Did Trump just buy random meat to put on stage w/ him last night & call "Trump Steaks"? I'm reading that his Steak business really did end a few years back, and that he just had another brand up there last night. I mean, that would be incredible if true. How could anyone deny what a fraud the guy is w/ something like that?
Donald Trump's Mini Tuesday victory press conference turned into something of a live infomercial last night when the GOP presidential candidate took the opportunity to pitch a number of his business ventures.
Wines were on display, as were water bottles and piles of raw steaks, with Trump claiming they were all examples of his "successful companies."
But that isn't necessarily the case.
The majority of the products the real estate mogul highlighted are no longer being produced, aren't affiliated with him or were never available for sale publicly.
Here's a look at some of the ventures Trump touted Tuesday -- and where they stand now:
Trump Steaks: "Sold Out" (And Those May Not Have Been His Steaks)
The real estate mogul appeared to turn into a would-be butcher at last night’s event when he offered to sell Trump Steaks for $50. The catch? They didn’t appear to be Trump Steaks.
Some of the raw meat on display at Trump’s press conference Tuesday night still had the plastic wrappers on them, which appeared to have the name of a different Florida meat company, Bush Brothers.
ABC News spoke to Doug Bush, the sales manager for the West Palm Beach-based company, who confirmed that while he does sell steaks to “a number of Mr. Trump’s clubs in South Florida,” their company was “not affiliated” with Trump Steaks. When asked why Trump would be pointing to Bush Brothers steaks as examples of Trump Steaks, Bush said “I don’t know anything about that.”
When they were sold, Trump Steaks could be found at The Sharper Image. The consumer electronics company, which went bankrupt in 2008 and was re-launched in 2010, started selling Trump Steaks in 2007.
A sales representative for The Sharper Image said that “they’re currently sold out” of Trump Steaks. She also said that there is no way to determine when they were last sold or if they were ever sold since the company’s re-launch in 2010.
On The Sharper Image's website, the steaks are listed as "no longer available, but their legacy endures."
The steak line appears to have also been available on the home shopping network QVC, but its website says it is also sold out of the product.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment about the products he highlighted Tuesday.
Trump Magazine: No Longer in Print
Trump appears to have confused two different products when talking about his magazine as well.
Trump’s eponymous magazine was published by Niche Media from 2007 until 2009, its spokesperson confirmed to ABC News today.
The magazine that Trump held up at his press conference on Tuesday night was “called
The Jewel of Palm Beach.”
“It goes to all of my clubs, I’ve had it for many years,” Trump said Tuesday.
Tthere is a magazine that is distributed at his clubs and it is called
The Jewel of Palm Beach.
The Jewel of Palm Beach is published by Palm Beach Media Group, and on its website it describes the magazine as “the exclusive publication of Donald J. Trump's spectacular Mar-a-Lago Club.”
A spokesperson for Palm Beach Media Group told ABC News that Trump "is the owner of
The Jewel of Palm Beach. Mr. Trump has no ownership interest in Palm Beach Media Group."
The website notes the publication “highlights the elements that make this club one of a kind -- from the star-studded events to the extraordinary fashions, cuisine and activities that members enjoy. This annual magazine is distributed at Mar-a-Lago and Trump International Golf Club in the Palm Beaches, as well as at all Trump properties in New York.”
Trump Water: Only Available on His Properties
There were cases of Trump Natural Spring Water at Tuesday night’s press conference, but normally it isn’t readily available to the public.
“There's the water company and we sell water, and it's a very successful, you know, it's a private little water company and I supply the water for all my places and it's good but it's very good,” Trump said Tuesday.
He didn’t specify if they sell the bottles of water to members at his private clubs, or if it is handed out or used at their restaurants, however.
The Trump Organization’s main website -- which lists his various books and product lines -- notes that the water is “proudly served at Trump hotels, restaurants and golf clubs worldwide".
Trump Winery:
One venture that is still in business is a vineyard and wine line. Trump Winery is an active site in Charlottesville, Virginia, that was purchased by Trump in April 2011 and opened later that year.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal at the time, the vineyard and surrounding property used to belong to Patricia Kluge, an ex-wife of John Kluge, who was ranked one of the richest men in America by
Forbes in the 1980s.
Patricia Kluge is the one who spent years and a reported $100 million developing the vineyard before selling it to Trump,
The Wall Street Journal reported.
However, now his son Eric Trump is the president of the vineyards and this legal disclaimer appears on the winery’s website: "Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates."
Trump Vodka:
One product that Trump mentioned very briefly on Tuesday night was Trump Vodka. When he raised it during his list of products in reference to former Gov. Mitt Romney’s slam, Trump immediately deflected to the wine business.
“By the way, the winery, you see the wine, because he [Romney] mentioned Trump Vodka? The largest winery in the East Coast. I own it 100 percent,” he said.
Unlike the other merchandise on display, there was no bottle of Trump Vodka to be seen at Tuesday’s event.
The liquor was first introduced in 2006 and discontinued in 2011.
Trump Airlines:
The real estate mogul’s foray into the skies is the most dated venture that Trump brought up on Tuesday night.
He reportedly bought the airline, which focused on shuttle flights between New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., in 1988. He ended his leadership of the company in late 1991 after striking a deal with USAir, according to a
New York Times report at the time.
"I sold the airline and I actually made a great deal. Complicated, and in really terrible times. The economy was horrible. I made a phenomenal deal,” Trump said Tuesday.
Trump University:
The controversy around Trump University didn’t stop Trump from listing it as one of his accomplishments Tuesday.
As ABC News reported last week, there are currently three active lawsuits, including one by the New York State Attorney General accusing the now-defunct school of "engaging in specific fraudulent, deceptive and illegal acts.” In court papers, Trump has called any claims of fraud patently false and unsubstantiated.
On Tuesday, Trump said that he is purposely avoiding settling the lawsuits and plans to win them all. He also hinted that he has plans to revive the program if he’s elected president.
“We are putting it on hold. If I become president that means Ivanka, Don, Eric and my family will start up and we have a lot of great people who want to get back into Trump University,” Trump said.
“It's going to do well and continue to do very well but we have a lawsuit where they are trying to get one of these class-action lawyer guys and it is ridiculous. We will win that lawsuit,” he said.
According to Trump's answer to the New York complaint, Trump University effectively ceased operations in 2010.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/majority-products-trump-boasted-night-anymore/story?id=37524507
