How many times did Donald Trump's casino companies file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and what were the outcomes?
Executive summary
Multiple reputable fact‑checks and academic accounts report that companies tied to Donald Trump’s casinos and hotel holdings filed for Chapter 11 reorganization at least four distinct times (1991 Taj Mahal; 1992 Plaza Hotel; 2004 Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts; 2009 Trump Entertainment Resorts) [1] [2]. Other outlets and summaries count as many as six corporate Chapter 11 filings tied to Trump entities by including additional corporate vehicles and later TER reorganizations; those alternative tallies rely on different definitions of which corporate filings to attribute to “Trump” [3] [4].
1. Four clear corporate Chapter 11s that most mainstream fact‑checks use
PolitiFact and similar fact‑checks list four Chapter 11 reorganizations commonly attributed directly to Trump’s business ventures: the Trump Taj Mahal , Trump Plaza Hotel , Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts and Trump Entertainment Resorts [1] [2]. These four are the version most often cited in political debates and by news outlets because they represent the major, well‑documented reorganizations of high‑profile properties and the public holding company that bore Trump’s name [1].
2. Why some sources report “six” or more filings
Some summaries and retrospective lists expand the count to six by including other corporate entities, separate holding‑company filings, or later reorganizations involving Trump‑branded businesses [3]. ThoughtCo. and other compilations note three casino cases in the early 1990s plus subsequent holding‑company bankruptcies, producing a higher tally when every distinct corporate Chapter 11 is counted [3]. Wikipedia’s timeline for Trump Entertainment Resorts records multiple filings for the same corporate lineage (1991, 2004, 2009 and later 2014 cited under that corporate family), which can produce different totals depending on attribution rules [4].
3. Outcomes: reorganization, name changes, and reduced Trump control
Each Chapter 11 cited above resulted in reorganization rather than simple liquidation. The 2004 process led Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts to change its name to Trump Entertainment Resorts and to reduce Trump’s active role and ownership stake [4]. The 2009 filing followed missed bond payments and led to major creditor‑driven restructuring; by then Trump had already stepped back and his equity position was substantially diminished [1]. These reorganizations typically preserved business operations while wiping or restructuring debt and shifting control toward creditors or new owners [1] [4].
4. Context: Chapter 11 as a tool, not a singular verdict on management
Bankruptcy experts cited by fact‑checks and analyses emphasize that Chapter 11 is a statutory reorganization tool designed to let companies restructure and continue operating; it is not identical to personal bankruptcy or automatic proof of fraud or incompetence [1] [2]. PolitiFact reported experts saying that many of Trump’s corporate bankruptcies resulted from industry downturns and heavy leverage rather than being solely the product of poor day‑to‑day management [1].
5. Competing perspectives and political usage
Supporters argue the filings demonstrate skillful use of bankruptcy law to preserve assets and limit personal liability; critics, including academic studies of Atlantic City casinos, argue the restructurings masked transfers of risk to workers and creditors while Trump retained upside and extracted fees, and that Trump‑linked casinos lost more revenue and jobs than competitors [1] [5]. The House Judiciary Committee and law‑school case studies document disputes over whose interests were prioritized in the restructurings, indicating political and policy implications beyond courtroom technicalities [6] [7].
6. Limits of the available reporting
Available sources disagree on how to count “how many” bankruptcies are attributable to Trump because the answer depends on which legal entities you include (e.g., distinct filings for subsidiaries, successor companies, or the same corporate family across years) [4] [3]. The sources provided do not offer a single authoritative list universally accepted by scholars, the press, and political fact‑checkers; mainstream fact‑checks converge on four, while other compilations claim up to six by broadening inclusion criteria [1] [3].
7. Bottom line for readers evaluating claims
If the question is how many Chapter 11 filings are “commonly attributed” to Donald Trump’s businesses in political discourse and mainstream fact‑checks, the answer is four: 1991, 1992, 2004 and 2009 [1] [2]. If the question counts every separate corporate Chapter 11 across related entities and successor companies that at times bore Trump’s name, some observers produce a higher count (commonly six), based on different attribution rules [3] [4]. Choose the definition appropriate to your point: four is the conservative, widely cited tally; six is an alternative tally used by some chroniclers who count more distinct corporate filings [1] [3].