Trump not the first real estate mogul to win White House keys

LAHORE: United States President-elect, Donald Trump, is not the first real estate baron to win keys to the White House, as at least seven of his predecessors owned thousands of acres of land, reveals a July 8, 2019 report of the Voice of America.

Before Trump, the first-ever US President, General George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Kennedy, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson owned and earned through real estate investments, commercial holdings, ranches for raising the grazing livestock and plantations for cultivation of crops like sugarcane, tobacco, rubber, cotton, vegetables and fruits, etc.

Worth over $7.7 billion in November 2024, according to the “Bloomberg Index of Billionaires,” America’s most flamboyant billionaire, Donald Trump, is known as the preeminent developer of luxury real estate and claims his business group owns the finest portfolio of high-end residential and commercial properties worldwide.

The 78-year-old is well-known for his love of golf, being the proud owner of 19 exquisite golf courses and has a fleet of five aircraft, though his financial landscape has encountered tumultuous waters— marked by a series of legal setbacks.

His real estate empire, which he inherited from his father Fred Trump, includes the Trump Tower, Trump Palace, Trump Plaza, Trump Park Avenue, One Central Park West, Trump World Tower, Trump City Aisles, Trump Grande, Trump Tower City Centre, in New York City, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois and Nevada.

In India, the American President-elect owns Trump Tower Pune, Trump Mumbai, Trump Tower Kolkata, and Trump Tower Delhi.

He also has properties in the Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia, Uruguay and Turkey.

By the way, the celebrated Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, owns real estate in the United Kingdom worth more than £100 million, as well as properties in Scotland, Italy and Canada, etc.

One of his magnificent estates is located in Surrey, England, and spans over 2,000 acres of land with a wide range of luxurious amenities including a stunning 18-hole golf course. The mansion boasts over 20,000 square feet of living space, with 12 bedrooms, a stunning formal dining room, a library, and several reception rooms.

His Monaco penthouse boasts a total living area of around 5,000 square feet.

And then he owns one of the most exclusive properties, at Knights-bridge London, which has a £61.5 million price tag and is equipped with its own cinema and massage room and five bedrooms.

His $25 million Canada penthouse in Vancouver (Canada) is currently the largest-ever private real estate transaction in history.

It covers the top three floors at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver.

Also on the list of wealthy real estate magnates are King Carlos of Spain, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, King Charles of England, and Queen Beatrix of Netherlands.

In Australia, according to the country’s media houses, not fewer than 205 politicians in the federal parliament own a total of 421 homes between them.

That’s an average of 2.05 homes each. Of those 421 homes, 254 are declared as either primary or secondary owner-occupied residences, while further 167 are declared as investments.