israel, Palestine
Status: Inactive

Hoping to compete with Red Bull or Monster energy drinks in the contentious Middle Eastern territories, Trump rolled out his own brand of liquid upper, uncreatively called “Trump Drinks”. Much like his other more edgy business endeavors, this foray into sports drinks was a massive dud which the business mogul tried to quietly erase, as evidenced by the lack of information on the internet. 

Trump Drinks @Fahrenthold / Twitter.com

Very little is known about the mysterious elixir to this day, including why it was rolled out exclusively in the Middle East, though one is left to assume that it has something to do with ingredients that might not be FDA-approved. While there are no more full cans of Trump Drinks left to taste test, every once in a while a stray can will appear for sale on eBay before it gets bought up by a clever collector. 

Established: 2004
Location: Available Nationwide
Status: Active

Donald Trump has built a reputation as a businessman by making money selling products that promote the promise that his same level of success is attainable for every man. No business venture proves this more than his collection of suits and ties, which are sold at popular retailers across America such as Macy’s

Donald J. Trump Signature Collection @realDonaldTrump / Twitter.com

Trump has touted several times that his products are made in America, though reporters have quickly debunked this with visits to the factory where all the “Donald J. Trump Signature Collection” pieces are made. Just like his empty promise of where the products are made, purchasing them does not provide any automatic business acumen.

Established: 2002
Location: Online
Status: Inactive

Initially released only for Microsoft Windows in 2002, expanding to other devices in 2004, Trump’s Real Estate Tycoon game was a fun foray into the real estate industry without any real-world consequences. The goal of the game, which could be played in any of five cities where Trump has property (London, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, New York, and Paris) was to beat Donald to become the biggest real estate magnate alive. 

Donald Trump's Real Estate Tycoon @PeoxysDrime / YouTube.com

Following the success of other “Tycoon” games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon, where users could build an amusement park or zoo, respectively, this game featured the ability to buy land and build buildings, allowing the player to create a real estate empire which could rival that of Trump himself.

Established: 1999
Location: New York City, NY
Status: Inactive

In a love story for the ages, Donald Trump met his now-wife Melania through one of his more lucrative business ventures, Trump Model Management. Starting out as “T Models” and evolving to what later became known as “T Management”, the now-defunct agency has competed with the likes of Ford Modeling Agency and Wilhelmina Modeling Agency. 

Trump Model Management ©James Devaney/Getty Images

Unlike some of Trump’s not-so-successful business attempts, his modeling agency was able to snag big names in the industry from Isabella Rosselini to Paris Hilton. It is unclear why Trump chose to dissolve the company upon launching his political career, though it’s possible it has something to do with the less-than-legal immigration status of many of his models, despite his many rants against immigration.

Established: 2007
Location: Worldwide
Status: Active

Aside from Trump’s clothing business, the lion’s share of his net worth comes from his home goods line, aptly named Trump Home. The Trump Home line features diverse products ranging from essential oil diffusers to mattresses and even had a stint selling lamps in Bed Bath & Beyond. 

Trump Home @Gohier Chocolate / Pinterest.com | @doryahome / Facebook.com

The furniture and decor are all designed to look like something out of Trump Tower, aiming to give people an opportunity to experience luxury the same way Donald Trump does. In reality, the products rival those at any other major furniture retailers in the US, despite the branding effort. 

Established: Unknown
Location: All Trump Properties
Status: Active

When Donald Trump set out to sell chocolate bars, he was sure that his product wouldn’t be like any ordinary Hershey’s bar. In yet another attempt to bottle and sell the feeling of success, Trump had large bricks of chocolate molded with his name on them and wrapped in gold foil to resemble gold bullion. 

Trump Chocolate @DeBrand Fine Chocolates / Pinterest.com

Reviewers called the chocolate “waxy” and complained that it wasn’t sweet enough, while others relished in the novelty of the chocolate bars. In this case, Trump’s business succeeded by hooking people on the concept of success, and enough so that they could ignore the lack of substance under the foil. 

Established: 2004
Location: Nationwide
Status: Active

Sold all over the country at retailers from Macy’s to Walmart, SUCCESS by Donald Trump is a fragrance that retails for about $13 dollars both in stores and online. The affordable fragrance for men is ironically one of Trump’s more successful business endeavors. 

SUCCESS by Donald Trump @Zwightly Simmons / Pinterest.com

Still available over a decade later, the SUCCESS Eau de Toilette has gotten rave reviews from perfume and cologne critics. With a rating of 4.7/5 stars on Amazon, it looks like the smell of success isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!

Established: 2006
Location: Online
Status: Inactive

GoTrump.com is yet another example of Donald Trump shoehorning his name onto a product when it doesn’t quite make sense to do so. The website, though unclear from the name, was actually a travel website, though it only lasted for one year.

GoTrump.com @LastWeekTonight / YouTube.com

GoTrump.com was actually powered by the technology of popular travel site Travelocity, which is owned by Expedia. His business decision to use an already existing website to branch off and sell as his own version is baffling, as the original was already clearly meeting the needs of travelers all over the world.

Established: 2011
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Status: Active

Trump Winery is made up of 227-acres of grapevines, making it by far the largest winery in all of Virginia. The winery produces over 36,000 cases of wine per year, however, meaning that although it’s large it doesn’t come near competing with other top-producing wineries in the state. 

Trump Winery ©ebay.com

Though one would expect it to have a flavor profile of Robert Mondavi or other similarly priced wines, the white wines produced by Trump’s vineyard have consistently scored high among critics. In 2013, Wine Enthusiast even gave a 91-point score to the 2007 Trump SP Reserve wine. The vineyard is said to be worth upwards of $30 million.

Established: 1999
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Status: Active

Trump owns more than one golf club, as golf is one of his foremost passions, but perhaps his most famous golf club, where he spends much of his time even to this day, is in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Trump International Golf Club is a luxury course with 27 holes, as well as a club facility that can host events. 

Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Florida ©M.A.P. Photos / Shutterstock.com | @arabiangolftv / Youtube.com

Membership fees for the golf club are at $25,000 a year, and that isn’t even including the exorbitant cost to join, which comes in at a whopping $150,000, making it inaccessible to most Americans, even those who can afford a nice set of Callaway clubs. This property was Trump’s very first golf course, and now he owns many all over the US and around the world.

Established: 1871 (Trump-owned since 2010)
Location: New York, NY
Status: Active

Unlike many of Trump’s holdings, which are modern phenomena, the Central Park Carousel has real historical value. Originally built in 1871, the carousel only came under Trump’s ownership in 2010, after he successfully demonstrated that his company could operate the Wollman Rink. 

Central Park Carousel @EQRoy / Shutterstock.com

Open every day of the week nearly rain or shine, and with 57 wooden horses to ride, the carousel manages to seat over 250,000 riders a year. Still one of the largest carousels in the United States, the ornate hand-carved horses are hand-over-fist more beautiful than any toy made by modern companies like Mattel.