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How many times did Trump-owned casinos file for bankruptcy and in which years?
Executive summary
Reporting varies because “how many” depends on whether you count separate corporate entities or individual properties: several reputable fact checks and academic work list four Chapter 11 filings tied directly to Trump’s casino companies [1] [2] [3] [4], while many outlets and some campaign-era counts expand the list to six corporate bankruptcies by including related hotel/casino companies in 1991–1992 and other non-casino corporate reorganizations (commonly reported as six total) [5] [6] [7].
1. What the most-cited, careful counts say
PolitiFact, the American Bankruptcy Institute summary and a Temple University bankruptcy expert’s reporting all identify four Chapter 11 bankruptcies specifically tied to the casinos and their corporate parents: the Trump Taj Mahal [1], Trump Plaza/other Atlantic City properties [2], Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts [3] and Trump Entertainment Resorts [4] — i.e., four major casino-related reorganizations that are undisputed in those accounts [5] [6] [8].
2. Why some sources say “six” — and which years they add
Other widely circulated summaries and timelines expand the count to six by including additional corporate reorganizations connected to Trump’s broader hotel and real-estate businesses in the late 1980s–1990s. These six‑filing tallies typically list 1991 and 1992 (multiple Atlantic City casino filings), 1992 (sometimes counted twice to reflect separate properties), 2004, 2009 and an oft-cited set that counts an additional filing in the early 1990s or another corporate reorganization; outlets such as ThoughtCo., national news summaries and campaign-era fact checks note this six‑item framing [7] [9] [10].
3. The 2004 and 2009 filings: corporate parent restructurings
Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed for Chapter 11 in 2004 as it carried roughly $1.8 billion in debt; after that reorganization it became Trump Entertainment Resorts and Trump’s active role diminished [11]. That parent company (as Trump Entertainment Resorts) filed again in 2009 amid continued industry and company stress, a second parent‑level Chapter 11 tied to the same Atlantic City properties [11] [5].
4. The early‑1990s casino bankruptcies: Taj Mahal, Plaza and Castle
The earliest and most consequential bankruptcy tied to the casino strategy was the Trump Taj Mahal in 1991 after its costly construction; subsequent Atlantic City properties — including Trump Plaza and Trump Castle — went through bankruptcy-related restructurings around 1992, and some accounts treat those as separate filings [6] [7]. Temple University’s bankruptcy expert Jonathan Lipson summarized that the Taj Mahal, Plaza and Marina endured multiple bankruptcies and revenue declines over 1997–2010 [8].
5. Discrepancies arise from counting method, not just facts
The disagreement in counts is methodological: some fact-checkers and legal summaries restrict the tally to distinct Chapter 11 cases filed by the casino companies (yielding four), while other lists aggregate every corporate bankruptcy or reorganizational case connected to Trump’s various hotel and casino entities (producing as many as six) [5] [9]. Campaign materials and commentators sometimes use the larger number for rhetorical effect; fact-checkers pinpoint the narrower legal filings [12] [6].
6. What’s not settled in the provided sources
Available sources do not mention a universally agreed canonical list mapping each of the “six” filings to precise corporate case numbers and dates in a single, authoritative table; instead, coverage is split between the four‑case legal framing and broader six‑instance summaries [5] [7]. If you need a definitive court-by-court breakdown (case numbers and filing dates for each corporate entity), that level of granular docket sourcing is not provided in the current set of documents.
7. How to interpret these counts when evaluating arguments
When someone says “four bankruptcies,” they are usually referring to the core casino corporate Chapter 11 filings [1] [2] [3] [4] as used by PolitiFact and bankruptcy experts [5] [6]. When someone says “six bankruptcies,” they draw on broader lists that include separate hotel/casino-related reorganizations and other corporate cases from the early 1990s; these are common in media summaries and political messaging [7] [9].
8. Bottom line for readers wanting a concise answer
If you count distinct casino‑company Chapter 11 filings commonly cited by bankruptcy experts and fact‑checkers, Trump‑owned casino companies filed for bankruptcy four times [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8]. If you use broader, media-style tallies that include related corporate reorganizations tied to his hotels and casino holdings, you will frequently see the count reported as six [7] [9].
Sources cited: PolitiFact / ABI summaries [5] [6], Temple University reporting [8], Wikipedia and media timelines noting 2004/2009 parent filings and broader lists [11] [7] [9].