Trump: How to Get Rich

Reggie Jackson stops by for a quick visit. He is always welcome here, and my staff loves it when he visits. We chat for a few minutes, and I remember all the incredible moments he has given us as a Yankee. Truly a great.

I return calls to Jay Neveloff, David Scharf, and my brother Robert, and make a call to Wollman Rink to see how we did with our summer attraction, Victorian Gardens. We used the ice rink space as an upscale amusement park for children during the summer months, and since this is our first season doing so, I’m interested in a firsthand account.

3:30 P.M.  I take a walk over to Trump Park Avenue, at Park and Fifty-ninth. As I said, I like to keep my eye on things, and I never find property checks tedious. This is such a beautiful building. I remember being interviewed last year byThe New York Times about both the building itself and the real estate market in New York. I told them People would rather invest in real estate than in Enron and WorldCom. You can touch it, feel it, smell it. As opposed to Enron, which you can only smell. Costas Kondylis mentioned that this building also had an advantage over properties that boast of being prewar-like, in that this building is definitely not prewar-like. Itis prewar. Anyway, the work is coming along and it’s looking good.

I guess someone sawThe View on TV this morning, because, as I’m walking back, a lady says Hey, Donald! Your hair looks great! Whoever you are, thanks.

4:30 P.M. I take a call from Joe Cinque regarding Sardinia. That’s pretty far away but he says that next to Mar-a-Lago, it’s his favorite place, and this guy travels all over the world. I’ll have to check into it a bit.

I have a short meeting with my finance group, Allen, Jeff, and Eric. I should have a picture of these guys for you—what a crew! However, they do good work. People often ask me where I find the people who work for me. I think it must be divine intervention, if there is such a thing. But somehow, it all works. Remember how I once said that you should try to get people you like to work for you? These guys are a good example of that advice.

4:50 P.M. Rhona comes in to tell me that Jim Griffin is on the line. Ever heard of the William Morris Agency? He’s the guy to know. Jim is another example of someone who will always tell it like it is, which I appreciate. He’ll give you the facts, and fast.

5:00 P.M. I get a lot of letters from students of all ages who ask me specific things—either for school projects or for their own interest—and, while I can’t respond to them all, I like to review their letters. Sometimes the simplicity and directness of their questions can keep me aware of small and simple things. As Benjamin Franklin once said, Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship. In business, nothing is ever too small to notice.

5:30 P.M. I review a pile of legal documents, making short notes on them for response by my assistants tomorrow morning. If we didn’t keep up with our correspondence several times a day, we’d be sunk. I receive requests from people in every industry under the sun, moon, and stars combined. My daily delivery includes submissions from artists, musicians, screenwriters, architects, authors, poets, comedians, chefs, designers, actors, shoemakers, and more. That’s a condensed list. I also receive bundles of cookbooks from a lady in Illinois several times a year. Why she does this is beyond me. She must know that one of the few things I don’t do is cook.

6:30 P.M. Enough ruminating. I check my faxes and go upstairs.

FRIDAY

8:30 A.M. The electrical contractors call in with some bogus claims about why they’re way off schedule. They’ve been slacking off on the job. I’ve been watching them carefully and know exactly what their problem is, and proceed to tell them so. They get the message and promise me they will get back on track. We’ll see. I believe about twenty percent of what contractors say, and that’s on a good day. They know what I mean.

9:00 A.M. I take a call from Dick Levy, a real gentleman, then I ask for a Diet Coke. Another call concerns an ad I placed about slot machines at the racetracks in New York, which I’m against. Without countless layers of security, it will not be in the public’s best interest, and I therefore mention that it is obvious the ground under our racetracks is most fertile for growing organized crime. The ad contains a photograph of Al Capone, with the caption He would have loved it. The bottom of the ad says, Paid for by a Committee of one, who may not always be right, but knows what’s wrong. I think the point is made.

Rhona asks about the Giants game next week, and I decide to go. I return calls from Bo Dietl, Vinnie Stellio, and Ivana, and place a call to Jim Griffin of the William Morris Agency. David Granger calls;Esquire magazine is using an apartment in Trump World Tower as an example of the ultimate man’s apartment, the Esquire Apartment. I have to agree with him that it’s the ideal place.