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

Trendingnow

1

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'

1

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Leadership

Donald Trump Seeks to Close the Deal in Florida

By
Zeke J Miller
Zeke J Miller
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Zeke J Miller
Zeke J Miller
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 9, 2016, 10:30 AM ET

Donald Trump took the stage in the gold-accented, chandeliered ballroom at his Trump National Golf Club, Jupiter before a roomful of his well-heeled customers who posed for photos as they sipped wine and nibbled on hors d’oeuvres.

With membership stakes selling for as much as $210,000, Trump had already closed plenty of big deals at the property. Now, with cameras rolling, and results in Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, and Hawaii trickled in Wednesday he was looking to take make an even bigger pitch.

The product in question was the Republican presidential nomination, which Trump’s wins in three states put him closer to clinching. But first, Trump felt he needed to sell himself.

The last Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, criticized varied Trump’s business record in a speech last week, singling out a number of Trump products that failed. In response, Trump sought to defend each one, even bringing in props, in what amounted to a 40-minute infomercial carried live by cable news networks—QVC by way of CNN.
Trump knows how to put on a show, but some of his claims were like cubic zirconia, impressive but not quite the real deal.

Time and again, Trump stretched the truth on both the personal and political. Kitchen employees carried out pile of “Trump Steaks” on a pair of butcher blocks, except, despite his claims, they weren’t from the long-defunct label he once sold at Sharper Image. Instead they were simply cuts from a local proprietor that he serves at the restaurant at his golf club—with the tag still visible on closer inspection.

Joining the steaks on the presentation tables flanking the candidate were cases of Trump water—simply a label on a bottle from another Connecticut company—as well as Trump wine, the only product actually for sale (and owned by his son).

The Republican front-runner again defended Trump University, a defunct real estate program embroiled in a fraud suit which was given a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau. Trump claimed he made a “phenomenal” deal selling off the Trump Shuttle, which defaulted on its loans and never turned a profit.

His embellishments were often gratuitous. He claimed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was present, but an aide said he wasn’t there. He joked he was going to sell the steaks for $50 a pop, when they weren’t his to sell.

Bounding off the stage to grab a copy of his in-room magazine, Trump Magazine, the candidate held it up for the world to see—to show that it indeed existed. But like the other ventures, it was merely an amenity for his hotel and club guests.

On the political front, he sold himself as a candidate who could “dominate” in Michigan, win the reliably blue state of New York and beat Hillary Clinton in November.

Trump’s fall campaign rests on whether he could make good on his threat in Rust Belt states like Michigan, but his other two claims were already suspect.

A recent poll shows Clinton would beat him, 57 to 34, in their home state of New York. And the 10 most recent national polls on a head-to-head matchup show her ahead by anywhere from one to 11 percentage points.

But that didn’t matter Wednesday. Trump made his case directly to the television audience for 40 minutes, and the networks didn’t even break for commercial.

This article was originally published on Time.com.

About the Authors
By Zeke J Miller
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

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 Leadership

Matt Panella
SuccessJobs
This home-builder dropped out of high school and worked construction for $8 an hour—by 22, he was making $200K from his trade empire
By Emma BurleighMay 31, 2026
1 hour ago
Samsung’s UK boss keeps a signed $100 bill she’s never allowed to spend—and shares her best and worst investments
SuccessFortune The Good Life
Samsung’s UK boss keeps a signed $100 bill she’s never allowed to spend—and shares her best and worst investments
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 31, 2026
2 hours ago
soccer moms
CommentarySports
Why soccer moms are shaping the future of football in the U.S.
By Ruslan BashirovMay 31, 2026
2 hours ago
Troy Link outside of a Jack Link's world headquarters sign
SuccessCareers
Jack Link’s CEO shares his message for Gen Z workers: Commit, stick to it, and ‘be really good at it’
By Preston ForeMay 31, 2026
4 hours ago
Snowflake CEO says monster quarter shows why software firms need new pricing models to thrive in AI age
AISnowflake Computing
Snowflake CEO says monster quarter shows why software firms need new pricing models to thrive in AI age
By Sebastian HerreraMay 30, 2026
18 hours ago
Warren Buffett’s son Peter didn’t know his dad was a billionaire until his 20s—he found out from a rich list
SuccessWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s son Peter didn’t know his dad was a billionaire until his 20s—he found out from a rich list
By Sydney LakeMay 30, 2026
20 hours ago

Most Popular

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
Economy
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
By Shawn TullyMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
Politics
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
By Jack Wittels and BloombergMay 30, 2026
21 hours ago
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Law
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
By Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 30, 2026
15 hours ago
Gen Z is rejecting $200 dates and choosing 'solo-maxxing'—and dating apps are taking a hit
Economy
Gen Z is rejecting $200 dates and choosing 'solo-maxxing'—and dating apps are taking a hit
By Sydney LakeMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
Innovation
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
16 hours ago
Damn the torpedoes — More ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz as helicopters scare off Iran's fast-attack boats
Energy
Damn the torpedoes — More ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz as helicopters scare off Iran's fast-attack boats
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
19 hours 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.