The New York Times rates 61 of Donald Trump's business deals, concludes 40% failed

Donald Trump has built his case for becoming president of the United States on his "incredible" business acumen.

The Republican candidate often brags about the many successful deals he's made over the last 40 years, arguing that this expertise will give him a "huge" advantage in the Oval Office.

To test that claim, The New York Times analyzed 61 of Trump's projects from the 2000s to 2012, scouring archived web pages, old press releases, and lawsuits to see if they were in fact good business.

The reporters concluded that 24 of those deals failed, 16 had problems, and 21 were successes. They didn't outline the methodology that led them to these conclusions. Some of the projects The Times categorizes as unsuccessful may have earned Trump hefty sums (like Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, for example), as he pointed out in an interview for the story.

Some projects, like Trump University, were mired in lawsuits that Trump ultimately lost or had to settle. Others, like "The Apprentice" TV show, which Trump hosted for 14 seasons, were runaway successes.

The Times story focuses on how, no matter the outcome of the business itself, Trump always touted his projects with language convinced they would be a hit. He is the one behind "The Art of the Deal," after all.

We've rounded up how the Times rated the 61 businesses they investigated below: