Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed (and certainly exaggerated) net worth is again being called into question because of his refusal to release his tax returns. Not only is Trump no longer self-funding his campaign, but there are other reasons to doubt his net worth claims. Take the aircraft he usually flies in. The Boeing 757 jet with the gold-colored seat belt buckles that Donald Trump says is better than Air Force One is actually 25 years old. (Boeing stopped producing the 757 entirely after 2004.) Trump’s plane, with tail number N757FA, was first sold in May 1991 and was bought by Trump in 2010. He is at least its fourth owner. At the time he bought it, a used 757 typically cost around $10 million — but since it had been owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, it might have been worth twice as much. Trump’s claims that he paid $100 million for it is incredible.
A billionaire’s choice of a personal jet is often a key indicator of wealth: the gold standard is a Gulfstream G650, the cost of which is around $60 million — used. It’s smaller, but given his penchant for braggadocio, Trump would almost certainly own the “best” jet if he could afford it. (Even in addition to the larger 757.) 25 years is really old for a jet. For comparison, below is a list from The Fool showing the average age of commercial aircraft at major carriers, none of which approach the advanced age of Trump’s antique plane.
- Virgin America — 5 years
- Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ:SAVE) — 5.2 years
- Republic Airways — 5.5 years
- JetBlue — 7.4 years
- Frontier Airlines — 8.2 years
- Alaska Air (NYSE:ALK) — 9.6 years
- Hawaiian Airlines — 10 years
- AirTran — 10.9 years
- SkyWest — 11 years
- Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) — 11.7 years
- US Airways — 12.1 years
- American Airlines — 13.6 years
- United Airlines — 13.6 years
- Delta Air Lines — 16.9 years
- Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ:ALGT) — 22 years
Here is Mr. Trump’s glam video about the jet:
