Executive at Donald Trump’s company says 'presidential premium' was floated to boost bottom line

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump's top corporate deputies considered adding a “presidential premium” to his Trump Tower penthouse, Mar-a-Lago resort and other assets during his White House years, a gambit that would've padded his net worth by nearly $145 million, an executive at the former president’s company testified Friday.

Trump Organization Assistant Vice President Patrick Birney told Trump’s New York civil fraud trial that they ended up scrapping the idea, but state lawyers contend that merely going through the exercise underscores how Trump and his underlings were intent on finding ways to beef up his bottom line. Trump is expected to return to court for the trial next week.

Birney said Trump executives considered tacking 25% onto the Trump Tower apartment's listed value as a “premium for presidential personal residence" in 2017, his first year in office. They weighed doing the same for Trump’s winter and summer homes at Mar-a-Lago and his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, Birney said.

A 25% “presidential summer residence” premium would've added $18.9 million to the Bedminster golf club’s price tag on Trump’s annual financial statements, Birney said, increasing its listed value to about $145 million. Trump executives gamed out adding 15% premiums for other properties where Trump didn't spend much time. At one point, they considered adding a 35% “Ex-President” premium to certain assets.