A Quick Reminder That Donald Trump Is the World’s Worst Dealmaker

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Just as a reminder of what a terrible dealmaker Donald Trump is, a Saudi Prince bought the Plaza Hotel in New York today in a deal that values the hotel at $600 million. In 1988, Trump bought the hotel and then renovated it at a cost of $950 million in current dollars.

Even after 30 years and over a decade of escalating prices for New York real estate, the Plaza still isn’t even close to being worth what Trump paid for it. He could have waited a century and not made money on it. This is the guy who will be negotiating North Korea’s nuclear program with Kim Jong Un.

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Owned by no one—except you.

We just keep seeing it happen: Newsrooms owned by billionaires and corporations are spinning their own narratives, overwriting the truth, following only stories that keep them in the pocket of those with even more power.

Not here. We’re not owned by anyone. We’re not part of any cult that demands our allegiance to a bottom line. We’ve spoken up and spoken out while other newsrooms changed their stories—or cut them altogether—to keep the C suite happy.

Our mission is to find the truth and amplify it. That’s why we’re independent, nonprofit, and, crucially, funded by readers. The investigations on our website will always be free to read, watch, and listen to, but our newsroom is powered by readers who pitch in what they can so we can keep asking the hard questions.

Can you chip in today?

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