It seems that just about everyone has an opinion about how to solve the Big Three problem these days, so it was just a matter of time before Donald Trump, one of the great flapping jaws of all time, opined.

Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Trump suggested that each company should be put into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with the federal government providing debtor-in-possession financing. The company could then renegotiate its legacy costs. Trump disagreed with the notion that people would not buy a car because the company is in bankruptcy and pointed out that numerous airlines continued to operate while they were in bankruptcy.

Trump said that Chapter 11 would give tremendous power to a federally-appointed "auto czar" and added that he believes that Jack Welch is the man for the job. Trump also said that General Motors (NYSE: GM), Ford (NYSE: F) and Chrysler can be great again.

As much as it pains me to agree with Trump, I think he's probably right that the flexibility that would be provided by bankruptcy filings outweighs the potential negative impact on consumer confidence in the industry -- which doesn't have much farther to fall anyway.

Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) has sued Donald Trump, demanding that he pay a $40 million personal guarantee that was part of a $640 million construction loan that Deutsche Bank originated in 2005. The loan came due on November 7th with an outstanding balance of $334 million.

The loan is related to the development of the The Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago. The building is expected to be finished in early 2009, and the lower floors are already open for business. According (subscription required) to The Wall Street Journal, the building will be the second largest in the United States. Last month, Trump sued Deutsche Bank for an extension on the loan, claiming that the financial meltdown had triggered the force majeure clause of the contract that normally applies to wars, riots and acts of God.

A New York State Court rejected Trump's argument, but apparently he still hasn't coughed up the money. Now he's being sued for it.

It appears that Trump is back in trouble with lenders. Last week, Trump International Resorts (NASDAQ: TRMP) disclosed that it had missed an interest payment.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka opined on the meltdown in the financial markets. The Donald advised viewers to keep as much cash as they could so they would have the opportunity to take advantage of the terrific opportunities.

Should you care what Donald and Ivanka have to say about the financial crisis? Probably not, because it's just a bunch of cliches. And why exactly should we care what Ivanka says? Because she won the ovarian lottery and now works for her dad? Watch the video below and be sure to note The Donald's appearance.

Quick: think of a hypothetical idea for a really stupid television show that would have absolutely no chance of succeeding.

If you're like most people, the first thing that popped into your head was "a Donald Trump mixed martial arts reality show." And yet, hilariously, someone is actually bankrolling this train wreck in the making. The Los Angeles Times reports that "Donald Trump and Affliction Entertainment announced today they will begin filming in April for a reality mixed martial arts series called 'Fighting Fedor'. The series, to be filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia, will open with 16 MMA fighters who will compete in a tournament that will ultimately pit the winner against heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, considered by some as the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world."

Wow. It's not yet known what network will pick up the show, but I stand ready to short as many shares of the parent company as I can whenever it's announced. If I had to guess, I would say that SPIKE TV would be one of leading contenders. I can't imagine that this will end up on network television.

Here's a reality show I'd like to see: Rosie O'Donnell strapping The Donald into a chair and beating him with her bare hands.

Australia's Herald-Sun reports that Donald Trump's first speaking tour of Australia is in "doubt after an Ipswich-based promotion company collapsed this week, leaving about 1500 ticket holders owed more than $1.5 million."

Ever the gentleman, Trump is reportedly refusing to return the more than $1.5 million he's already been paid and is even demanding more money. Malcom Quinn, the promoter behind the bankrupt firm that had booked The Donald, told The Sun that "He has provided no services for the moneys he has received and he has indicated to me in writing on two separate occasions that not only will he be keeping the funds he has received but expects to be paid the balance regardless of whether he does or doesn't come out here."

What went wrong? It turned out that Trump wasn't the draw Quinn had hoped he would be. Tickets costing up to $2500 have been available since June but only a quarter of the seats have been sold. Ouch!

Access Hollywood reports that "Heather Mills has been "fired" before she ever set foot in Donald Trump's boardroom."

Ms. Mills, best-known for her divorce from former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney that included a demand for a $300,000 per year clothing allowance and a trial that involved Ms. Mills dumping a jug of water on McCartney's lawyer and shouting "You're a bitch! You're a traitor to your sex! How could you do this to another woman?"

Apparently her high-maintenance ways were also a turn-off to NBC insiders, one whom reportedly told The Sun that "The network was originally very keen on getting her involved. They thought it would be a clever move, attracting lots of publicity for the show... But her demands were ludicrous and it soon became clear that getting her involved would be a headache."

Here's the best part: she demanded a clause in her contract stipulating that she would make it to the finals!

I'm hugely disappointed that Mills won't be on Celebrity Apprentice. Having Heather Mills and Donald Trump on the same show would make for the most delightfully detestable hour of television since. . . ever. Maybe they should reconsider giving O.J. Simpson a spot. Some other celebrities I'd like to see on the most obnoxious show on television:

• Former Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers
• Congressional Sex Scandal Bad Boys Larry Craig and Gary Condit
• Amy Winehouse
• Former Enron chief Jeff Skilling (Let him out of jail early and call it community service!)
• John Rocker (Former pitcher who managed to insult just about every minority in a 2000 Sports Illustrated interview)

Last month I wrote about the Clown Prince of Nepotism Donald Trump Jr.'s grandiose announcement of plans to raise $1 billion to invest in India's booming real estate market.

Now BusinessWeek's HotProperty column is expressing some skepticism. After noting that Trump got the idea back in November after speaking at a real estate conference in Mumbai, Prashant Gopal notes that "The market has changed quite a bit since then. Inflation and interest rates are climbing and shares of Indian builders, home price appreciation, and demand for land are slowing. [...] Of course, this might be a good time to jump in and pick up land at distressed-sale prices. But he will be competing against established players."

Still: the fact that Trump Jr. appears to have struck upon this idea at the height of the market is indicative of something.

But I wouldn't worry too much: the "announcement" of a $1 billion fund struck me as a more of grandiose publicity ploy/plea for credibility from a reality TV bit-player than a ground floor opportunity to get in with real estate development's next big star. I'll believe otherwise when Trump announces he's raised the money, and I won't be holding my breath.

Donald Trump, the Clown Prince of Capitalism and Chairman of Trump Entertainment Resorts (NASDAQ: TRMP), is back in the news. The Associated Press reports that he'll be bailing out Ed McMahon, the former Johnny Carson sidekick who defaulted on $4.8 million in loans on his Beverly Hills home.

Trump told The Los Angeles Times that he didn't know McMahon personally and is motivated by "compassion. . . When I was at the Wharton School of Business I'd watch him every night. How could this happen?"

Holy cow! When I read this story, I thought "Finally! I'll have a chance to do a nice piece on Donald Trump." Wrong. I am actually going to make history here and bash someone for helping an old man keep his house. First, why Ed McMahon? There are hundreds of thousands of people facing problems with their homes and, rather than quietly helping average Joe's with mortgage payments, Trump goes and spends millions of dollars to help one old rich guy keep his palace -- and then calls The Los Angeles Times to brag about it. Oh, and he had to remind everyone that he went to Wharton.

This act of charity, like everything Donald does, seems to be motivated by narcissism, grandiosity, and a thirst for publicity.

I'm caving into his desire to have his name all over the place, but I'm also calling BS on this billionaire bailout.

Donald Trump Jr, the rather uncharismatic son of reality television personality Donald Trump, is looking to set up his own fund to invest in India's until recently red hot real estate market.

The younger Trump told Bloomberg that "The fund will be for acquisitions of real estate in the high end, and across the spectrum. The market place is beginning to understand and appreciate luxury, so there is a great opening for us there, as well as in resorts.''

He's looking to raise $1 billion, but given how cheap investors have become of late, I'm skeptical. What exactly are his credentials? He's 30-years-old, works for daddy, was a judge on his father's reality show, and -- the icing on the cake -- he was ousted from the board of the condo association where he lives.

If this guy can raise a billion bucks, then the economy is considerably stronger than we're giving it credit for ... or investors are considerably dumber.

But for now, these are just "plans" to raise "up to" $1 billion. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the money to role in, and frankly, this looks like a publicity ploy designed to create the impression that Trump Jr. is someone to be taken seriously.

Publicity whore Donald Trump -- who has been married three times and is now married to a woman more than 20 years his junior -- is criticizing Anne Hathaway for breaking up with Raffaelo Follieri amid allegations that he is a con artist.

Trump opined that "She hasn't remained very loyal to him, has she? So when he had plenty of money, she liked him, but then after that, not as good, right?"

Right: women should stand by their men when they're exposed as liars and con artists. I guess that the reason he feels that way is that if women didn't stay in relationships with phonies, he wouldn't be able to keep a lady! Here's the thing Donald: do you honestly think that your latest wife, Melania, is with you for reasons that have nothing to do with money? Is she in it for the hair? Or your rapidly expanding gut? Everyone's entitled to their delusions, Donald, but do you really think your wife would stay by your side if you were arrested on charges of fraud? I doubt it.

Here's the personal finance advice: integrity is generally not compartmentalized. If you're in a relationship with someone who lies to other people to get their money, or lies to you about money, that's a serious form of infidelity, and likely indicative of other problems: liars lie because they're liars.

The idea of Donald Trump giving relationship advice is almost as ridiculous as the idea of him giving business advice, given how poorly so many of his ventures have done. I leave you with this video of Rosie O'Donnell explaining everything that is wrong with him.

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I present to you exhibit 424A in the case of The People v. Donald Trump. Florida developer Jorge Perez -- who built a billion dollar fortune as a Cuban exile starting with nothing -- recently came out with a book of real estate advice called Powerhouse Principles: The Billionaire Blueprint For Real Estate Success.

I'm only about 40 pages into it and so far it's nothing special. But after a foreword from Donald Trump, there was nowhere to go but up. Trump started his one-page foreword with praise that still managed to come across as self-aggrandizing: "The one person who could teach me something about real estate is Jorge Perez."

What? The one person? Did Donald Trump really just say that there is no one who can teach him anything except for Jorge Perez? There's no question that Donald Trump's an expert in the savvy selection of wealthy parents, losing money operating a casino, and resurrecting his career by playing a caricature of a mogul on a sitcom -- I mean, reality show. But real estate?

As if this country doesn't have enough to worry about, now Donald Trump says that oil companies such as BP (NYSE: BP), Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), and Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) are ripping us off. According to a story from CNBC, Trump is calling for punitive sanctions against oil companies, citing their historic profit levels.

While calling himself a "great capitalist" and stating that it is against his nature to seek punitive sanctions against companies that are reaping big profits, Donald Trump indicated that it is his opinion that oil companies have been ripping off the world for quite some time. In a statement aired by CNBC, Trump said, "I can see doing something against the oil companies."

The New York Post reports that the NYPD is conducting an internal affairs investigation into assault charges filed against a woman involved in ousting Donald Trump's son from the board for the condo he lived in. The Post reports that NYPD investigation documents say the charges were "beefed up" as a result of pressure from The Trump Orgainzation.

Eugenia Kaye was accused of punching the building's resident manager in the eye. According to a statement filed by a police officer who arrived at the scene, Daniel Gozalez, the assaulted manager, "was pressured by the Trump organization to beef up the complaint against Ms. Kaye to have her arrested, because she had Donald Trump Jr. ousted as a board member of the building."

What does Donald Trump have to say about this? He called Kaye a "terrible person" but added that he knows "nothing about it." If that seems like somewhat of a contradiction to you, it does to me too. There's a juicy tale on condo association intrigue somewhere in here, but there aren't currently enough details available.

This post from Gothamist has some of the reasons Ms. Kaye got Trump Jr. kicked off the board. To many, just having Donald's Trump blood running through your veins should be a good enough reason to get the boot.

Donald Trump is having trouble with his plans to build a $2.5 billion golf resort in Scotland.

Basically, the hearty Scots see through his schtick and don't want anything to do with him. They're so sick of him that they actually threatened him with a fine for using a seal without registering it -- a violation of a completely un-enforced law from 1672.

Now The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Trump has renewed his battle for the hearts and minds of Scotland, by visiting his mother's birthplace on a remote Scottish island Monday. He took a private jet and stayed all of three hours.

Ivanka Trump -- the daughter of comedy icon Donald Trump and a director at his flailing casino company, Trump Entertainment Resorts (NASDAQ: TRMP) -- is back from a trip to Israel where she was scouting out possible investment opportunities.

In an interview with Haaretz.com, she said that it was her first trip to Israel and that she saw tremendous opportunities for investment in Israel. If you care about her opinions on the US market, she feels that "now is the time to buy" and that prices will "go right back up."

It was only a few years ago that the Israeli government established the laws to make real estate investments trusts available there. Excellence Investments' "REIT 1" became the first REIT to trade on the Tel Aviv stock exchange.

Once an Israeli REIT lists its stock on the US market as an ADR, American investors will have an easy opportunity to follow Ivanka into Israel.