The Art of The Steal: The Illusion of Independence and the Reality of Russian Ties
Donald Trump has always been a man of contradictions. To his supporters, he embodies the ultimate self-made success story: a billionaire real estate mogul, a master dealmaker, and a leader who answers to no one but the American people. This image has been carefully cultivated over decades, beginning with his 1987 book ‘The Art of the Deal’, later amplified by the reality TV juggernaut ‘The Apprentice’, and finally solidified by his political persona as an outsider untainted by Washington’s corruption.
Yet, behind this all-American, self-reliant façade lies a more complicated reality. Trump’s business empire has suffered repeated financial setbacks, leading him to seek investment from unconventional sources, including Russian oligarchs and entities with ties to the Kremlin. His financial dealings consequently raise a critical question:
If Russian money helped sustain Trump’s businesses, did it also help propel him to the presidency - twice? And if so, what does he owe in return?
That contradiction - Trump’s performance as a self-made mogul versus the reality of foreign financial entanglements - has only grown starker over time. His financial dependence on Russian investors was not just a historical detail but a factor that shaped his presidency and continues to influence his actions today.
Nowhere is this clearer than in his recent decision to suspend U.S. military aid to Ukraine, a move that directly benefits Russia. Following a tense and publicly televised ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Trump and his allies abruptly reversed longstanding U.S. support for Kyiv’s defence against Russian aggression. Once again, Trump’s public spectacle serves to distract from deeper, more consequential geopolitical alignments - alignments that have long raised questions about his financial and political dependencies.
This article explores Trump’s carefully constructed media myth, his reliance on Russian financing, and the political consequences of that entanglement, culminating in the question: Who has truly been funding the Trump Show all along?
The Myth of Self-Made Success: ‘The Art of the Deal’ & ‘The Apprentice’
Trump’s carefully manufactured image as a business genius began with his bestselling book ‘The Art of the Deal’ (1987). In this ghostwritten autobiography, Trump presents himself as a relentless, instinctual dealmaker who always comes out on top. He describes himself as a master of negotiation, a shrewd strategist, and an unapologetic risk-taker. The book became a bestseller, reinforcing the narrative that Trump was a self-made billionaire who had conquered the world of real estate through sheer brilliance.
However, this narrative omits significant details about his financial upbringing. Despite Trump’s claims that he built his empire starting with a modest $1 million loan from his father, reports indicate that he received at least $413 million from his father over the decades, much of it through tax avoidance schemes (AP News, 2018). This substantial inheritance challenges the self-made myth that Trump has perpetuated.
Two decades later, ‘The Apprentice’ (2004–2015) brought this persona to an even wider audience. The show cast Trump as the ultimate business authority, a billionaire whose judgment was final. Contestants competed for his approval, and the now-iconic phrase “You’re fired!” became synonymous with his brand of leadership. However, behind the scenes, producers shaped a very different reality. Bill Pruitt, a producer on ‘The Apprentice,’ later revealed that the show “cleaned up” Trump’s public image, making him appear more polished and competent than he actually was (Pruitt, 2018).
Mark Burnett, the show’s creator, played a crucial role in manufacturing this image. According to The New Yorker, Burnett “recast Trump as a paragon of American success” (Keefe, 2019) despite his well-documented financial struggles. In reality, Trump was far from the infallible businessman he claimed to be. Despite the polished image presented on ‘The Apprentice’, Trump’s business ventures faced significant financial challenges. Notably, his companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy multiple times, including the Trump Taj Mahal (1991), Trump Plaza Hotel (1992), Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts (2004), and Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009). These repeated setbacks led many major American banks to distance themselves, compelling Trump to seek alternative financing sources, including foreign investments (Cassidy, 2024).
His business empire was crumbling behind the scenes, but the spectacle of ‘The Apprentice’ made his failures invisible to the public.
Shady Business Dealings and Russian Financial Ties
Beyond the carefully curated image of a self-made mogul, Donald Trump’s business empire has long been intertwined with Russian capital, raising serious concerns about conflicts of interest during his presidency.
Russian Investments in Trump Properties
A Reuters investigation revealed that at least 63 Russian nationals invested nearly $100 million in Trump-branded properties in Florida, illustrating a significant influx of Russian capital into his real estate ventures (Layne, et al, 2017).
Trump Tower Moscow: A Hidden Election-Year Deal
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s company actively pursued plans to build Trump Tower Moscow, with discussions continuing into June 2016, contradicting public claims that negotiations had ended earlier. Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, later testified that he sought Kremlin assistance for the project (Tucker, et al, 2018).
The 2013 Moscow Miss Universe Pageant & Kremlin Connections
Trump’s 2013 decision to host the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow was more than a business venture -it was an opportunity to deepen relationships with Russian elites. He partnered with Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov, an oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin, further cementing his network of Russian business and political contacts (Keefe, 2019).
Legal and Ethical Implications: Conflicts of Interest at the Highest Level
Trump’s deep financial entanglements with Russian investors raised pressing legal and ethical concerns:
Foreign Influence & Policy Conflicts: Large-scale Russian investments in Trump properties created the potential forundue foreign influence over U.S. policymaking.
The Emoluments Clause Debate: The U.S. Constitution prohibits federal officials from receiving financial benefits from foreign governments but the murkiness of international real estate deals complicates enforcement.
Lack of Transparency & Oversight: Opaque financial dealings in real estate make it difficult to trace foreign investments, undermining public trust in a president’s decision-making independence.
Trump’s business empire evidently became a potential geopolitical liability. His personal financial interests blurred the line between business, governance, and foreign policy, raising critical concerns about conflicts of interest at the highest level of American power.
A Faustian Bargain? The Mueller Report and What Trump May Owe in Return
Trump’s business ties to Russia were not just financial as they extended into politics. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found that several of Trump’s campaign officials had direct contact with Russian operatives during the 2016 election (Mueller, 2019).
Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chairman, shared internal polling data with a Russian intelligence-linked operative, Konstantin Kilimnik (Mueller, 2019).
Michael Flynn, Trump’s first National Security Adviser, lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions (Mueller, 2019).
Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian operatives at Trump Tower in 2016, who offered damaging material on Hillary Clinton (Mueller, 2019).
Roger Stone coordinated with WikiLeaks, which released hacked emails stolen by Russian intelligence to damage Clinton’s campaign (Mueller, 2019).
Although Mueller did not establish criminal conspiracy, his report explicitly did not exonerate Trump, concluding that Russia actively worked to help elect him.
If Russian money played a role in Trump’s rise, did it also shape his foreign policy? As president, Trump repeatedly refused to criticise Vladimir Putin, downplayed Russian interference, and attempted to disrupt NATO, actions that benefited Moscow more than Washington.
Conclusion: The Performance vs. The Reality
Donald Trump’s self-made billionaire image is a performance, one that has successfully distracted from his financial reliance on foreign money and his increasing alignment with Russian interests. His career was not built on pure business acumen, but on carefully constructed media narratives that masked the reality of his financial dependencies.
His presidency, too, has been defined by contradictions and illusions. The leader who preaches ‘America First’ has a long history of benefiting from foreign investments, particularly from Russian oligarchs with ties to the Kremlin. The president who once promised to be tough on America’s enemies has instead weakened NATO, dismissed Russian election interference, and now withdrawn support from Ukraine - all to Moscow’s advantage.
The broader question remains: If Trump’s business empire was propped up by Russian money, does he still owe something in return? His latest actions in suspending aid to Ukraine, suggest the answer may already be playing out on the world stage.
And if Trump’s rise was just another television production, then who, exactly, has been funding the show all along?
References
AP News (2018) Trump received $413M from father despite ‘small loan’ claim. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/0452d29cd2564eaf97605ab90acc3a67 (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Berzon, A., Simons, R. and Maremont, M. (2017) ‘Russian buyers invested $100 million in Trump buildings’, Reuters, 17 November. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-trump-property/ (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Cassidy, J. (2024) ‘Donald Trump’s Many Lucky Breaks’, The New Yorker, 23 September. Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-financial-page/donald-trumps-many-lucky-breaks (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Guardian (2025) US military aid to Ukraine paused following Trump-Zelenskyy clash. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/04/us-military-aid-ukraine-pause-trump-zelenskyy-updates (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Heyer, H. (2008) Executive Talk: Donald Trump Jr. bullish on Russia and few emerging markets, eTurboNews, 15 September. Available at: https://www.eturbonews.com/9958/executive-talk-donald-trump-jr-bullish-russia-and-few-emerging-mar/ (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Keefe, P. R. (2019) ‘How Mark Burnett resurrected Donald Trump as an icon of American success’, The New Yorker, 7 January. Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/07/how-mark-burnett-resurrected-donald-trump-as-an-icon-of-american-success (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Layne, N., Parker, N., Reiter, S., Grey, S. and McNeill, R. (2017) ‘Russian elite invested nearly $100 million in Trump buildings’, Reuters, 17 March. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-trump-property/(Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Mueller, R. (2019) Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. Available at: https://www.justice.gov/archives/sco/file/1373816/dl (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Pruitt, B. (2018) ‘What we saw on The Apprentice’, The Daily Beast, 12 September. Available at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/producers-of-the-apprentice-expose-donald-trumps-musty-carpet-in-new-book (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Tucker, E., Neumeister. L. and Day, C. (2018) ‘Cohen confesses to lying about Trump Tower Moscow deal’, AP News, 29 November. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-politics-north-america-28301de8eaa94cc796c5279fc28c1fdb (Accessed: 4 March 2025).