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159-519: Trump University (also known as the Trump Wealth Institute and Trump Entrepreneur Initiative LLC ) was an American company that ran a real estate training program from 2005 to 2010. It was owned and operated by The Trump Organization . A separate organization, Trump Institute , was licensed by Trump University but not owned by The Trump Organization. In 2011, amid multiple investigations, lawsuits and student complaints, it ceased operations. It

318-520: A D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed a portion of the lawsuit and dropped the organization as a defendant. Later that month, Racine filed a motion requesting for the organization to be reinstated as a defendant. In February 2022, this request was granted. In May, it was reported that the organization and inaugural committee, which both denied wrongdoing, would pay a $ 750,000 settlement which will benefit two D.C.-based nonprofits. In August 2020, New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James disclosed in

477-485: A SLAPP suit (a strategic lawsuit against public participation), and that because Trump University is a "public figure" the defamation claim required proof that she "acted with actual malice" when speaking and writing about Trump University. By invoking California's anti-SLAPP statute, Makaeff triggered procedures that hastened consideration of the defamation claim without further discovery. On August 23, 2010, U.S. district judge Irma E. Gonzalez ruled that Trump University

636-413: A bait-and-switch scheme. He accused Trump of misleading more than 5,000 people to pay up to $ 35,000 to learn his real estate investment techniques. Trump denied the allegations, claiming the school had a 98% approval rating, and said Schneiderman was "a political hack looking to get publicity". He filed a complaint alleging that Scheiderman's investigation was accompanied by a campaign donation shakedown;

795-765: A call to action , are erroneously called infomercials; when used as an independently produced commercial, they are generally known as DRTV spots or short-form DRTV . Infomercial sponsors often also use shorter spots during regular programming. The products frequently marketed through infomercials at the national level include cleaning products, appliances, food-preparation devices, dietary supplements, alternative health aids, memory improvement courses, books, compilation albums , videos of numerous genres, real estate investment strategies, beauty supplies, baldness remedies, sexual-enhancement supplements, weight-loss programs and products, personal fitness devices, home exercise machines and adult chat lines. Uses for infomercials in

954-563: A " corporate death penalty ". Trump and the organization were ordered to pay nearly $ 355 million before interest in February 2024, with further restrictions placed on the Trump Organization's business certificates, and on both Trump and his adult sons' ability to do business in New York. On March 25, 2024, the required payment was lowered to $ 175 million with a 10 day deadline. Trump posted

1113-488: A " name " adds value in making an introduction. Infomercials particularly exploded in the mid-1990s with motivational and personal development products, and " get-rich-quick scheme "s based on the premise that one could quickly become wealthy by either selling anything through classified ads or through flipping . These were hawked by personalities such as Don Lapre and Carleton H. Sheets , among others. When they first appeared, infomercials were most often scheduled in

1272-442: A "closing argument" to his campaign. The combination of these networks reportedly drew a peak audience of over 33 million viewers of the half-hour program, making it the single most watched infomercial broadcast in the history of U.S. television. Aside from blocking viewer choice, reception was not all positive: an NBC reviewer referred to Obama as having a "thin resume". Obama opponent John McCain commented that "No one will delay

1431-414: A "manifest disregard for the law". In October 2015, Garten also said Trump would ask Curiel to recuse himself because of his "animosity toward Mr. Trump and his views". But Trump's lawyers never filed a motion to recuse, and according to legal experts such a motion would lack legal merit and possibly be considered frivolous . In May 2016, Curiel set the trial on the suit to begin on November 28, 2016, after

1590-458: A "paid advertisement for [particular product or service], sponsored by [sponsor]" at the beginning ("following program") and end ("preceding program") of the advertisement and before ordering instructions are displayed. Customer protection advocates recommend buyer beware : study the product and the claims before making a purchase. Many stations and networks normally run their own disclaimers before, during and/or after infomercials. Some mention

1749-399: A $ 1,500 3-day course, and 1,000 were for silver, gold or elite mentored courses ranging in price from $ 10,000 to $ 35,000. While not licensed as a college or using student loans, the operation used many of the same tactics as predatory colleges: preying on vulnerable populations, implying that the school offered a fast track to financial security, and creating the impression that the recruiter is

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1908-493: A $ 10 billion Russian money laundering scheme. The bank provided Trump with a variety of services including financial instruments designed to shield him from risks and outside scrutiny, and helped connect Trump to wealthy clients (including some from Russia) who were interested in Western real estate. During the 2000s and 2010s, Trump borrowed $ 2 billion from the bank, owing it about $ 360 million in 2016. From 2000 on,

2067-437: A 2012 deposition , he testified that he never selected the instructors. According to Sexton, Trump signed off on the school's advertisements. For a time in 2008, it used the name "Trump Wealth Institute". In June 2010, Trump University changed its name to "The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative". It largely ceased operations in 2010. The Trump Institute was a separate business. It was licensed by Trump University, and Trump received

2226-475: A New York ethics board investigated the complaint and dismissed it in August 2015. Because of strict confidentiality laws, it is unknown whether the complaint was dismissed because Trump's claims were untrue or because Schneiderman's actions did not contravene any ethical rules. In October 2014, a New York judge found Trump personally liable for operating the company without the required business license. In May 2010,

2385-437: A builder to 1927. In that year, Fred reached the age of majority , and "E. Trump & Son," a name Elizabeth had used in ads since 1921, was formally incorporated. In 1929, with Fred at the helm, the company began developing pricier houses in nearby Jamaica Estates. In the deepening depression , the company went out of business. In 1933 Fred opened a supermarket, called "Trump Market," then quickly sold it and returned to

2544-405: A class action against Trump University on April 30, 2010, in the U.S. District Court for Southern California . The suit, Makaeff v. Trump University, LLC , sought refunds for Makaeff and other former clients of Trump University, as well as punitive damages for breach of contract , fraud, negligent misrepresentation and bad faith. It did not originally name Donald Trump as a defendant, but did so in

2703-519: A class action on behalf of consumers throughout the United States who purchased services known as "Live Events" from Trump University after January 1, 2007. It alleged violations of the RICO statute , essentially a scheme to defraud. It accused Trump of misrepresenting Trump University "to make tens of millions of dollars" while actually delivering "neither Donald Trump nor a university". The suit named Trump as

2862-415: A comeback. The casino company did not fare as well, however, and Trump eventually lost his stake in the company to bankruptcy. In 1997, Fred Trump transferred ownership of the bulk of his portfolio of apartment buildings to his four surviving children (Donald, Robert , Maryanne , and Elizabeth ), submitting tax returns claiming the properties were worth $ 41.4 million. Fred died in 1999. In 2004,

3021-420: A court filing that her office was conducting a civil investigation of the organization for the asset inflation allegation, asking a court to compel the organization to provide information it had been withholding. The Manhattan DA, which had been seeking Donald Trump's tax returns, suggested in an August 2020 federal court filing that the organization was under investigation for bank and insurance fraud. Eric Trump

3180-567: A cut of every seat sold, but Trump University owned no part of it. It was owned and operated by Irene and Mike Milin of Boca Raton, Florida . It offered real estate seminars from 2006 to 2009, at which point the licensing agreement expired and was not renewed. Trump was not involved in the operation of the Trump Institute, but he recorded a broadcast infomercial promoting it and appeared in an introductory video before each seminar. Three lawsuits were filed asserting that Trump University engaged in

3339-440: A dialup option. During the financial crisis that lasted from 2007 to 2008, many struggling individual television stations began to devote more of their programming schedules to infomercials, thereby reducing syndication contracts for regular programming. Some stations found that the revenue from infomercial-time sales were higher than those possible through traditional television advertising and syndication sales options. However,

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3498-465: A false instrument for filing. Prosecutors allege that Weisselberg received about $ 1.76 million in undeclared indirect compensation in the form of free rent and utilities, car leases for himself and his wife, and school tuition for his grandchildren. Both the organization and Weisselberg pleaded not guilty . On July 8, the Trump Organization removed Weisselberg as director of the company running Trump International Golf Links, Scotland ; on July 9,

3657-547: A flat fee for the use of his name. Trump instead decided he wanted to be the principal owner. Trump University was incorporated in 2004 by Trump, Sexton, and Spitalny, as a New York limited liability company . Trump owned 93% of the company. On May 23, 2005, Trump University formally launched its education program. At the opening presentation, Trump said, "If I had a choice of making lots of money or imparting lots of knowledge, I think I'd be as happy to impart knowledge as to make money." According to The Washington Post , part of

3816-490: A form of linear datacasting without the need to interfere with a subscriber's internet bandwidth (or lack thereof if they solely used the machine's dialup connection for updating). The program was listed as Teleworld Paid Program , named for TiVo's corporate name at its founding. Teleworld Paid Program was quietly discontinued at the start of the 2016–17 television season as the company's install base had mostly transitioned to broadband and newer TiVo devices no longer included

3975-463: A friendly advisor. Trump claimed that students gave the program 98% favorable reviews, but according to some former students, Trump University employees pressured students to give favorable reviews, told them they had to fill out the forms to obtain graduation certificates, and did not undertake procedures often used to ensure that surveys were filled out objectively. In an infomercial , Trump said he "hand-picked" Trump University's instructors. But in

4134-654: A hard-sell approach, as well as depositions in which former employees said that Trump University had defrauded or lied to its students. On August 2, 2016, the court denied a request by The Washington Post and other media organizations for public release of hours of videotaped testimony from Trump's two depositions in Cohen , taken in November 2015 and January 2016. Transcripts of those depositions had already been released, showing "that Trump repeatedly indicated that he had never met instructors at Trump University, despite advertisements for

4293-399: A later amended complaint. In February 2014, U.S. district court judge Gonzalo P. Curiel denied recognition to the nationwide class the plaintiffs had requested and recognized the suit as class-action on the part of Trump University clients in three states—California, Florida, and New York—based on specific alleged violations of the consumer protection laws of those states. He also narrowed

4452-461: A lengthy exposé concerning Donald Trump's inheritance from his parents, Fred and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump . It includes detailed analyses of Trump family financial records. The article describes an alleged tax fraud scheme conducted by Trump and his siblings related to their joint inheritance of their parents's real estate holdings, effectively evading over $ 500 million in gift and estate taxes . The alleged schemes involved siphoning money from

4611-456: A lengthy statement saying his criticism of the judge had been "misconstrued" and that his concerns about Curiel's impartiality were not based upon ethnicity alone, but also upon rulings in the case. On November 18, 2016, it was reported that Trump had agreed to pay $ 25 million to settle the two class actions and the New York suit. The settlement was reached 10 days before the San Diego class action

4770-406: A local level. During the early days of television, many television shows were specifically created by sponsors with the main goal of selling their product, the entertainment angle being a hook to hold audience's attention (this is how soap operas got their name; such shows were sponsored by soap manufacturers). A good example of this is the early children's show The Magic Clown on NBC , which

4929-452: A major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university". Trump himself said he settled "for a small fraction of the potential award" because he was too busy as president-elect to take it to trial. He added: "The ONLY bad thing about winning the Presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad!" Final payment of the settlement

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5088-491: A meeting of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform , Representative Jackie Speier suggested "a Kansan", later revealed to be Ruffin, had paid $ 25 million to satisfy Trump's liability in the Trump University judgment. Ruffin admitted to paying Trump $ 28 million in 2018, but claimed it was for "back-fees" related to Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and unrelated to the Trump University case. In 2010,

5247-532: A political opponent" and that his civil rights were being violated. A federal judge dismissed the suit in May 2022. On January 3, 2022, James and a lawyer for the organization filed a court document noting that Donald Trump and his two eldest children had moved to block their subpoenas on the premise that the AG was attempting to sidestep due process to gather evidence against them in the related criminal case. James argued that

5406-473: A press release from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman , the case was to be handled by Assistant Attorneys General Tristan C. Snell and Melvin L. Goldberg, under the supervision of the Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection's Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine, Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia, and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Karla G. Sanchez. Schneiderman described Trump University as

5565-433: A real estate slump in 1990, the Trump Organization approached a financial crisis and was believed to be on the brink of collapse, with Donald Trump and his companies owing 72 banks a total of $ 4 billion, of which Trump personally guaranteed $ 800 million. Trump hired Stephen Bollenbach as the company's first chief financial officer , while Allen Weisselberg continued to serve under him as controller. Trump spent

5724-429: A settlement, and both sides accepted an offer from U.S. district judge Jeffrey T. Miller to facilitate such talks. On May 27, 2016, Curiel granted a request by The Washington Post for public release of certain documents that had been filed in the case. He noted that they were "routine" and many were already publicly available. The released information included "playbooks" documenting instructions for employees to use

5883-436: A significant amount of information in an actual, or perceived, attempt to promote a point of view. When used this way, the term may be meant to carry an implication that the party making the communication or political speech is exaggerating truths or hiding important facts. The New York Times cited a professional in the field as saying that "infomercial companies tend to do well during recessions." The word "infomercial"

6042-462: A single formal name. In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice 's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division filed a civil rights suit against the Trump Organization charging them for violating the 1968 Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to Black people . The National Urban League had sent Black and White testers to apply for apartments in Trump-owned complexes. The White testers got the apartments, whereas

6201-449: A town hall-like program. Fellow presidential candidate Barack Obama 's 2008 presidential campaign used infomercials extensively, including running a 24-hour channel on Dish Network. One week before the 2008 general election , Obama purchased a 30-minute slot at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time during primetime on seven major networks ( NBC , CBS , MSNBC , Fox , BET , TV One and Univision (with Spanish subtitles)) to present

6360-544: A variety of illegal business practices, ranging from false claims to racketeering . Two were federal class actions: one against Trump University and its managers, including Trump, and one against Trump personally. A third case was filed in New York State court. In 2005, the New York State Department of Education sent Trump, Sexton, and Trump University a letter saying that they were violating state law by using

6519-439: A wide range of estimates of the Trump Organization's true value. Donald Trump has been accused on several occasions of deliberately inflating the valuation of Trump Organization properties through the aggressive lobbying of the media, in particular the authors of the annual Forbes 400 list, in order to bolster his perceived net worth among the public over several decades. He has released little definitive financial documentation to

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6678-591: Is a portmanteau of the words " information " and " commercial ". As in any other form of advertisement , the content is a commercial message designed to represent the viewpoints and to serve the interest of the sponsor . Infomercials are often made to closely resemble standard television programs . Some imitate talk shows and try to downplay the fact that the program is a commercial message. A few are developed around storylines and have been called "storymercials". However, most do not have specific TV formats but craft different elements to tell what their creators hope

6837-421: Is a compelling story about the product offered. The term infomercial , by 2007, had come to refer to the format, even when used in a live presentation. Infomercials are designed to solicit quantifiable immediate direct response (a form of direct response marketing , not to be confused with direct marketing ); they generally feature between two and four internal commercials of 30 to 120 seconds which invite

6996-468: Is allocated free of charge to political parties according to a formula approved by Parliament, and is available only on broadcast television and radio channels. The Communications Act 2003 prohibits political advertising. Television advertising of pharmacy-only and prescription drugs is also prohibited. Some U.S. televangelists such as Robert Tilton and Peter Popoff buy television time from infomercial brokers representing television stations around

7155-583: Is despite both DirecTV and Dish carrying several infomercial-only and leased access networks which have been criticized by their subscribers. As with other advertising, content is supervised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and regulated by Ofcom . Advertising rules are written and maintained by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), working closely with the ASA and Ofcom. In

7314-657: The Newsweek used the term infomercial to describe a cookbook whose author was described as "hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list". The Los Angeles Times mediated. Other possible putdowns include informercial-like and infomercial type stuff . The infomercial format has been widely parodied: Others have been done too, and these parodies are an ongoing source of amusement and creativity. The Adult Swim late-night block of cable channel Cartoon Network has often broadcast an anthology of comedy shorts in

7473-440: The 2016 Republican presidential primaries , Trump's opponents used Trump University to criticize him. Mitt Romney said in early March : "Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University." Senators and fellow presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio raised the subject during televised debates in February and March. One debate moderator, Megyn Kelly of Fox News , pursued

7632-474: The 2016 presidential election , the Associated Press found that Trump had donated $ 35,000 Abbott's successful campaign for governor in 2014 . Texas Monthly questioned whether Abbott had treated Trump with especial favor. Ken Paxton , who succeeded Abbott as Texas Attorney General, sent a cease and desist letter to former Deputy Chief of Consumer Protection John Owens, who said he had been told to drop

7791-625: The Better Business Bureau or a state/local customer protection agency. A "paid programming" bug in a corner of the screen during infomercials, particularly for financial products, is to avoid an exploitation of an "as seen on" claim of endorsement. Some, particularly smaller networks, only use a limited number of trusted advertisers. Considerable FTC scrutiny is also given to results claims and testimonials. Rules controlling endorsements are periodically enhanced to increase customer protection and fill loopholes. Industry organizations such as

7950-564: The Dominican Republic ). Trump's international hotel licensing and management business makes up only $ 220 million of his estimated $ 3.5 billion fortune, but it's the most dynamic part of the Trump portfolio—and it throws off chunks of cash with virtually no risk. As the Trumps have wound down some international deals, they continue to push forward with new domestic agreements. Eric Trump, in

8109-532: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the amount of advertising that could appear during an hour of television did away with these programs, forcing sponsors into the background; however, a few infomercials, mainly those for greatest hits record sets (which could get around the restrictions by devoting much of the airtime to snippets of the songs on the records, which did not count as advertising) and Shop Smith power tools, did exist during

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8268-543: The Forbes article, discussed the "clear separation of church and state that we maintain" between the business and his father and said that with his father's presidency and related changes "[y]ou could look at it either way" in terms of business prospects. He also said that "he will continue to update his father on the business while he is in the presidency ... 'probably quarterly ... profitability reports and stuff like that'." The article quoted Larry Noble, general counsel of

8427-520: The Forbes list claimed in an op-ed to The Washington Post that Trump had lied about his wealth to Forbes to get on the list repeatedly and suggested that Forbes ' s previous low-end estimates of Trump's net worth were still well above his true net worth. In November 2021, The Washington Post reported that between 2011 and 2015, the Trump Organization presented several properties as being worth millions of dollars—in one case over $ 500 million—more to potential lenders than to tax officials. This

8586-588: The Grand Hyatt New York , a hotel owned at the time by the Trump Organization and the Hyatt Corporation, to pay New York City $ 2.9 million in rent that had been withheld by the hotel in 1986 due to "unusual" accounting changes approved by Donald Trump. An investigation by New York City auditors noted that the hotel was missing basic financial records and found the hotel was using procedures that violated generally accepted accounting principles . Amid

8745-550: The Manhattan district attorney was brought to trial in October; on December 6, the organization was convicted on 17 criminal charges. In September 2023, the judge presiding over the civil suit ruled that Trump, his adult sons and the organization repeatedly committed fraud and ordered their New York business certificates canceled and their business entities sent into receivership for dissolution in what has been described by observers as

8904-655: The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. , for the event. In April 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , Eric Trump stated that the Trump Organization had requested rental relief from the landlord for its Trump International Hotel, which is the General Services Administration of the federal government. In September 2020, it was revealed that Trump's properties had charged

9063-590: The University of Pennsylvania , and in 1968 officially joined the company. In the early 1970s, Fred became chairman of the board while Donald was made president of the company. Around 1973, he began referring to the business as the Trump Organization. The business had previously been referred to on occasion as the Fred C. Trump Organization, the Fred Trump Organization, or the Trump Organization, but had not had

9222-464: The financial statements of the Trump Organization's holdings and Donald Trump's personal tax returns are both private, its true value is not publicly known, though a wide range of estimates have been made. Trump has publicly released little definitive financial documentation to confirm his valuation claims. On several occasions, Trump has been accused of deliberately inflating the valuation of Trump Organization properties through aggressive lobbying of

9381-485: The 1970s that the hard sell "But wait! There's more!" Ginsu ads were being aired on American late-night TV. The Federal Communications Commission lifted the prohibition on program-length advertisements on radio in 1981. Infomercials proliferated in the United States after 1984 when the Federal Communications Commission eliminated regulations that were established in the 1950s and 1960s to govern

9540-437: The 1980s, expanded rapidly in the U.S. during the 1990s. Trump obtained a loan of approximately $ 425 million from them in 1998. In the process of its rapid expansion, the bank engaged in numerous questionable practices, including manipulating currencies and interest rates, laundering billions of dollars for Russian oligarchs and misleading international bank regulators. The bank was fined $ 630 million in 2017 for facilitating

9699-544: The 1989, the Satellite Shop was launched as the first UK shopping channel. Shortly afterwards, infomercials began on satellite television, and they became known as teleshopping . Until 2009, the UK permitted neither paid infomercials nor teleshopping on broadcast television. However, in 2009, Ofcom allowed up to three hours of infomercials per day on any channel. Airtime for political messages, known as party political broadcasts ,

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9858-501: The 1990s, federal and state customer protection agencies have criticized several prominent infomercial pitchmen, including Kevin Trudeau , Donald Barrett and, to a lesser extent, Matthew Lesko , and also Don Lapre , a salesman notorious for his get-rich-quick schemes . Some were successfully sued. Programs that collect donations or sell via Premium-rate telephone number (900-number) have additional disclosure requirements. In 1992,

10017-458: The Black testers did not. According to court records, four superintendents or rental agents reported that applications sent to the central office for acceptance or rejection were coded by race. A 1979 Village Voice article quoted a rental agent who said Fred Trump had instructed him not to rent to Black people and to encourage existing Black tenants to leave. In 1975, a consent decree described by

10176-504: The Electronic Retailing Association, which represents infomercial marketers, often try to minimize the impact of these rule changes. FTC enforcement has focused on testimonials for publishing "non-typical" and "completely fabricated" customer testimonials used within infomercials. In 2006, the first third-party testimonial verification company was launched, and it now independently pre-validates many testimonials. Since

10335-578: The House in the 2022 midterm elections , the committee stopped requesting financial records from Trump's accounting firm, Mazars , leading the report to assume that additional payments had occurred. In August 2018, the Manhattan district attorney (DA) was reported to be considering criminal charges against the organization and two of its senior executives for their accounting of then-Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen 's hush money payment to Stormy Daniels . In October 2018, The New York Times published

10494-508: The Manhattan DA investigation. On July 1, 2021, the Manhattan district attorney criminally charged the Trump Organization with a "15 year 'scheme to defraud' the government", conspiracy, and falsifying business records. Prosecutors filed 10 charges against the organization and its Trump Payroll Corporation entity, and 15 felony counts against Weisselberg , including grand larceny and offering

10653-616: The New York AG subpoenaed Trump in the civil case, with plans to depose him on January 7, 2022. Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. were issued subpoenas in the matter on the same day. By mid-December 2021, an accountant for Trump had testified before the grand jury. Prosecutors were reportedly examining whether the organization provided its outside accountants, Mazars USA, with cherry-picked information with which to prepare favorable financial statements to present to prospective lenders. Mazars provided disclaimers with its financial statements for

10812-442: The New York investigation in announcing that it would no longer stand by its financial statements created for the Trump Organization from mid-2010 to mid-2020, and that it would no longer work with the organization. On January 11, 2017, before starting his tenure as president of the United States , Trump announced that he and his daughter Ivanka would fully resign and his sons Donald Jr. and Eric would take executive charge of

10971-406: The New York television production company that produced the reality television franchise The Apprentice . Retail operations include or have included fashion apparel, jewelry and accessories, books, home furnishings, lighting products, bath textiles and accessories, bedding, home fragrance products, small leather goods, vodka, wine, barware, steaks, chocolate bars, and bottled spring water. Since

11130-606: The Southern District of Texas . The office of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in September 2013 that it was considering joining a New York lawsuit against Trump University. Four days later, the Donald J. Trump Foundation donated $ 25,000 to "And Justice for All", a 527 group supporting Bondi's reelection campaign. After that, Bondi declined to join New York. According to a Bondi spokesman, Bondi had personally solicited

11289-483: The Texas Real Estate Commission, nor was Trump University an accredited institution with the legal credentials to call itself a "university." The lawsuit proposed by the consumer protection division sought to recover more than $ 2.6 million that Texas taxpayers who had been students at the "university" had "spent on seminars and materials, plus another $ 2.8 million in penalties and fees". The investigation

11448-578: The Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit." On February 17, a judge rejected an argument by a Trump attorney that the former president belongs to a protected class and ordered the Trumps to testify; the First Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of New York State upheld this ruling on May 26. From late April to late June, Trump

11607-480: The Trump Organization held 50% of TD Trump Deutschland AG , a corporate venture with a German company, planning to build a skyscraper named "Trump Tower Europe" in Frankfurt , Berlin or Stuttgart , but allegedly never paid the full amount of their € 2 million share. At least three lawsuits followed and the company was disestablished in 2005. By mid-2016, it was alleged that the organization, specifically under

11766-451: The Trump University allegations against Trump in speeches and campaign ads. Trump University was the subject of a week-long series in the comic strip Doonesbury in June 2005. In the second episode of The Root of All Evil , a sketch makes fun of Trump University. Trump University was also the butt of jokes in a Will and Grace mini-episode released in September 2016, created to get out

11925-561: The Trump campaign to Trump properties during his presidency is estimated at $ 10–17 million. Conflict of interest concerns were raised soon after Trump became president when China preliminarily approved 38 trademarks in his name for a variety of branded businesses including hotels, restaurants, spas, escort services, and massage parlors. Trump had applied for the trademarks as a candidate in April 2016. In 2018 and 2019, China granted 23 trademarks to Trump-owned companies and to Ivanka Trump while

12084-964: The Trump name. Donald Trump joined the organization in 1968, began leading it in 1971, renamed it around 1973, and handed off its leadership to his children in 2017 after he won the 2016 United States presidential election . The Trump Organization, through its various constituent companies and partnerships, has or has had interests in real estate development, investing, brokerage, sales and marketing, and property management. Trump Organization entities own, operate, invest in , and develop residential real estate , hotels , resorts , residential towers , and golf courses in various countries. They also operate or have operated in construction , hospitality , casinos , entertainment , book and magazine publishing , broadcast media, model management, retail, financial services, food and beverages, business education, online travel, commercial and private aviation, and beauty pageants. Trump Organization entities also own

12243-441: The Trumps were using a continued pattern of "delay tactics" to keep her from interviewing them under oath . On January 10, Habba filed a motion seeking a stay of proceedings to allow an injunction against James. On January 18, James filed a motion to compel Trump and his two oldest children to appear in court, stating that "Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and

12402-472: The U.S. administration and China were engaged in trade negotiations. In January 2024, Democratic members of the US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability released a report, White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump , detailing over $ 7.8 million in payments from foreign governments to Trump-owned businesses. After Republicans took control of

12561-409: The U.S. presidential election, with jury selection several weeks earlier. In August 2016, the district court denied Trump's motion for summary judgment , ruling that there was sufficient evidence against Trump for the case to go to a jury. On November 10, 2016, Curiel denied a request by Trump to delay the trial until after his inauguration. At the same time, Curiel urged the parties to work toward

12720-414: The U.S., and even some widely distributed cable networks that are not averse to carrying religious programming . A block of such programming appears weekdays on BET under the umbrella title BET Inspiration (which fully replaced the direct-response variety of infomercials on the channel in 1997). The vast majority of religious programming in the United States is distributed through paid infomercial time;

12879-446: The UK, "admags" (advertisement magazines) were originally a feature of the regional commercial ITV stations from launch in 1955. While very popular, admags were banned in 1963. The word "teleshopping" was coined in 1979 by Michael Aldrich , who invented real-time transaction processing from a domestic television and subsequently installed many systems throughout the UK in the 1980s. This would now be referred to as online shopping . In

13038-500: The US, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets ... We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." James Dodson , a golf magazine writer, said that during a 2014 golf game, he asked Trump's son Eric how the organization was funding its golf resort acquisitions, to which Trump responded, "Well, we don't rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia." Eric Trump later denied making

13197-604: The United States and Canada during late-night/early morning hours. As stations have found value in airing them at other times, a large portion of infomercial spending occurs in the early morning, daytime, early prime and even prime time periods. There are also all-infomercial networks (such as cable channels Corner Store TV, OnTV4U , Access Television Network and GRTV ) that yield revenue for cable and satellite providers who carry them or fill local programming voids. Some cable carriage contracts were adjusted in 2006. CNBC , which airs only two hours of infomercials nightly during

13356-473: The United States, the strategy of buying prime-time programming slots on major networks has been utilized by political candidates for both presidential and state office to present infomercial-like programs to sell a candidate's merits to the public. Fringe presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche regularly bought time on CBS and local stations in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Ross Perot also bought network time in 1992 and 1996 to present his presidential policies to

13515-552: The block. Some refused Weekend Marketplace outright. In September 2014, Weekend Marketplace was replaced in some markets by the E/I-focused Xploration Station . In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that any infomercial 15 minutes or longer must disclose to viewers that it is a paid advertisement. An infomercial is required to be "clearly and conspicuously" marked as

13674-481: The bond on April 1, 2024, thus ensuring that his assets and properties could not be seized until at least the time his appeals finished. Donald Trump's grandparents Frederick Trump and Elizabeth Christ Trump were a German immigrant couple who moved to the borough of Queens in 1907. Frederick began developing real estate there. He died during the " Spanish flu " pandemic in 1918, leaving an estate valued at $ 31,359 (or about $ 535,381 in 2020). Elizabeth carried on in

13833-505: The business week, sometimes airs nearly 30 hours of infomercials on weekends; from the September–October 2008 financial crisis to early 2017, CNBC had inserted a "paid programming" bug at the top right corner of the screen during all airings of infomercials. In contrast, sister network CNBC World airs international programming rather than any paid programming. When a conventional prime-time two-minute advertising pod has no ads,

13992-597: The case and had forwarded previously undisclosed documents to the Associated Press. Paxton said in a statement that Owens had released "confidential and privileged information". David S. Morales , the Deputy Attorney General in 2010, admitted in 2016 that he had quashed the $ 5.4 million suit without discussing the issue with Abbott. In 2018, Trump nominated Morales to serve as a judge at the District Court for

14151-434: The case to five of the plaintiffs' original 14 charges. On May 26, 2010, Trump University filed a counterclaim alleging Makaeff had made defamatory statements about Trump University, "including many completely spurious accusations of actual crimes", which caused Trump University losses of more than $ 1 million. On June 30, 2010, Makaeff countered that Trump University's defamation claim was an attempt to intimidate her, known as

14310-426: The case. The settlement also specified that Trump, who had previously said he would never settle, did not admit any wrongdoing. The settlement was brokered by U.S. district judge Jeffrey T. Miller , who offered his services to the parties on November 10 at Curiel's request. Curiel approved the settlement on March 31, 2017. Schneiderman said the settlement and payment by Trump "is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and

14469-402: The civil and criminal cases, which an RNC spokesperson referred to as "politically motivated legal proceedings". In December 2021, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba filed a lawsuit against New York AG Letitia James, alleging that the investigation of the former president was "guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as

14628-550: The commercial content of television. Kevin Harrington , nicknamed the "infomercial godfather", had his first infomercial air in 1985. By 1994, an estimated 91% of all stations had or were airing infomercials. One relatively early question was whether or not infomercials should feature celebrities. Although "how much will it cost" was part of the equation, so was a "highly demonstrable item with obvious features and benefits." Even when experts are used for their endorsement value,

14787-505: The companies to the children throughout their lives and understating the value of transferred properties. In mid-2021, Mary L. Trump (a primary source for the exposé) elaborated on how the organization used a shell corporation to siphon money, devaluing Fred Trump's "core business" to $ 30 million at the time of his death. Michael Cohen testified to Congress in February 2019 that Trump "inflated [the organization's] total assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed amongst

14946-638: The company became the subject of an inquiry by the New York Attorney General 's office for illegal business practices, which resulted in a lawsuit filed in August 2013. An article in the National Review called the organization a "massive scam". Trump University was also the subject of two class actions in federal court. The lawsuits centered around allegations that Trump University defrauded its students by using misleading marketing practices and engaging in aggressive sales tactics. The company and

15105-585: The company moved to Brooklyn, where, in addition to Queens, Trump was a prolific builder of single-family homes. During World War II , Trump constructed apartments and temporary housing for military personnel in Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 1944, he shifted his focus back to Brooklyn and began planning to develop large apartment buildings. He opened the 1,344-unit Shore Haven complex in 1949, followed by Beach Haven in 1950 and Trump Village in 1964. Donald Trump worked for his father's business while attending

15264-504: The company removed him as director of 40 subsidiaries registered in Florida. It was later reported that Weisselberg had invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 500 times. The Manhattan DA convened a second grand jury the last week of October 2021; it began to hear evidence on November 4, reportedly to consider charges related to the company's valuation of assets. By November 22, prosecutors were scrutinizing several of

15423-536: The consumer protection division of the state of Texas sought permission from the office of the Attorney General of Texas to sue Trump University. An investigation by the consumer protection division had found the company was "engaging in false, misleading and deceptive practices" and had defrauded Texas taxpayers out of $ 2.6 million. According to John Owens, the Texas attorney general's deputy chief of consumer protection at

15582-503: The defamation claim against that standard. After additional briefing, Judge Curiel ruled in Makaeff's favor on June 16, 2014, and dismissed the defamation claim. At the court's invitation, Makaeff then presented evidence of her legal costs and fees in connection with the defamation litigation. She asked for $ 1.3 million, and on April 20, 2015, Curiel ordered Trump University to reimburse Makaeff $ 798,000 in legal fees and costs. In November 2015,

15741-665: The district court ruled on Trump's motion for summary judgment . In a 44-page opinion, the court denied Trump's motion for summary judgment on most of the claims, finding that there was a genuine issue of fact on plaintiffs' claims of deceptive practices and misrepresentation in advertisements in violation of California, Florida, and New York consumer protection and business law and therefore letting these claims proceed to trial. The court did grant summary judgment in Trump's favor on plaintiffs' request for an injunction , because Trump University stopped enrolling students in July 2010 and no longer sold

15900-512: The donation from Trump several weeks before her office announced it was considering joining the lawsuit. In March 2016, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the IRS about the potentially illegal donation. In September 2016, it was reported that the donation violated laws against political contributions from nonprofit organizations, and that Trump had reimbursed

16059-441: The early 1990s included offering free trials of personal care products such as enhanced plaque removers; an 800-number was used to collect basic marketing information. Major brands (such as Apple , Microsoft and Thermos-Grill2Go ) have used infomercials for their ability to communicate more complicated and in-depth product stories. This practice started in the early 1990s and has increased since. Such advertisers generally eschew

16218-609: The early-morning hours, concealed in program schedules under the title " Infomercials " to provide a false impression that legitimate paid programming had been scheduled in that time slot. Some of these shorts have parodied the cliches of real infomercials, such as Paid Programming (a parody infomercial which begins as one for the fictitious supplement Icelandic UltraBlue, but seamlessly segues into segments promoting other loosely related products and businesses), For-Profit Online University , and Live Forever as You Are Now with Alan Resnick (which parodies self-help programs). In

16377-518: The end of the day, he owns the business. He has the conflicts that come with it." Also in March 2017, Forbes did a listing of all "36 mini-Trumps", as it termed the domestic and international partners—often described as "billionaires"—with whom the Trump Organization has worked over the years. Introducing the listing, the magazine reported that at least 14 of the partners attended Trump's inauguration and some of them paid for $ 18,000-a-night accommodations at

16536-477: The evidence against Trump, two top prosecutors in the case resigned in February 2022 after new district attorney Alvin Bragg said he was not prepared to authorize an indictment of Trump personally. One of the prosecutors who resigned, Mark Pomerantz , stated in his resignation letter that Trump was "guilty of numerous felony violations" and that he was confident it could be proven in court. Bragg's spokeswoman later said

16695-468: The fees that televangelists pay for coverage on most religious stations are a major revenue stream for those stations, in addition to programming the networks produce themselves. TiVo formerly used paid programming time weekly on the Discovery Channel on early Thursday mornings and Ion Television on early Wednesday mornings to record interactive and video content to be presented to subscribers in

16854-521: The following years renegotiating his debts, and gave up some properties, including the Trump Shuttle airline and a stake in the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Bollenbach left the company in 1992. In 1995, Trump took another major step towards financial stability, launching a publicly traded company for the Trump casinos, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts . By 1996, Trump was widely considered to be making

17013-472: The footage would be used in news accounts and political ads , which might prejudice the jury pool pre-trial. During primary campaign speeches, Trump repeatedly called the judge a "hater" and described him as "Spanish" or "Mexican" (Curiel was born in Indiana to parents who had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico). Trump also said Curiel should recuse himself, although his attorneys said they did not plan to ask for

17172-486: The foundation with his own money and paid the IRS a $ 2,500 excise tax as a penalty. Trump denied the donation was connected to the Trump University lawsuit, saying it was for Bondi's performance as Attorney General. The White House announced in November 2019 that Bondi would join its staff temporarily for handling communications about the ongoing impeachment inquiry against Trump , prompting objection from ethics watchdogs. During

17331-476: The four siblings sold the apartments for $ 737.9 million to a group led by Rubie Schron , marking the family's exit from ownership of their father's business. During the property boom of the 1980s, Trump acquired numerous properties and by 1990 owed $ 4 billion to 72 banks. When the market entered a slump in 1990 that placed the organization at risk of collapse, Trump and his lenders acted to restructure his debts, although they disagree on who identified

17490-546: The government over $ 1.1 million since the beginning of his presidency. At the Bedminster club, for example, the Secret Service rented a three-bedroom cottage for $ 17,000 per month. The Washington Post arrived at this total amount after it filed a public-records lawsuit and pieced together receipts and invoices from Trump's businesses. Political contributions were also spent at Trump properties. The total amount paid by

17649-559: The head of DOJ's housing division as "one of the most far-reaching ever negotiated" required Trump to advertise vacancies in minority papers and list vacancies with the Urban League. The Justice Department subsequently stated that continuing "racially discriminatory conduct by Trump agents has occurred with such frequency that it has created a substantial impediment to the full enjoyment of equal opportunity." Donald Trump focused his efforts on major development projects in Manhattan, including

17808-476: The investigation was continuing. The criminal trial against the Trump Organization began on October 24. Infomercial Washington, D.C. –based National Infomercial Marketing Association was formed in late 1990; by 1993 "it had more than 200" members committed to standards "with teeth". While the term "infomercial" was originally applied only to television advertising, it is now sometimes used to refer to any presentation (often on video) which presents

17967-421: The issue at length. Trump responded that Trump University was "a small business" and student evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. He said lawsuits were a routine part of business and that he wins most of them. Of one of the class actions, he said: "It's something I could have settled many times. I could settle it right now for very little money, but I don't want to do it out of principle." Hillary Clinton used

18126-421: The judge to be removed from the case. Curiel's only comment was to write in a procedural ruling that Trump has "placed the integrity of these court proceedings at issue". Trump's references to Curiel's ethnicity, as well as his comments that "someone ought to look into" the judge, alarmed legal experts, who expressed concern about the effects of the comments on judicial independence . On June 7, 2016, Trump issued

18285-402: The lawsuits against it received renewed interest due to Trump's candidacy in the 2016 presidential election . Despite repeatedly insisting he would not settle, Trump settled all three lawsuits in November 2016 for a total of $ 25 million after being elected president. Michael Sexton created a business plan for a real estate training program and presented it to Donald Trump, looking to pay Trump

18444-417: The leadership of Donald Trump, had a history of not paying for services rendered. Several hundred contractors or workers for the organization have filed lawsuits or liens saying they were not paid for their work, and others say they had to settle for cents on the dollar. Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr. , was quoted as saying at a 2008 New York real estate conference, "In terms of high-end product influx into

18603-413: The less reputable trappings of the traditional infomercial business in order to create communication they believe creates a better image of their products, brands and customers. Apple's use of the infomercial medium was immediately discontinued with Steve Jobs ' 1997 return to the helm of the company. Automobile dealerships, attorneys and jewelers are among the types of businesses that air infomercials on

18762-414: The media (in particular the authors of the annual Forbes 400 list) to bolster his perceived net worth. By 2019, the Trump Organization was being scrutinized by New York investigators for possible financial fraud. In July 2021, New York prosecutors charged the organization with 10 counts in an alleged 15-year tax avoidance scheme. In November, The Washington Post reported that between 2011 and 2015

18921-441: The more common hours infomercials are broadcast (such as the overnight hours). Infomercials were previously a near-permanent staple of Ion Television 's daytime and overnight schedules, but the channel now only carries infomercials in the traditional 3:00-8:00 a.m. ET/PT timeslot emulated by most cable networks. Multichannel providers such as DirecTV had objected to carrying Ion feeds consisting largely of paid programming. This

19080-484: The networks will run a two-minute mini-infomercial at a much lower rate, charging "as little as 5 percent of what a general advertiser would" pay. The New York Times suggested that "the commercial became the show as infomercials ruled the night." A comparison of television listings from 2007 with 1987 verifies that many North American broadcasters began to air infomercials in lieu of syndicated television series reruns and movies, which were formerly staples during

19239-512: The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center and a former chief ethics officer at the Federal Election Commission , and President George W. Bush 's former chief ethics lawyer, Richard Painter , as looking negatively at such multiple planned updates of Trump's businesses per year. Noble said in part "if he is now going to get reports from his son about the businesses, then he really isn't separate in any real way." Painter said in part "at

19398-407: The office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott investigated Trump University. No suit was brought, but after exchanging communications with investigators that included requests from the investigators for customer lists and internal documents, Trump University closed its operations in Texas. These had included newspaper advertising, free presentations, and three-day seminars. Six years later, during

19557-654: The organization and Trump's inaugural committee on the basis that it had funneled nonprofit funding intended for the inauguration to the Trumps via event accommodations and a private party costing several hundred thousand dollars at the Trump Hotel. Ivanka Trump testified in December 2020 that she had little to no involvement in the event, which Mother Jones reported in June 2021 was false. Donald Jr. similarly made key statements in his February 2021 testimony which Mother Jones reported in April 2021 were false. In November 2021,

19716-444: The organization presented several properties as being worth far more to potential lenders than to tax officials. In August 2022, the organization's chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg , pleaded guilty to committing more than a dozen felonies, including criminal tax fraud and grand larceny. In September 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a civil lawsuit against the organization. A separate criminal case by

19875-462: The organization's properties for which, between 2011 and 2015, far higher values were presented to potential lenders than were reported to tax officials. In the most extreme case, in 2012, the 40 Wall Street building was cited as being worth $ 527 million to the former, but only $ 16.7 million to the latter. Michael Cohen subsequently stated that prosecutors could "indict Donald Trump tomorrow if they really wanted, and be successful". On December 1,

20034-447: The organization, indicating that the firm had not audited, reviewed, or given any assurances about them, and noting that "Donald J. Trump is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statement in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America." The Republican National Committee (RNC) agreed to pay up to $ 1.6 million of Trump's legal expenses for his defense in both

20193-547: The period when commercial time was restricted. During the 1970s, XETV-TDT  – a Mexican TV station based in Tijuana but serving the San Diego market – ran a one-hour English-language program on Sundays showcasing San Diego-area homes for sale. As a non-USA station, the FCC's maximum number of commercial minutes per hour did not apply to XETV. It was also during

20352-400: The problem and initiated negotiations. The resulting restructuring required his banks to forgive some of Trump's debt. Trump's casinos later entered bankruptcies in which his bondholders took deep losses. After these incidents, Trump had difficulty borrowing new money from most mainstream financial institutions. Deutsche Bank , which did not have a significant presence on Wall Street during

20511-404: The program indicating that its staff had been hand-picked by the real estate mogul." Trump's attorneys had opposed the requests to release the videotapes. Curiel ruled that there was a legitimate public interest in the content of the deposition, but that interest was satisfied via public release of the transcripts. He also noted that if the videos were publicly released, it was "nigh-inevitable" that

20670-425: The public to confirm his valuation claims. It is difficult to determine a net value for the Trump Organization's real estate holdings independently since each individual property may be encumbered by debt. In October 2015, Forbes published an article detailing its decades-long struggle to estimate the true net worth of Trump and the Trump Organization. In 2018, a former Forbes journalist who had worked on

20829-581: The public. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has aired programs via paid programming time to present their views on issues such as gun control and other issues while appealing to the public to join their organization. Hillary Clinton bought an hour of primetime programming on the Hallmark Channel in 2008 before the Super Tuesday primary elections, and on Texas -based regional sports network FSN Southwest before that state's primary to present

20988-435: The real estate business after her husband's death. She had contractors build houses on the empty lots Frederick had owned, sold the houses, and earned income off the mortgages she provided to buyers. Her middle child, Donald Trump's father Fred Trump , entered the carpentry trade after graduating high school in 1923. Fred would later say he completed his first single-family home in 1924, but other sources date his start as

21147-468: The real estate business. Around this same time, Fred Trump and a partner acquired the mortgage-servicing subsidiary of Brooklyn 's J. Lehrenkrauss & Co. , which had gone bankrupt and subsequently been broken up amid charges of fraud. This gave Trump access to the titles of many properties nearing foreclosure , which he bought at low cost and sold for a profit. He quickly became known as one of New York City's most successful young businessmen. In 1935,

21306-444: The reduced ratings from airing infomercials can have a chain reaction and harm ratings for other programming on the station. A feature-length documentary that chronicles the history of the infomercial is Pitch People . In 2008, Tribune Content Agency and Gemstar-TV Guide / Rovi began to relax the guidelines for listing infomercials within their electronic program guide listings. Previously all infomercials were listed under

21465-605: The renovation of the Commodore Hotel , in partnership with Hyatt , as the Grand Hyatt New York (opened in 1980); the construction of Trump Tower in partnership with The Equitable (1983); and the development of Trump Plaza (1984). He also opened three casino hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey : Trump Plaza (1984), Trump Castle (1985), and Trump Taj Mahal (1990). In 1989, New York State officials ordered

21624-428: The same seminars or other programs. On March 21, 2016, over objections from the attorneys for Trump University, Curiel allowed Makaeff to withdraw as the lead plaintiff, naming Sonny Low in her stead, resulting in the case title Low v. Trump University, LLC . On October 18, 2013, California businessman Art Cohen filed a civil suit, Art Cohen v. Donald J. Trump , in the U.S. District Court for Southern California , as

21783-478: The school sales pitch was, "the billionaire had made enough money for himself. Now, he would put his famous brain to work for the little guy". High prices were charged for seminars and programs not to enrich Trump, but so that (as one teacher explained to students) "you assume personal responsibility for doing the work". The company's original business plan focused on online education , but quickly expanded to include live, in-person instruction. The instruction's focus

21942-414: The sole defendant and sought restitution as well as damages, including punitive and treble damages . In an order dated October 24, 2014, Judge Curiel certified the class proposed by the plaintiff and ruled that Cohen had presented enough evidence to allow the case to proceed. Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization, said Trump University would appeal Curiel's ruling, which he said showed

22101-424: The statement, although some of the company's financing apparently involves Russian money. The organization has many projects in foreign nations, leading some to point to a conflict of interest with foreign nations should Donald Trump become the president of the United States. The financial statements of the Trump Organization's holdings are private, as are Donald Trump's personal tax returns , and there exist

22260-536: The time, Sheri Dillon, said Trump's assets would be overseen by an ethics officer, and that the Trump Organization would not pursue any new foreign business deals. Under the pre- inaugural management agreement, Forbes magazine reported in March 2017: The Trump Organization has curtailed some of its international work, pulling out of deals in Azerbaijan , Georgia and Brazil , while pledging to do no new foreign deals (though it has apparently resurrected an old deal in

22419-859: The time, an estimated 267 Texans spent more than $ 425,000 on the three-day seminars, and 39 purchased Trump's “Gold Elite” package of additional classes and other perks costing $ 35,000 each. Another 150 customers from Texas spent more than $ 826,000 on other goods and services. According to the investigation, The "free workshops" are merely a selling ground for the Defendant Trump U's 3-day seminars and offer little useable content. The training materials we have reviewed indicate that Trump University 3-day seminar attendees are taught to prey upon homeowners in financial turmoil and to target foreclosure properties. ... Defendants falsely assert at these "free workshops" that classes are approved continuing education credit for Realtors, but Trump University courses were not approved by

22578-504: The title Weekend Marketplace . Some local stations utilize Saturday morning slots to air local paid programming that typically sells used cars or real estate, and in other ways rejected infomercials, which were disdained by viewers and Fox affiliates alike: revenue was not shared with affiliates, and no local time for commercials between programs was offered. Some stations used Saturday morning for Educational/Informational (E/I) programming, with infomercials relegated to before or after

22737-593: The title "Paid Programming" (except for exceptions listed below), but now infomercial producers are allowed to submit a title and limited descriptive synopsis (though phone numbers or website addresses remain disallowed) to the listings providers. In January 2009, Fox became the first major broadcast network to carry a regularly scheduled block of paid programming when it discontinued its Saturday morning children's programming after disputes with provider 4Kids Entertainment . Fox gave back three early hours to its affiliates, while retaining two hours for infomercials under

22896-406: The various businesses, along with Chief Finance Officer Allen Weisselberg. Trump transferred his companies into a revocable trust , allowing him to tell the trustees how to run the company and fire them at any time. Trump retained his financial stake in the business, despite having offered during the campaign to put all his assets in a blind trust should he win the presidency. His attorney at

23055-490: The viewer to call or take other direct action. Many viewers respond with a delayed response, by purchases made at retail outlets. These retail purchases are often the largest response. Using "not sold in stores" is a choice by advertisers who dislike sharing profit with retailers, or who lack the immense resources needed to get into retail channels. In the latter case, direct sales enables later retail distribution. Standalone shorter commercials, 30 to 120 seconds in length with

23214-425: The vote for the 2016 presidential election. In it, Karen says she sent her Latina maid, Rosario, to Trump University for a course on "dusting". The Trump Organization The Trump Organization is an American privately owned conglomerate owned by Donald Trump . It serves as the holding company for all of Trump's business ventures and investments, with around 250 of its affiliates and subsidiaries using

23373-578: The wealthiest people in Forbes, and deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes." Following Cohen's testimony, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued a subpoena to Aon , the organization's longtime insurance broker. By September 2019, the organization was under federal investigation by the Southern District of New York regarding inflated insurance claims allegations. In January 2020, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine sued

23532-425: The word "university" when Trump University was not actually chartered as one and did not have the required license to offer live instruction or training. Sexton promised that the organization would stop instructing students in New York State, but the New York Attorney General alleged that such instruction continued. A March 2010 letter Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education Joseph Frey sent to Trump stated: "Use of

23691-551: The word 'university' by your corporation is misleading and violates New York Education Law and the Rules of the Board of Regents ." In June 2010, Trump University changed its name to "The Trump Entrepreneur Initiative". On August 24, 2013, the State of New York filed a $ 40 million civil suit against Trump University alleging illegal business practices and false claims made by the company. According to

23850-423: Was being scrutinized by New York prosecutors in their investigation of the organization's possible fraud and tax evasion. The next month, The New York Times reported that prosecutors were examining whether the organization provided its outside accountants, Mazars , with cherry-picked information with which to prepare favorable financial statements to present to prospective lenders. In February 2022, Mazars cited

24009-435: Was created essentially as an advertisement for Bonomo's Turkish Taffy . The first infomercials for a commercial product (a Vitamix blender) were filmed by Cinécraft Productions , a Cleveland , Ohio–based motion picture studio in 1949. The filmed infomercials began appearing on television in 1950. The Hagley Museum and Library has posted online a number of the early Vitamix infomercials. Eventually, limits imposed by

24168-521: Was deposed on October 5. He reportedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 500 times. On May 18, 2021, the New York AG's office announced that it was joining the Manhattan DA's office in probing the organization "in a criminal capacity." The Manhattan DA convened a special grand jury to consider indicting Trump, his company and/or executives. By June 2021, longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and chief operating officer Matthew Calamari were under scrutiny of

24327-550: Was dropped and no lawsuit was filed, but Trump University agreed to cease operations in Texas. (The attorney general Greg Abbott went on to become governor, and the deputy chief of consumer protection Owens later alleged that Abbott's decision "not to sue [Trump] was political": Trump later donated $ 35,000 to Abbott's campaign for governor. Abbott's communications director called the charge "absurd", and Trump University "disputed that its classes were deceptive".) Tarla Makaeff, who paid nearly $ 60,000 to Trump University in 2008, brought

24486-567: Was founded in 2004 by Donald Trump , who was U.S. president from 2017 to 2021 and elected again in 2024 , and his associates Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny. The company offered courses in real estate, asset management, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation. Despite its name, the organization was not an accredited university or college . It conducted three- and five-day seminars (often called "retreats") and used high-pressure tactics to sell them to its customers. It did not confer college credit , grant degrees , or grade its students. In 2011,

24645-413: Was held in civil contempt for failing to provide subpoenaed documents. Subsequently, real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield , which conducted appraisals for several Trump Organization properties (before cutting ties by January 2021), was held in contempt for failing to meet a deadline for subpoenaed documents. After weeks of internal debate within the district attorney's office about the strength of

24804-484: Was not a public figure, did not need to show malice on Makaeff's part, and could proceed with its defamation claim. Makaeff appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals , where a three-judge panel ruled unanimously on April 17, 2013, that Trump University is a "limited-purpose public figure" that must demonstrate malice on Makaeff's part to establish defamation; it returned the case to the district court to consider

24963-447: Was put on hold because one member of the class opted out of the settlement to pursue an individual claim. A district court and an appeals court rejected that person's claim, and Curiel finalized the settlement in April 2018. Former students can now get a refund of up to 90% of the money they spent on courses. The settlement was paid not by Trump but by his Las Vegas hotel business partner, billionaire Phil Ruffin . In February 2019, during

25122-490: Was real estate investing, with Trump claiming in advertisements: "I can turn anyone into a successful real estate investor, including you." Instruction typically began with an introductory seminar in rented space such as a hotel ballroom. At the introductory seminar, students were urged to sign up for additional classes, ranging from $ 1,495 seminars to a $ 35,000 "Gold Elite" program. Records indicate 7,611 tickets were sold to customers attending courses. About 6,000 of these were for

25281-445: Was scheduled to go to trial. $ 21 million went to the participants in the class actions, $ 3 million to New Yorkers not covered by the class actions, and a penalty of up to $ 1 million will be assessed by the state of New York for running an unlicensed university. The plaintiffs' attorneys agreed to forgo their fees and work pro bono to maximize the amount that will go to the approximately 7,000 former Trump University students involved in

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