• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Finance

This Could Be the Missing Piece in Solving Donald Trump’s Financial Puzzle

Shawn Tully
By
Shawn Tully
Shawn Tully
Senior Editor-at-Large
Down Arrow Button Icon
Shawn Tully
By
Shawn Tully
Shawn Tully
Senior Editor-at-Large
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 18, 2016, 1:22 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

In the normally ho-hum annals of presidential contenders’ personal finances, no mystery has ever rivaled this perplexing question: What’s Donald Trump actually worth?

On May 18, the Trump campaign filed its second annual Personal Financial Disclosure form (PFD) with the Federal Election Commission. The press statement that accompanied the filing appears, and I really mean appears, to unwrap the enigma by acknowledging what I had suspected all along: That what the Donald’s been calling his “income” is actually revenue.

I’ll tell you why this matters, but first, a little history. When the Trump campaign the filed the candidate’s first (PFD) last July, the press release stated that “Mr. Trump’s income for the year 2014 is $362 million dollars (which does not include dividends, interest, capital gains, rents and royalties).” On the form titled “Filer’s Employment Assets and Income,” Trump fills 35 pages with what’s clearly gross receipts from such items as “condo sales,” “golf related revenue,” “commissions,” “management fees,” and “sales.” It’s the these items that totals $362 million, which Trump claimed as “income.”

That definition conforms to the FEC’s requirements. Keep in mind that for almost all other candidates, even the super-rich, “income” mainly consists of their salaries plus capital gains, dividends, and the like from personal investments. But Trump is essentially reporting as a giant holding company that owns golf courses; rental, office, and condo buildings; brokerage and construction management enterprises. For businesses, “income” always means revenues less expenses, though different income measures subtract different costs. Operating income, for example, deducts cost-of-goods sold and salaries, but not interest or taxes. For S Corporations that pass profits on to shareholders and partners, “Total Income” is defined by the IRS as gross receipts minus cost-of-goods-sold. “Ordinary Business Income,” the taxable amount, is calculated after deducting all other expenses, including wages and interest, For real estate companies, what matters is what the owner can put in their pocket—free cash flow remaining after ALL expenses, less capital expenditures.

So the $362 million Trump reported in July, as Fortune reported earlier this year, isn’t income in the business sense (even though it all comes from his companies and partnerships) but gross revenues—all the money his enterprises collected before paying for overhead, salaries, interest, capital expenditures, and all other costs. Once again, Trump isn’t hiding anything. His filings clearly show that these numbers represent sales, not income by any business definition.

Still, the way Trump reports in his press release, it would be easy to mistake the $362 million as what Trump actually puts in his pocket, plus plenty more from what’s excluded, rents, royalties, and investment income. It would get Trump a long way towards validating his claim to be worth the net worth, which he emblazoned in all caps back in July, as “in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS.”

So it’s highly interesting that the terminology in the release that came out this week has changed. It states that “the newly filed PFD shows tremendous cash flow, and a revenue increase of approximately $190 million (which does not include dividends, interest, capital gains, rents, and royalties).” This is the first time the word “revenues” appeared in either press release. But then, it goes on to say that “Mr. Trump’s income as reported in the PFD statement is in excess of $557 million” (as usual excluding rents, and that other stuff). So now we’re back to income.

Still with me? Despite Trump’s latest bobbling of accounting terms, the latest disclosure does make things clearer. Given that “approximately $190 million” has already been labeled as “revenue,” the $557 million must also be revenue, because it’s clearly calculated by adding together last year’s $362 million, and the new, clearly designated extra “revenue” of $190 million. That makes a total, apparently of $552 million, presumably for 2015 (close to the reported $557 million).

So why does this matter? To get to $10 billion in net worth, the Donald would need free cash flow of over $500 million. Even with the HUUGE 52% increase in sales he’s just reported, those additional revenues (rents, royalties) would need to be in the billions, and the Donald would need to be making great profit margins on those billions, to be worth what he claims.

Now that the PFD has been released, and not just a press release, we are starting our deep dive into the numbers, and promise to report back. Meanwhile, the press release states that Trump’s “net worth has increased” since the last disclosure in July, but doesn’t get any more specific, repeating that it’s “in excess of $10 billion dollars.”

This time, the ten billion isn’t embellished in caps. Since the numbers appear to support a shift towards modesty, it’s a small step in the right direction.

 

 

About the Author
Shawn Tully
By Shawn TullySenior Editor-at-Large

Shawn Tully is a senior editor-at-large at Fortune, covering the biggest trends in business, aviation, politics, and leadership.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Vietnam has to find $200 billion to fund its ambitious growth agenda. Techcombank’s CEO thinks that has to come from overseas
BankingAsia Agenda
Vietnam has to find $200 billion to fund its ambitious growth agenda. Techcombank’s CEO thinks that has to come from overseas
By Angelica AngJune 16, 2026
3 hours ago
Vessels lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast.
Energyoil and gas
Filling up your car won’t feel normal until next summer, S&P says
By Tristan BoveJune 16, 2026
3 hours ago
A man sits at a red checkerboard table with a Tiffany-style Pizza Hut lamp hanging above him.
RetailFood and drink
Pizza Hut is getting the private equity treatment in a $2.7 billion deal as its owner offloads the brand that defined 1990s dining nostalgia
By Sasha RogelbergJune 16, 2026
4 hours ago
Exclusive: PayPal winds down venture arm as fintech giant restructures under new CEO
Startups & VenturePayPal Holdings
Exclusive: PayPal winds down venture arm as fintech giant restructures under new CEO
By Ben WeissJune 16, 2026
4 hours ago
‘Making China the elephant in the room’: The G7 confronts its reliance on U.S. AI and Chinese energy supply chains, experts say
EuropeAnthropic
‘Making China the elephant in the room’: The G7 confronts its reliance on U.S. AI and Chinese energy supply chains, experts say
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 16, 2026
4 hours ago
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
EconomyFederal Reserve
Trump turned the dollar into a foreign policy tool, and now risks undermining the currency’s extraordinary status, think tank says
By Tristan BoveJune 16, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
11 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.