Trump Air – $32 Million
Trump Organization has two planes and three helicopters, but Trump Force One, or the private jet he affectionately calls “T-Bird” is his favorite. He even prefers it over Air Force One, notwithstanding that Air Force One is larger, faster, and higher capacity. Trump notably complained about the bed being too small on the presidential plane, preferring his own private jet’s accommodations. And they are plush. It’s got a cinema system, silk lined bedroom, a guest room, also lined in silk, and a lavish bath, including 24-karat gold, plated fixtures.
Trump purchased the Boeing 757 for $100 million in 2011 and precipitously installed the upgrades. His last name is emblazoned in large upper-case letters—TRUMP— across the outside of the plane, naturally. He used it for his campaign travel. It’s not cheap to fly, it costs about $10,800 per hour. His hopes to use his jet instead of the Air Force issued Boeing 747 fell through after necessary high-tech security systems couldn’t be replicated. In order to increase the size of the bed and update the color scheme of the presidential aircraft to more “American looking” colors, and more to his liking, Trump has ordered two new Air Force One planes which Boeing should complete manufacture of by 2021.
The Greenwich, CT Mansion
This gorgeous colonial mansion built in 1939 was acquired by Trump and his first wife Ivana for $4 million in the 1980s. Today it’s on the market for $45 million. When Ivana sold it in 1998, six years after their divorce, the new owners, financier Robert Steinberg and his wife Suzanne, paid $15 million for the palatial residence. Trump sure has a knack for scoring a deal on real estate! Needless to say, the new owners had to scale down the opulence, removing the gold-leafing and making it a more casual and livable abode.
The property is extravagant. It’s nearly 20,000-square-feet and built on six acres of manicured green into the end of the Long Island Sound peninsula. Docks dot the waterfront periphery of the property. It’s got an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, mini golf putting greens, a tennis court and a darling guest house. Set in the town of Greenwich, the 8-bedroom, 13-bath home is just 45 minutes from Manhattan. The best part? You can make it yours for $45 million.
The Scotland and Ireland Golf Resorts – $78 Million
Trump has a true affinity for Scotland, it’s his homeland—at least on his mom’s side. His mom, Mary Anne Trump, was born in Stornoway and lived there until she immigrated to America when she was 17. His affection for Scotland led him to his dream of developing two golf courses in Aberdeenshire. He even wanted to name the second golf course development after her saying, “My mother loved Scotland and I wanted to create a lasting tribute to her.” It would be called, The McLeod Course if it ever gets built. There is, however, the McLeod House namesake, a magnificent Scottish mansion at which one may stay, accommodating Aberdeen golf guests. In 2005 Trump purchased a 1,400-acre piece of rugged, green Scottish coastline and white dunes for about $12.6 million. Out of it, he created a world-class golf resort by 2012 and has been busy trying to push through the rest of his development plans. His Aberdeenshire neighbors have been unsupportive, often protesting, and his arrogant attitude has earned him a lot of defiance from the Scots.
In 2014 he grabbed the existing Turnberry golf resort, now called Trump Turnberry, his most prestigious and prized world-class golf course located on the other side of Scotland’s coast, for $59 million. So far, the Scottish investments have not enjoyed Trump’s trademark exponential profiting, both of his Scotland golf resort ventures lost money for three years straight, from 2014 to 2016. But things may be turning around. In 2018 revenues for Trump International golf resorts, including his Ireland golf property, doubled at Trump Turnberry and posted a profit in the contested Aberdeen, increasing from $3.2 million in 2017 to $3.4 million in 2018. If Trump Organization’s real estate development plans go through, it’s possible that all those jobs he promised Alberdeen in 2005 will come through.
Trump’s Childhood Home
Built-in 1940 by Trump’s dad, real estate developer Fred Trump, the quaint Tudor-style house was their family home until the young Trump was four years old and they upgraded to a larger home. Now it’s a historic relic, or at least a novelty, attracting curiosity and a $2.9 million price tag—far out pricing comparably-sized properties in its upscale Queens neighborhood. So, yes, it’s up for sale! The President of the United States’ childhood home could be anyone’s.
It’s a five-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot darling brick and stucco yellow house with a finished basement and hardwood floors. Inside, you’ll find a library, Trump memorabilia and a cut-out cardboard cut-out of the Prez. For a time, it was available on Airbnb for $725 per night, and the initial listing in August of 2017 ignited a viral craze triggering the media to come herding in droves to the property. I wonder who will end up with a little piece of Americana history?
New York's Iconic Empire State Building
Trump owned half of the Empire State building!.. kind of. . . for several many years. . . From 1994 to 2002, Trump held a 50 percent stake in New York City’s iconic skyscraper, widely recognized as the world’s tallest building after it was constructed in 1931, now the city’s fourth tallest building. What happened was this. A new investor, Japanese billionaire Hideki Yokoi, paid $42 million for the Empire State Building in 1991 and then handed it over to his daughter to own and operate. She proceeded to hook up with Trump, as a native N.Y.C. real estate mogul, giving him 50 percent ownership with no money down—they just handed it to him—in exchange for his commitment to pull off a hostile takeover by breaking the lease.
Trump was convinced that suing the leaseholders, Helmsley and Malkin, for negligence—rats, dark hallways, slow elevators, too many small tenants— would force them to sell their share to the new owners, and he and they would make a marvelous profit, into the billions! Prior to suing Helmsley and Malkin, Trump announced his plan to “restore the Empire State Building to its rightful position as a world-class real estate asset.” The courts ruled against him and he sold his share to the leaseholders. All told, he made $8 million and, even better, he can call himself, “New York’s Native Son” who once owned half of the Empire State Building.