President Trump's favorite bank apparently doesn't think he's too good with his money.
Deutsche Bank, "Trump's go-to lender for decades," grew very "concerned" that Trump wouldn't repay his $340 million in loans after he was elected, Bloomberg reports. So concerned, sources say, that the bank considered extending his repayment deadlines until after a "potential second term in 2025."
Trump had long had a problem finding banks who'd lend to him after several bankruptcies, Bloomberg notes. But Deutsche Bank kept working with the Trump Organization, providing funds for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. — one loan reportedly included in the $340 million total. When Trump was elected, though, Deutsche Bank's management board immediately feared he'd default, and stressed over "the public relations disaster they would face if they went after the assets of a sitting president." To avoid that, managers reportedly considered stretching loans with 2023 and 2024 due dates for another year or two.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Deutsche Bank eventually decided against the repayment extension, but did elect to stop working with Trump while he was in office, one source told Bloomberg. And even during the Trump campaign, Deutsche Bank denied a loan request for a similar reason: If Trump defaulted, "Deutsche Bank would have to choose between not collecting on the debt or seizing the assets of the president of the United States," The New York Times reported earlier this month.
Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the story, and the White House didn't respond to requests for comment. Eric Trump, the president's son, called the story "complete nonsense" in an email. Read more at Bloomberg.
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Sudoku medium: November 30, 2025The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to ChinaSpeed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with DisneySpeed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
