http://mashable.com/2016/03/09/donald-trump-infomercial/#l.Ry6oxt6ZqS3f00cecc435c4eefb86b7e61b86ae7c1
Headshot_2015_jonathanellis_1
BY JONATHAN ELLIS
6 HOURS AGO
Donald Trump had plenty to celebrate on Tuesday night after winning the Republican primaries in Mississippi and Michigan.
But that didn't really matter. He was still pissed at Mitt Romney for making fun of his companies.
So Trump turned his election night victory speech into an infomercial for Trump-branded products.
Here are some of the great deals he had to offer.
Trump Steaks
Romney said that Trump Steaks was among The Donald's many failed businesses. So Trump had to prove him wrong.
The only problem was, the steaks weren't actually Trump Steaks. In fact, they said Bush Brothers on them.
The actual line of Trump Steaks has been discontinued, according to The Wall Street Journal. They were sold at The Sharper Image, which has a commemorative page for them on its website.
Trump Water
Romney "talked about the water company," Trump said. He didn't actually mention it. But Trump wanted to make sure everyone knew he does have his own bottled water.
The official Trump website does say that Trump Natural Spring Water is "proudly served at Trump Hotels, Restaurants and Golf Clubs worldwide."
It's one of the "purest natural spring waters in the world," the site says. "Try its refreshing taste and you will agree—the difference is clear."
That said, a reporter at the press conference noticed the labeling on the bottle:
According to the Village Springs website, its products "are available in the Village Springs label or with your own private label. Village Springs bottles private labels for various convenience stores, grocery stores, and has many distributors that offer home delivery."
So basically, Trump Natural Spring Water is the same water you can buy at a gas station.
Trump Vodka and Trump Wine
"He mentioned Trump Vodka," Trump complained.
Trump then launched into a long discussion of Trump Winery. That really does exist.
But Trump Vodka was discontinued in 2011, the Journal reported.
Also, Trump Winery appears to be affiliated with Trump's son Eric and not with Trump himself:
Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates.
Trump did offer the reporters a free bottle of the wine.
Trump Magazine
Romney also cited Trump Magazine in the list of failed ventures.
"I thought I read one two days ago," Trump replied.
IMAGE: FOX NEWS
He grabbed a magazine and waved it in the air.
"This comes out and it's called The Jewel of Palm Beach and it all goes to all of my clubs. I have had it for many years. It's the magazine. It's great. Anybody want one?"
Well, it is not actually the magazine.
Trump Magazine folded in 2009. It looked like this.
The Jewel of Palm Beach is published by a separate publisher called Palm Beach Media Group. Here is how they describe it:
The Jewel of Palm Beach, the exclusive publication of Donald J. Trump's spectacular Mar-a-Lago Club, highlights the elements that make this club one of a kind—from the star-studded events to the extraordinary fashions, cuisine and activities that members enjoy. This annual magazine is distributed at Mar-a-Lago and Trump International Golf Club in the Palm Beaches, as well as at all Trump properties in New York.
So, yes, Trump owns a club and that club has a glorified brochure published about it once a year.
Trump Airline
"Whatever happened to Trump Airlines?" Romney asked last week.
A Trump Shuttle at LaGuardia Airport in 1991.
IMAGE: DAVID A. CANTOR/ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Well, I sold the airline," Trump said. "I actually made a great deal. Complicated — and in really terrible times, the economy was terrible — and I made a phenomenal deal."
According to the Journal, Trump bought the assets of a defunct shuttle airline for $385 million in 1989 and tried to make it into a luxury business. That didn't work because passengers just wanted convenience.
Trump with Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., in happier times for the airline.
IMAGE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
"The airline carried a high debt load and eventually defaulted,"the Journal reported. "It was later sold to USAir."
"What's wrong with selling?" Trump said Tuesday night. "I mean, every once in a while you can sell something."
Trump University
Trump University has been pretty well documented at this point — it's the real estate education program that charged students tens of thousands of dollars and often left them mired in credit card debt.
On Tuesday, the Better Business Bureau confirmed that the university (which was later renamed the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative because it wasn't an accredited university) had a D- rating in 2010. The only reason its rating later rose to an A+ was because it began to shut down and no further complaints came in.
Don't let that stop Donald Trump, though.
"We're putting it on hold," Trump said of the university Tuesday night. "We're gonna start it up as soon as I win the lawsuit."
"If I become president, that means Ivanka, Don, Eric and my family will start it up," he continued, referring to his three grown children. "But we have a lot of great people who want to get back into Trump University. It's going to do very well, and it will continue to do very well."
Call now!
"I think what this shows is that advertising is not as important as competence," Trump said. (He was talking about the negative ads against him.)
Trump also talked politics Tuesday night. But he had already made his pitch.
