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SIDELINES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Trump
Steve Forbes
Detectives
FORBES MAGAZINE
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
Randall Lane
THIS IS THE 37TH ANNUAL EDITION of The Forbes 400 list of
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Michael Noer richest Americans. Donald Trump appeared in the very first one. He ap-
ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR pears in this one. And except for his infamous 1990s insolvency, he’s ap-
Robert Mansfield
peared every time in between. It’s been quite a ride: Of the 1,597 people
FORBES DIGITAL
who’ve appeared at one time or another on the “Rich List,” no one has
VP, DIGITAL EDITOR
Mark Coatney been as obsessed with his ranking as the president of the United States.
VP, INVESTING EDITOR In turn, given his proclivities since day one to hype, exaggerate and out-
Matt Schifrin
right lie, we’ve spent more time scrutinizing and appraising his holdings
SVP, PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY
Salah Zalatimo than those of anyone else on the list.
VP, WOMEN’S DIGITAL NETWORK These deep dives into Trump Inc. would have seemed little more
Christina Vuleta
than great fodder for future historians. But then Trump shocked us, and
VP, VIDEO every political and business observer, by refusing to divest his holdings
Kyle Kramer
when he took office. Suddenly the official arbiter of all things Trump
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS
Kerry A. Dolan, Luisa Kroll WEALTH and wealth—with its history and
Frederick E. Allen LEADERSHIP conflicts, partners and enemies—
Tim W. Ferguson FORBES ASIA
Janet Novack WASHINGTON proved to be one of the most
Michael K. Ozanian SPORTSMONEY important beats in the world. Let
Mark Decker, John Dobosz, Clay Thurmond DEPARTMENT HEADS
Jessica Bohrer VP, EDITORIAL COUNSEL others cover the White House
soap opera—getting the real story,
BUSINESS
Mark Howard CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER especially with Donald Trump,
Tom Davis CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Jessica Sibley SENIOR VP, SALES, U.S. & EUROPE means following the money.
Janett Haas SENIOR VP, BRAND SOLUTIONS & STRATEGY While numerous Forbes
Achir Kalra SENIOR VP, REVENUE OPERATIONS & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS staffers occasionally delve into
Alyson Papalia VP, DIGITAL ADVERTISING OPERATIONS & STRATEGY
Penina Littman VP, SALES PLANNING & ANALYTICS Trump’s myriad holdings, two
Nina La France SENIOR VP, CONSUMER MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT focus on it full-time: associate
Lisa Serapiglia DIRECTOR MEDIA PLANNING & OPERATIONS
editor Dan Alexander and staff
FORBES MEDIA Chase Peterson-Withorn (left) and
Michael Federle CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER writer Chase Peterson-Withorn. Dan Alexander of Forbes.
Michael York CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Not coincidentally, they’re both
Will Adamopoulos CEO/ASIA FORBES MEDIA veterans of the Forbes 400 team, which instills an accountant’s financial
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER, FORBES ASIA
Rich Karlgaard EDITOR-AT-LARGE/GLOBAL FUTURIST discipline and a coal miner’s work ethic. “Earlier this year, I walked into
Moira Forbes PRESIDENT, FORBESWOMAN every building Trump owns in New York and paced out the square foot-
MariaRosa Cartolano GENERAL COUNSEL
Margy Loftus SENIOR VP, HUMAN RESOURCES age—boot by boot—to determine how much money the president earns
Matthew Hutchison SENIOR VP, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS in each location,” Alexander says. (That type of reporting isn’t always
FOUNDED IN 1917 welcome: He pulled into a Trump golf course last year to find that the
B.C. Forbes, Editor-in-Chief (1917-54)
Malcolm S. Forbes, Editor-in-Chief (1954-90) security guard had a picture of him posted in the booth.)
James W. Michaels, Editor (1961-99) But shoe leather leads to stories. Alexander’s reporting on how the
William Baldwin, Editor (1999-2010)
president apparently profited from his son’s charity, at the expense of
child cancer victims, prompted an investigation from the New York
State attorney general; his series on commerce secretary Wilbur Ross’
OCTOBER 31, 2018 — VOLUME 201 NUMBER 8
financial shenanigans prompted an official rebuke from the Office of
Government Ethics. Newer to the beat, Peterson-Withorn leveraged a
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at additional mailing offices. Canadian Agreement No. 40036469. Return undeliverable Canadian tour of the president’s Trump Tower penthouse to prove that inaugura-
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Harlan, IA 51593-0971.
of the size he claimed,” he says. For this issue, they interviewed nearly
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4141. answer is surprising. You can find the story on page 62.
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—RANDALL LANE, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
18 | FORBES OCTOBER 31, 2018