Donald Trump’s Business Ventures You’ve Never Heard About

Trump Model Management Thrived For Nearly Two Decades

Photo credit: James Devaney/WireImage for Dan Klores Communications

Trump founded the New York City-based modeling agency Trump Model Management (formerly known as “T Models”) in 1999. News that the agency, which Trump owns an 85 percent stake in, was shutting down surfaced in 2017. Model Alexia Palmer sued Trump Model Management in 2014, claiming the agency took 80 percent of her wages for “expenses.” The lawsuit was dismissed two years later.

The agency requested visas for 250 international fashion models in 2015, and the following year several former Trump models said they worked for the company without proper documentation. A U.S. senator later called for an investigation into the practice.