Trump: How to Get Rich

10:30 A.M. The German TV team is ready for an interview in the conference room. They’d done a wonderful job in covering Mar-a-Lago a few months ago, which I appreciate, and so we’re doing a New York interview. They are professional and enthusiastic, and all goes well. You see, I’ve done so many interviews that at times they can be boring for me, so if the people are interesting, it helps a lot. Just this year, both of my sons did their first TV interviews, and that was exciting. TheToday show did a Father’s Day program, and Matt Lauer interviewed Don Jr. and myself, which was great fun. Both Matt Lauer and Katie Couric have a knack for making anything entertaining, and I enjoy them tremendously.48 Hours interviewed my younger son, Eric, and myself, and aside from some slumping on his part, Eric did a great job. The media really isn’t anything new to my kids, although they’ve been protected from it to a certain extent.

11:00 A.M. I receive an invitation to attend the show of Oscar de la Renta’s new collection, and I call Melania. We decide to attend. I’ve never gotten tired of fashion or fashion shows. To me, it’s an unbeatable combination—beautiful women and beautiful clothes, especially Oscar’s.

My agency, Trump Model Management, has managed to put itself on the fashion map in a relatively short time. I started it about five years ago. We’ve got some top models, and I enjoy watching this business become more and more successful. I call John Tutolo for an update, and we discuss a few things that we think could be improved.

I call Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, to go over a few things with her. An interviewer recently asked me what motivated me to buy the rights to the Miss Universe pageant. My answer was that I love beautiful women and I’m also a businessman, so it seemed like a good idea, which it has turned out to be. Sometimes things are that simple. I realized early on that I was an aesthete by nature, being attracted to beauty in both people and buildings. My work has shown that some early self-knowledge was right on target.

I take a call from Ricardo Bellino, a businessman in Brazil. We are working on the Villa Trump together in Brazil, and he’s also asking me some questions for his upcoming book on the power of ideas. I mention that ideas are door openers, the first step. Without a first step, there won’t be any other steps to take you where you want to go. It’s a visual process. Perhaps that’s why I’m a visionary, but a well-grounded one. When it comes to great ideas, the first questions I ask myself are:Yeah, but is it possible? Will this be feasible? If I can see something being accomplished, I know it is a possibility. I guess that’s why I’m a builder. I start from the ground and go up from there.

I write a congratulatory note to Kitty Carlisle Hart for her ninety-third birthday. In addition to being multitalented, she’s been a true philanthropist, and New York is lucky to have her. I always liked to watch her on television. Those of you who remember the television showTo Tell the Truth will know what I’m talking about.

I write another note to a high school that has asked me for advice, and also asked who my favorite U.S. president might be. I decide to start with a quote by Abraham Lincoln, who would have to be my first choice: I will study and prepare, and perhaps my chance will come. Always humble, always hardworking, always studying, Lincoln is a great example for high school kids.

11:30 A.M. The Entertainment Channel is ready for an interview regardingThe Apprentice. It goes quickly and well, and we’re done in five minutes.

12:00 P.M. I call an employee at a large property who has not been as attentive as his position demands. I tell him that his bad performance is not his fault, but mine: I simply hired the wrong person by overestimating his capabilities. I add that if he’d like to change my mind about my initial mistake, it’s up to him. He promises to take care of things right away, and I think he means it.

I ask Andy Weiss to come in. His office is about 110 feet down the hall, but he can hear me. The reason we don’t have an intercom system is because we don’t need one. This often startles visitors, but, as I see it, why have more gadgets than necessary? Andy’s been with me a long time, and we get right to the point. The meeting’s over in less than five minutes.

I call Beverly Sills, one of the most wonderful opera singers of all time, and an equally wonderful person. I may not enjoy sitting through an opera, but I have always respected opera singers and enjoy the highlights of opera. Beverly is remarkable in every way, and I always enjoy talking to her.