Perhaps Donald Trump’s best-known addition to the soaring Manhattan skyline, Trump Tower was the epitome of eighties excess when its 58 stories opened in 1983 – but could it prove to be his downfall?

Funded by $130 million in loans, which equates to around $401 million today, the opulent high-rise featured fine dining eateries, high-end retailers, and luxury residences. Trump initially claimed to have sold 85% of the residential units before the building opened, stating at the time that: “The apartments will bring in $268 million, all profit."

However, a Forbes exposé published in February 2023 cast doubt on these figures, and as such, leaves the true success of Trump Tower as something of an enigma. According to the Forbes report, only 60% of the apartments had been sold by 1983, and the tower had allegedly made $45 million by the end of its first year, significantly less than the figure Trump previously touted.

Donald Trump's Big Real Estate Triumphs, Humiliating Failures