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

Trump University Was Embroiled In Scandal

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Trump founded Trump University (also known as the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative) with Michael Sexton and Jonathan Spitalny in 2004. The for-profit institution featured courses on asset management, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation as part of its real estate training program. The program was not accredited and did not deliver degrees or college credits.

The venture was shut down in 2010 and was steeped in a scandal over illegal business practices. The New York Attorney General’s office filed a $40 million lawsuit against the organization in 2013. A judge found Trump guilty of the charges, and the then-President Elect settled three lawsuits in 2016 totaling $25 million even though he vowed that he would not settle.