The dim view of Trump's business acumen is likely a function of several things. Trump himself is viewed highly unfavorably by the public, and those negative feelings may cloud voters perceptions of his other professional endeavors as well.

But the rough-and-tumble campaign has brought to light a number of findings about Trump's business career that clash with his public persona as a highly successful business mogul. Among them:

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Analyses have shown that Trump's real estate investments and other business ventures have drastically underperformed the U.S. stock market over the course of his career. "Had Trump gotten out of real estate entirely, put his money in an index fund based on the S&P 500 and reinvested the dividends, he'd be worth twice as much — $6 billion — today" as he is currently, Max Ehrenfreund wrote last year

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail share Share View Photos View Photos Next Image MANCHESTER, NH - NOVEMBER 7: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH on Monday November 07, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

None of these facts would be particularly damning to a typical businessman. There's nothing wrong with kickstarting a business empire using family wealth, and failure often goes hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship.

It should also be said that Trump has certainly seen his fair share of success. Those billions came from somewhere, after all. He made a lot of money off real estate, and many of his golf courses and hotels appear to have been successful. And his TV show "The Apprentice" has been hugely popular, spawning spinoffs like "Celebrity Apprentice" as well as a whole host of international editions.

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Above all, as Trump put it in a TIME interview in 2015, "My life has been about winning. My life has not been about losing."

It's one thing to build a business around these types of ideas. But it's a lot harder to do this in a political campaign. You're fighting an opponent looking to tear you down at every possible opportunity. And you're facing a national press corps constantly looking to peel back the curtain separating public boasts from private truths.

For these, reasons presidential campaigns can take a harsh toll on a candidate's favorability or job approval ratings. It's no surprise that the 2016 campaign would have a similarly negative effect on the perception of Trump's business acumen.