Here's Why The Next Trump Project Might Be In Nashville

Forbes

For the past eight years, the Trump Organization hasn’t done much real-estate dealing in the United States. Now, documents spotted by Forbes suggest the newly emboldened first family is looking to further expand the Trump real-estate empire across the country.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/11/05/why-the-next-trump-project-might-be-in-nashville/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, why the next Trump project might be in Nashville.

00:05On September 22nd, two new businesses were quietly formed in Delaware,

00:10D.T. Marks Nashville LLC and D.T. Marks Nashville Member Court.

00:15These names are noteworthy as they follow the naming convention of at least 20 other licensing ventures

00:21registered with the corporation service company,

00:23the same firm used by the Trump organization to create new entities.

00:27Currently, little information is available about these new Nashville-related entities.

00:33While the president's business has not confirmed any official plans for the Nashville project,

00:37it has previously shown interest.

00:39If this project materializes, it would be the president's first new real estate licensing deal

00:44in the United States since at least 2017.

00:48This development would further illustrate how Trump's political return

00:51is generating new business opportunities for him.

00:54The Trump organization's representatives did not reply to requests for comment

00:58and Forbes was unable to verify the ownership or purpose of the new entity.

01:03New Trump projects, similar to those in Vietnam, Romania, Qatar, and the UAE,

01:08use the naming convention, president's initials, marks, and the location.

01:14Notably, the president does not always own the properties.

01:17For example, he licenses his name for the Trump International Hotel in Oman

01:21and the Trump International Golf Club near Dubai

01:24through entities like DT Marks Oman LLC and DT Marks Dubai LLC, collecting fees.

01:32Dozens of these licensing entities were registered in Delaware by the corporation's service company.

01:37Since the former president re-entered politics,

01:40his international licensing business has quintupled in value from $100 million to $500 million,

01:46while his domestic licensing business has stalled,

01:49failing to secure major new deals since his first presidential term began eight years ago.

01:55Early in that term, his sons, Eric and Don Jr.,

01:58launched the non-namesake hotel brand Scion and American Idea

02:02to target markets outside the major liberal cities their father had previously focused on.

02:07At various points, Trump organization representatives told reporters

02:12they had between nine and 39 agreements attached to the new brands,

02:16including in Dallas, Cincinnati, Austin, New York, and Nashville.

02:21All but one agreement was profitable.

02:23The Trump sons scaled back new acquisitions to focus on managing their father's existing assets,

02:29intending to fully re-engage after his presidency.

02:32However, the January 6th riot severely damaged the Trump brand and image,

02:38with one analyst predicting, quote,

02:40permanent damage for decades.

02:42The riot also led to Donald Trump being banned from platforms like Twitter and Facebook

02:47and certain banking partners distancing themselves.

02:50Out of office, Donald Trump focused on revenue,

02:53launching his own social media network.

02:55By 2022, new foreign opportunities arose,

02:59especially as Trump's 2024 presidential campaign gained momentum.

03:03Still, the brand remained divisive in the United States.

03:07When Trump started his second White House term,

03:10he had only one U.S. real estate licensing agreement generating profit.

03:14Trump's business partner, Gil Deezer,

03:17observed that event planners avoided Trump properties, quote,

03:20where they wouldn't offend half of their guests,

03:23preferring hotels like Westin.

03:25Deezer, however, doubled down, stating, quote,

03:28We pivoted.

03:29We said half of America maybe doesn't like him,

03:32but half of America does like him.

03:33And in today's digital world,

03:35it's easy to reach those people through identifying who they are.

03:38And we did campaigns and etc. to those kinds of groups,

03:41and we filled the hotel.

03:43Any Trump-branded property in Nashville,

03:46a liberal-leaning city in a mostly conservative state,

03:49will be sure to stir up emotions.

03:51Petitions materialized in 2017

03:53when the Trump organization previously floated the idea of a Nashville property.

03:58The first family has plenty of supporters in Tennessee,

04:01though it's not clear who might be involved with the new project.

04:05According to Deezer,

04:06whoever wants to do business with Trump

04:08might have picked a good time to do it,

04:10saying, quote,

04:11He's in the office,

04:12he's making the right moves,

04:14he's making himself look good.

04:16So Trump is hot right now.

04:17That's a great brand to sell.

04:20For full coverage,

04:21check out Dan Alexander's piece on Forbes.com.

04:25This is John Palmer from Forbes.

04:26Thanks for tuning in.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended