There seem to be too many Brits on this site who failed their 11+ vis a vis arithmetic. In order to write off ¬$1 billion in 1995, The Donald must have significant future income in order to utilise this tax "loss," and significantly greater "income" over the past 20 years to have moved from near bankruptcy to biliionairness. Vis a vis his golf adventures, whether he "makes" or "loses" $25 million/year on Drumbeg, Balmedie, Turnberry. etc. over the next decade or two is peanuts to him. He ain't no financial dummy, unlike the other candidates in the current Presidential race......
Indeed, according to what I've read, The Donald used a legal loophole to claim a huge personal loss for one of his companies going bankrupt, that he could use as a tax credit to offset up to $50 million per year of earnings, for many years starting in 1995. The actual loser was the bank who forgave the loan to a bankrupt company, but Trump got the deduction. [The rule has since been changed.]
Likewise, if Trump is making money in his real estate businesses today -- as I assume he is but don't know of course -- then he can charge the losses from his golf businesses against those earnings. I think he doesn't care so much if the golf businesses lose a bit of money ... they generate enormous free publicity for him that he thinks helps out his other business.
I am sympathetic to the idea that Americans should be voting for "none of the above" this year, and that the whole system needs a massive shake-up. The sad part is, I believe that a third-party candidate would get serious support this year, if they were included in the debates etc., but the media and the major parties have conspired to keep them in the dark as much as possible, and to convince us we HAVE to vote R or D in order to stop the monster on the other side. If everybody who hates them both believed their vote for a third party would make a real difference, the third party candidate might just win ... which is why there two third-party candidates to split the vote this year, just to make sure neither of them is considered "serious".