The documentary, ''Trump: What's the Deal?'' was being prepared by a Manhattan production company with money from Leonard Stern, the chairman of the Hartz Mountain Corporation conglomerate and owner of The Village Voice and the magazine 7 Days. But the producers have been unable to find a syndicator to arrange for its broadcast on a New York station. Without a New York outlet, a syndicated production stands little chance of being carried in other markets.
Trump: What's the Deal? on MSNBC
"In Trump: What's The Deal?, revelations about Donald Trump's lies and fraud took 88 minutes. On AM Joy on MSNBC, I set the stage and David Cay Johnston shared more stories about his corrupt past. It takes a village."
Libby Handros is the producer of Trump - What's the Deal a 1991 documentary about Donald Trump that never made it to the small screen in the US because of legal threats from the billionaire who has his sights set on the White House. The film is now available on the internet for all to see.
Trump - What's the Deal a 1991 documentary about Donald Trump that never made it to the small screen in the US because of legal threats from the billionaire who has his sights set on the White House.
Donald Trump is one of the richest and most famous men in America, but on what foundation has his success been built? From accusations of harassment to repeated flirtations with bankruptcy, his very public business career has been one of artifice and intrigue; a Machiavellian performance played out before the American media. Originally produced in 1991, Donald Trump: What's the Deal? investigates the unscrupulous reality behind this most public of figures.
"I get high from what I do...it's my addiction" claims a triumphant Trump, standing proudly at the opening of his newest Casino. Swaggering and assured, these exaggerated statements have become Trump's trademark, making him as much a celebrity as a businessman; a poster boy for American capitalism. This air of cocky invincibility has however repeatedly hidden a questionable and often duplicitous business approach. As one former employee describes, "he presents himself marvellously...but in real life he is very, very different".
The son of a millionaire real-estate mogul, Trump has built on his father's considerable wealth through a mixture of cunning, connections, and bravado. As much as his bodacious bragging is a trademark of his public persona, so to a ruthless and unethical streak runs throughout his professional career: tax-loopholes have been exploited and workforces abused, opponents intimidated and rivals aggressively pursued. "He skirts the law - he goes right up to the edge and sometimes over it" explains one business attorney.
Allying himself with influential politicians, powerful lawyers and even organised crime affiliates, Trump's business career has taken him from real-estate to casinos, via golf clubs and even American Football teams. He has declared bankruptcy four times, but each time he has returned, leveraged in debt and with characteristic greed. "He's got a problem, he has to be the biggest" explains one associate.
"Donald would be a very unhappy man if no one paid any attention to him" comments his biographer. Despite his suspicious business history, Trump's love of the limelight has kept him eternally in the public eye, and he has carefully cast himself as an everyman executive; the archetypal straight-talking American businessman. Ignoring the facade, this remarkable and revealing documentary exposes the unsavoury truth of the self-professed 'People's Billionaire'.
Libby Handros – Ref. 6671
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"Might the press have some questions about it and Trump's past? Absolutely. The film makes many bold claims and observations, too many to fully recount here, but they seem well sourced, with views of articles and headlines that in today's Internet age are easy to research."
"Might the press have some questions about it and Trump's past? Absolutely. The film makes many bold claims and observations, too many to fully recount here, but they seem well sourced, with views of articles and headlines that in today's Internet age are easy to research."
This film was suppressed 25 years ago.
The film was commissioned in 1988 by Leonard Stern as the first of a series on celebrity businessmen and finished in 1991. Back then, the only way for a film to be seen was on television or in the theater. Donald threatened to sue any broadcaster or distributor that took on the film. In effect, it was suppressed. It was screened twice in back-to-back standing room only showings at the Bridgehampton Community House on July 3, 1991, the same day that Donald announced his engagement to Marla Maples.
Why it's important and why we should care now.
Now that Trump is running for president, it is time for the American People to meet the real Donald and learn how he does business. The old Trump and the new Trump? They're the same Trump.
The 80's was the beginning of the "me generation" of billionaires.
The 80s was the first modern "decade of greed". Donald Trump was the most visible of a handful of businessmen who became celebrities, a trend that has continued to this day.
What's happened with Trump since?
Since the completion of the film, Trump’s Atlantic City Empire is gone - sunk into bankruptcy. He is best known as the star of "The Apprentice," for building golf courses, slapping his name on buildings that others build, and acting as a superstar real estate agent. Oh, and he is still trying to move the Palm Beach airport.
It Was Never Shown. You Can See It Now.