Scathing court ruling on Donald Trump’s empire is a bitter blow to his successful tycoon persona

The former president's image has always been more about illusion than reality, though no revelation seems to shake the Trump faithful

For years Donald Trump was the host of The Apprentice, a reality TV show in which contestants vied for a management job within his organisation and he would deliver the verdict: You're fired!"

It cemented the image of Trump as an assertive chief executive who had conquered New York, an image that still proves seductive to millions of voters who want him to run America like a business. But like much else about the 45th US president, it was all a lie.