Taking Away His Credit Cards

To skirt bankruptcy, Trump agrees to give up command

For all his financial troubles, Donald Trump remains a master of the theatrical gesture. Negotiating with dozens of bankers in Manhattan on a plan to restructure his $2 billion debt, he suddenly proclaimed it was time for lunch. Trump went to the phone, called a nearby McDonald's from memory and ordered 25 Big Macs and 25 Quarter Pounders. Hamburgers, he declared, were among his favorite foods. Coming from a person who was asking to borrow an additional $65 million, this was just the kind of down-to-earth taste the bankers were hoping to find.

In the deal of his life, Trump won...

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