Question 1

True or false: Rubenstein has never appeared on a Forbes list of billionaires because he keeps his wealth private.

Accepted Answer

False. He has consistently appeared on the Forbes Billionaires list, with a net worth estimated around $4 billion.

Question 2

True or false: Rubenstein was a professional baseball player before entering finance.

Accepted Answer

False. He played no professional sports. He studied at Duke and later earned a law degree from the University of Chicago.

Question 3

True or false: David Rubenstein once owned an original copy of the Magna Carta and lent it to the National Archives.

Accepted Answer

True. Rubenstein bought a rare 1297 Magna Carta for $21.3 million in 2007 and placed it on permanent loan at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Question 4

True or false: Rubenstein co-founded the Carlyle Group with only $5,000 in startup capital.

Accepted Answer

False. The Carlyle Group was founded in 1987 with $5 million in capital, not $5,000. Rubenstein and his partners raised the funds from investors including T. Rowe Price.

Question 5

True or false: David Rubenstein donated $7.5 million to restore the Washington Monument after the 2011 earthquake.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2012, Rubenstein donated $7.5 million to repair the earthquake-damaged Washington Monument, and he later funded restorations of the Lincoln Memorial and other landmarks.

Question 6

True or false: Rubenstein underwent a lung transplant in 2022 after a bout with COVID-19.

Accepted Answer

True. He received a double lung transplant in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis, a condition exacerbated by his COVID-19 infection.

Question 7

True or false: Rubenstein is the only person to have won both a Tony Award and an Academy Award for producing.

Accepted Answer

False. He has never produced a Broadway show or film. He is a major donor to cultural institutions but not an award-winning producer.

Question 8

True or false: David Rubenstein is a former White House counsel under President Jimmy Carter.

Accepted Answer

False. He worked as a deputy domestic policy advisor in the Carter administration, not as White House counsel. The counsel role is a myth.

David Rubenstein Trivia Questions