Trump University

PolitiFact tackles Trump University

By Nick Gass

Donald Trump's declaration that his Trump University venture, long embroiled in litigation in at least three states, received an "A" rating from the Better Business Bureau is patently false, according to fact-checking outlet PolitiFact.

As PolitiFact noted in its post, published Sunday evening, the "university," which had to change its name to Trump Entrepreneur Institute because it resembled something closer to a seminar program, came up during a Jan. 28 "Meet the Press" interview. In that segment with NBC's Chuck Todd, Trump claimed that the institution held an "A" rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Trump Entrepreneur Institute does not have a rating from the Better Business Bureau, as it mostly ceased operations in 2011. When reached for comment by PolitiFact, a Trump spokeswoman repeated the candidate's claim that the school had an "A" rating while it was operational.

The communications director for the Council of Better Business Bureaus said the organization does not provide past years' ratings, but it did issue a statement noting that "[o]ver the years, the company’s BBB rating has fluctuated between an A+ and a D-."

PolitiFact noted several articles from the New York Daily News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and CBS News in late 2010 and early 2011, which made reference to reports of Trump University receiving a D- and Trump's subsequent objections to the grade.

"Trump University had an A at some point," the fact check concludes. "The Better Business Bureau doesn't release details of its past ratings, but it did say Trump's program had ratings that ranged from A+ to D-. What we do know, from several published reports, is that the university had a D from 2009 to 2011. Trump’s claim is literally wrong and also ignores the university’s lower Better Business Bureau scores. We rate it False."