Trump: How to Get Rich

I love sports. I have one of Shaquille O’Neal’s oversized sneakers on display in my office and a signed baseball from my favorite team, the New York Yankees. I keep it near Tiffany’s drawing of a house. She’s already into real estate.

To Donald Trump—‘I wanna be like you when I grow up.’ Shaq.

Speaking of real estate: I’ve saved an article about how I sold the land under the Empire State Building for $57.5 million in March 2002. New York real estate can be a wonderful business. I’ve also clipped a profile of another great success story, developer Steve Witkoff, who owns the Woolworth Building and the News Building, in addition to valuable property in London. In an interview with a London newspaper, Steve described me as the only real estate person in this world who can brand his name individually. In my opinion, it’s not going to happen again. Donald is a master at marketing. But you can’t market and be a master at marketing unless you’ve got great product—it doesn’t work like that. They say ‘Coke are masters at marketing Coke,’ or ‘Nike, they’re masters at marketing Nike.’ You know what? They’ve got the best drink and the best sneakers. Well, Donald develops the best buildings. It’s a fact of life. He’s a great developer. No one wants to give him credit for that.

Finally, I come across a postcard from my gorgeous daughter Ivanka and an old postcard from my parents. I miss them. I still have two-thirds of the box to go through, but I’m on for dinner with Eric and Melania and I don’t want to be late.

7:00 P.M. I pick up a large pile of documents to take with me, say good night to Norma, turn off the lights, leave my office, and head up to my apartment. It’s been a good day. Business tip: Keep a box by your desk for mementos of the people and events that matter in your life and career. Reviewing the contents every now and then will keep you aware of your good fortune.

THURSDAY

8:30 A.M. This morning I have an interview with the legendary Barbara Walters, regarding the upcoming anniversary of September 11. All goes well; she’s professional and to the point, which always helps. I am also planning a surprise visit this morning to Barbara’s show,The View, as I have been the center of their discussions for a few days. They’ve been waiting for me to call them, which I haven’t done, as I think a personal appearance might be more fun, although they don’t know about it yet. If someone challenges you, always try to take the challenge and run with it.

9:15 A.M. I have a meeting with Elaine Diratz, the director of sales at Trump World Tower at the United Nations Plaza. This condominium tower experienced a lot of opposition while it was being built, but it has literally been a triumph, both nationally and internationally. Even though Herbert Muschamp ofThe New York Times has lauded it and it has recently won a coveted European award for design, that doesn’t mean we sit back in wonder at our good fortune. Everything requires upkeep, especially something of this caliber—plus it is in constant demand as a location site for films and television shows. Elaine and I troubleshoot the latest details.

9:45 A.M. Don Jr. comes in to update me on his work. He’s sharp and has some good insights on a few of our developments. It makes me think that maybe he’s paid attention all these years after all. Norma comes in to tell me I should get going.

10:00 A.M. Brian and I go over to the ABC studios on the West Side, to tape a special segment with Regis Philbin. It’s a beautiful day and the city is sparkling—and as ever, so are Regis and Kelly.

11:00 A.M. I am lurking in the studios of Barbara Walters’s showThe View, where I see Sharon Stone, who is a scheduled guest. At the top of the program, they are still discussing my hair and why I haven’t called them back. Joy Behar mentions that here she is, still waiting for some guy to call, and Meredith Vieira mentions that expecting Donald Trump to call her back might be expecting too much. This conversation continues for a while—will he call?, won’t he call?—and then I decide to just walk out onto the set. The audience shrieks when they see me, and Joy is, well, not exactly overjoyed but certainly surprised. I receive a very warm welcome from Barbara, Star, and Meredith, and I think Joy is relieved to know that I’m not at all in a huff over her remarks. I even let her touch and rearrange my hair and explain that while it may not be great hair, it’s mine, and it’s fine with me. We have a good time, and I think we’ll all have to agree that a visit is better than a phone call.

12:00 P.M. Steve Wynn is here to visit me. We chat for a while and then I take him on a tour of The Apprentice sets being built downstairs. Steve and I are close friends—again!