How many businesses founded by Donald Trump have declared bankruptcy and when (years)?
Executive summary
Reporting in the provided sources most commonly counts four Chapter 11 bankruptcies tied to Donald Trump’s businesses [1] [2] [3] [4] though several outlets and legal summaries expand or compress that count depending on corporate structures and later filings (some sources say six, others list multiple filings by successor entities) [5] [6] [7]. Available sources do not present a single authoritative master list that reconciles every corporate filing and successor-company bankruptcy; differences arise from whether analysts count distinct corporate entities, repeat filings by the same asset, or later bankruptcies of successor firms [8] [6] [7].
1. Four widely cited Chapter 11s — the conventional tally
The most frequently cited figure in mainstream fact-checking and legal commentary is four Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings involving businesses closely associated with Trump: the Trump Taj Mahal [1], Trump Plaza [2], Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts [3], and Trump Entertainment Resorts/related filings around 2009 (sources summarize this as “four” business bankruptcies) [5] [6] [9]. These four are commonly presented as corporate reorganizations rather than personal bankruptcies, and coverage emphasizes that these were Chapter 11 corporate filings, not Chapter 7 or personal filings [5] [10].
2. Why some sources say “six” (or more): entity-level, successor filings, and accounting choices
Several law-firm and niche bankruptcy summaries assert six Trump-related Chapter 11s, noting that Trump’s enterprises and holding companies filed multiple reorganizations over the years and that counting depends on whether you include separate legal entities, repeat filings by the same property, or bankruptcies of successor companies in which Trump had been involved earlier [8] [7] [11]. For example, Trump Entertainment Resorts and its predecessors have a complex corporate history with filings in 1991, 2004, 2009 and 2014 for related entities — some lists treat those as multiple filings tied to the same casino operations, which increases the tally [6].
3. The core factual agreement: Trump himself did not file personal bankruptcy
All provided sources concur that Donald Trump personally did not file for individual bankruptcy; rather, corporate entities in which he had substantial stakes used Chapter 11 reorganization to restructure debt [10] [7] [5]. Reporting stresses that Chapter 11 can be a tool to reorganize and preserve business operations and that corporate filings typically affect creditors and equity holders rather than automatically eliminating the owner’s personal assets [5] [10].
4. Timing and examples cited across reporting
Specific years most often cited in the conventional four-bankruptcy summary are 1991 (Trump Taj Mahal — entered Chapter 11 after heavy construction debt), 1992 (Trump Plaza or related Atlantic City properties), 2004 (Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts reorganized), and 2009 (Trump Entertainment Resorts and related restructurings) [12] [6] [9]. Some sources add later Chapter 11 filings by successor companies or by entities in which Trump’s name remained attached, producing counts beyond four [6] [7].
5. Competing frames and implicit agendas in coverage
Different outlets emphasize different interpretations. Supportive/neutral treatments (e.g., bankruptcy-industry commentary and some legal summaries) frame Chapter 11 as a common, sometimes prudent business tool and emphasize that many companies use it without stigma [5] [10]. Political opponents and labor or advocacy voices highlight worker and investor harm, arguing that the reorganizations allowed Trump to preserve personal gain while creditors and employees suffered — a critique that appears in congressional testimony and union statements [13] [14]. Each frame selects which corporate filings to count and which impacts to emphasize, creating divergent impressions [5] [13] [14].
6. Limitations in the available reporting and what’s not found
Provided sources do not deliver a single reconciled, transactional list that enumerates every corporate debtor name, the precise filing dates for every filing across all successor entities, and a definitive canonical count accepted by all parties — instead, sources offer plausible tallies (four vs. six) and explain why counts differ [5] [7] [6]. Available sources do not mention a government-certified master list reconciling these differences; therefore, a strict, universally accepted number cannot be produced from the current set without consulting original court dockets and corporate filings [8] [6].
7. Bottom line for readers
If you cite a short, conventional answer: most reputable summaries and fact-checkers point to four Chapter 11 bankruptcies tied to Trump’s casino/hotel operations [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [9]. If you need a litigated or forensic answer for legal, academic, or reporting purposes, sources show legitimate reasons to count additional filings (bringing some tallies to six or more) and you should consult the underlying bankruptcy court dockets and entity-level filings to reconcile the differences [7] [6].