Trump’s worth tops $10 billion, filing says

WASHINGTON – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump filed financial documents with federal campaign regulators Wednesday and set his personal fortune at more than $10 billion with an annual income of more than $362 million.

Members of his staff had said Trump would release the financial documents themselves, but they issued only a news release that announced the filing and included a few financial details. It provided little information about how he calculated his net worth.

The $10 billion figure – up nearly 15 percent since the previous year, by Trump’s calculation – would make him the wealthiest person ever to run for president, far surpassing previous magnates like Ross Perot, business heirs like Steve Forbes or private-equity investors like Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee.

Among the sources of Trump’s income has been $214 million in payments from NBC related to 14 seasons of the business reality television show “The Apprentice.” NBC recently cut its ties with Trump following his controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants.

Trump is relying almost exclusively on his personal wealth to fund his White House bid. He has already lent his campaign $1.8 million, according to federal documents he filed Wednesday. His fortune could help maintain his status as a major player in the Republican presidential primary, much to the dismay of GOP officials who worry that his hard-line immigration statements could alienate Hispanic voters.

Filing a personal financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission is one of the requirements to participate in next month’s televised GOP debate.