I’ve got my own instincts and preferences but we also review what comes in for us from other people. We cover our bases and are always ready for an opportunity. We are developing a property in Istanbul after my good friend, the late Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, suggested the idea. Ivanka will be visiting Turkey to look for a site.
Once a site is approved, we will appoint a project manager to oversee the project. For example, in Las Vegas we have Brian Baudreau to supervise the Trump International Hotel & Towers development. I can call him at any time to see what’s happening, and I’ll be comprehensively informed from one call. There’s an efficiency to our operation that allows us to move forward quickly and confidently.
Trump Ocean Club Panama
No project will be free from the problems that can—and will—surface at any time. However, we do our homework and know we’ve done our best to ensure a high success rate and a world-famous standard of quality. That’s the Trump way, and Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and I are working together to make sure it remains that way.
COACH TRUMP
MAKE IT HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE
Complacency kills. Remember that your success and all good things that come your way are a direct result of your effort; you have a place to live because you’ve earned it, and you have possessions because you’ve earned them. Growing cocky or self-assured can lead you directly into a downfall. I know because it’s happened to me.
Trump International Hotel and Tower, Las Vegas
27
ONLY IN NEW YORK!
This City Will Serve Up Problems and Solutions You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Traffic can be unbearable in New York City at times. Once I was with The Apprentice crew in my limousine, and we got stuck in a traffic jam. We were at a standstill. Everyone started doing their elbow-to-the-horn routine—the horns just kept honking without interruption. My limo was packed, and we hadn’t moved an inch in 20 minutes. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore. So I decided to get out of the limo and just stand in the middle of the street. What happened was classic, but it worked. Suddenly the horns stopped, there was dead silence because people recognized me standing in the middle of the traffic mess. They did what I hoped they’d do—took their hands and elbows off their horns, and started waving and shouting, “Hey, Donald!” “Hey, it’s Donald Trump!” “It’s The Donald—Hi, Donald!” It was a great moment, and I waved back and laughed, but mostly I was relieved they’d stopped honking their horns for a couple of minutes at least. There are times when it’s great to be recognizable, and this was one of those times. Of course, there are plenty of times when it creates problems I could live without.
I have a great security team, but now and then things can happen. I was scheduled to appear at a party on a ship on the Hudson River that was going to do an evening dinner cruise around Manhattan. It would take up about 15 minutes of my time, and I would leave before the boat left the dock. It was a great cocktail party, and I was talking to a few people, when suddenly I noticed the boat wasn’t at the dock anymore—we were going down the river! No one told me we were leaving the dock, including my bodyguard. He hadn’t noticed the boat leaving either. Well, here I was, stuck on a cruise around Manhattan for three hours on a Saturday night—not exactly what I had planned! I didn’t know who to get angry at first—the captain, my host, my bodyguard, or whoever was around me. I never would have agreed to a three-hour cruise. I thought about jumping in the river and swimming back to Manhattan. I was pretty mad.
Anyway, since there was nothing I could do about it, I decided to go with the flow. It was actually a great group of people, and they seemed happy to have me aboard, whether I’d been invited or not. So I joined them, told some stories, had some laughs, and it was great. It was also a beautiful evening and the party took on a celebratory mood that no one had expected. It ended up being a night we’d all remember.
COACH TRUMP
MAKE IT HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE
My advice to you is, go with the flow, especially if you don’t have a choice. This time I actually enjoyed some smooth sailing that was totally unexpected and not on my agenda. I was thinking, life is like that sometimes. It helped a lot when I just lightened up a bit and managed to have a good time. Try it yourself sometime—you’ll find it will work for you whether your name is Donald Trump or not.
28
HOW TO DE-STRESS
Everyone has his or her own way of letting off steam, letting go of tension, and changing thinking patterns. Whatever works for you is the best choice, as long as it’s not self-destructive or destructive to others. That’s why I like to golf. Golf is a brain game, but it can be totally relaxing at the same time. I find it opens my mind to new possibilities, and I can problem solve very effectively while I’m on the golf course.
What I do in the office at times is to practice my swing, or I’ll just pick up a golf club and think about the game. That action alone is a breath of fresh air—even if it’s office air—and helps me see things creatively or in a new light. I know that some people find music or exercise does that for them, but for me it’s golf.
Another way to de-stress is to replace negatives with positives. This applies in many areas, for example, I try to surround myself with positive people and get rid of the negative types.
Anyone who visits my office will notice that I have many photographs of my family—my parents, my children, and Melania. That’s a great positive focus to keep, not that I need reminders, but a glance now and then can keep things in perspective. I also have photos and mementos of achievements that have meant a lot to me over the years—so if the going is rough, I have tangible reminders of past successes. None of them were easy either.
Keep your momentum going, try to replace negatives with positives, and you’ll have more successes waiting for you, even if right now they’re nowhere in sight.
29
YOU WILL BE ATTACKED FOR TRYING TO CHANGE ANYTHING
Mar-a-Lago
Marjorie Merriweather Post officially opened her Mar-a-Lago estate in 1927. She was then Mrs. Edward F. Hutton, and she spent four years constructing this incredible estate, which is on a coral reef in Palm Beach, anchored by concrete and steel. For you etymologists, Mar-a-Lago is Latin for sea to lake. Just from those few facts alone, you will begin to get a sense of the history of this magnificent estate, which I saw for the first time in 1985.
We’ve all heard of love at first sight, and I got that lightning bolt the first time I saw Mar-a-Lago. I immediately knew it had to be mine, all 128 rooms of it, all 110,000 square feet of it, all 20 acres of it. I knew it might not be easy, but I knew it couldn’t have been easy to build something like this, and the challenges were apparent. It was a bit of a wreck from neglect, but nevertheless I was determined to own it.
Mar-a-Lago
I think you should know a bit about how Mar-a-Lago came into being, considering it’s a historical monument. Ms. Post, who was the cereal heiress, obviously thought details were important. Three boatloads of Dorian stone were shipped from Italy, over 36,000 original Spanish tiles were laid, 2,200 square feet of black and white marble from an old castle in Cuba were used for the dining room floor, and a 75-foot tower topped the main structure. Palm Beach society was under the combined forces of Mar-a-Lago and Post, and for good reason. This place surpassed the glory of Newport and San Simeon mansions in a New York minute. In 1969, the Department of the Interior designated the estate as a national historic site and the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After Ms. Post’s death in 1973, the estate was transferred, according to her will, to the federal government for use as a presidential retreat or for diplomatic purposes. Ten years later, because there were security concerns as well as a huge maintenance bill, the government conferred the title back to the Post Foundation. Then I came along in 1985.
A lot happened between 1985, which was my first glimpse of this spectacular wreck, until 1995, when it was open
ed as a private club. Buying the property was the easy part—there weren’t too many legitimate offers out there. I paid the Post Foundation a grand total of $8 million for the house and the grounds, including $3 million for all of the original furnishings. This included the china, the crystal, and the goldware. This was a record-setting price, but in reality it was a low price for Mar-a-Lago.
Another reality I was soon to face was the opposition of Dina Merrill, Mrs. Post’s daughter. Although she was more concerned with her acting career than the well being of this priceless estate, she did everything she could to thwart me. However, other members of the Post family took my side and realized that I would preserve the integrity and elegance of Mar-a-Lago. One of them, Marjorie Post Dye, the first grandchild and namesake of Marjorie Merriweather Post, referred to me as “a big, blue-eyed guardian angel hovering in a holding pattern just waiting to land and take charge.” This family member later told me I had saved Mar-a-Lago. My point is this: You will always have detractors. That’s life. The higher you aim, the more opposition you will encounter. In spite of this, there will always be someone who will see your good motives for what they are.
Around Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago was known as a White Elephant—magnificent, but impossible to maintain. Jimmy Carter gave it back to the Post Foundation because of what it was costing the taxpayers to maintain. As you know by now, I like a challenge. I used the house as a private residence until 1995, but my first thought when I saw it was that it would make a fantastic private club. Along with this great idea came another huge obstacle: zoning and local ordinances would never permit this. It would never happen. It had to remain as a private house, or the property would be subdivided. This was a horrific thought, but that was reality.
I was living very happily with my family at Mar-a-Lago, even though it is far too big as a house. There were parts of it I had never seen. There were bomb shelters, for example, and many wings were left vacant.
THE LOW POINT
Then, in the 1990s I ran into a financial crisis—to the tune of billions of dollars. You can imagine my thoughts—great time to own a money pit! But I can tell you, I didn’t actually find it a great weight. I had so much else to worry about that even with its problems Mar-a-Lago felt like a minor weight to me. I remember being in a room full of bankers, trying to work out a very complex situation, and they were friends who were truly trying to be helpful. Trying to be light-hearted in a dire situation, I said to them, “well, since it’s Friday, think I’ll go down to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend on my 727.” They didn’t think that was very funny and I knew immediately I’d made a big mistake. So I quickly told them I was going to subdivide Mar-a-Lago, and call it the Mansions at Mar-a-Lago, and promised them it would be a huge moneymaker. That worked! I saw their anger disappear immediately.
However, now I was stuck with doing something about what I’d just promised. The thought of subdividing Mar-a-Lago was anathema to me. I went to Palm Beach with that idea in mind because it was a logical solution to the problem, and I met with the town attorney and the town building inspector. I thought I was entitled to 14 lots, but they suggested I ask for 8, because then the zoning would go through quickly. However, the town rejected my proposal, even though it was a routine proposal, nothing extraordinary or outlandish, and less than what I was entitled to ask for. But I was amiable and went along with whatever they were demanding. I was wondering how long they would continue to try to bamboozle me.
Here’s where it’s important to stop and think for moment. If you remember, I had hoped to turn Mar-a-Lago into a club in the first place, but I had doubts, big doubts, that it could ever get rezoned as a club. Instead, look what happened: I had been denied my legal right by not being allowed to subdivide the land—I was entitled by law to 14 subdivision lots. I knew this and they knew it, and it was totally unfair. I actually think they were very embarrassed by their hard-nosed stance against me, but it worked to my favor. They might also have known I could take them to court.
You may be right if you’re thinking, is anything ever easy for this guy, even if his name is Donald Trump? Doesn’t seem so, does it. However, I was determined to set this straight.
As a result of the treatment I got from the city of Palm Beach, my team and I went over everything we had done in the past year and a half and made sure we had complied precisely with every demand. Then we reviewed the actions of the Landmarks Preservation Commission as well as the town council, and we decided to file a $100 million lawsuit. My civil rights had been denied, and we all knew it. I saw a way that this could work to my advantage. That’s a good thing to remember when things seem unfair or unjust in your life. That’s where keeping cool, being patient, and using your head comes in very handy.
During the litigation, the town council came back to me and said they would give me the 14 lots that I originally wanted—the maximum allowed under the law. So I told them I wasn’t interested anymore. What I wanted was a private club. Now I had leverage, due to their mistake. It also turns out that two town council members had the prescience to see what could be done with Mar-a-Lago to make Palm Beach even more desirable, and the town council eventually approved Mar-a-Lago for a private club. This event took longer than a paragraph to describe, but another reason we got approval is that Mar-a-Lago would be open to everyone. There were some clubs in Palm Beach that had no Jewish or African American members. It was hard to believe that, but it was true and I wanted to change that for good. Now we not only had a good case, but a good cause.
Needless to say, this plan brought a whole new group of detractors to the surface. I was prepared for the attack. Every issue became a battle during this time to get Mar-a-Lago going as a club. Once again, however, I knew I was doing the right thing. Once again, I won. In 1995, Mar-a-Lago became a spectacular private club. It has since been referred to as the “Jewel of Palm Beach” and for good reason.
COACH TRUMP
MAKE IT HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE
You might think I would get tired of all the fighting around Mar-a-Lago. It’s a funny thing, but sometimes you find that the more opposition you encounter—or create—by your actions, the more energy you get! Try that approach sometime instead of throwing in the towel or being disgusted when you run into opposition. You’ll find out how tough and smart you really are. The actions of the town council, along with the archaic response of the town against a club that admitted all people, gave me a tenacity that could not be beaten. Repeat that to yourself: I’m doing the right thing, and I will not be beaten!
At the same time I was struggling to create Mar-a-Lago, I had many difficulties, obstacles, and setbacks with many other projects as well. I started to learn to expect problems. Experience can give you a resiliency that is very valuable. When you get to that point, remember: Don’t give up! Those words can get you to great places, can get you the place you want, and can change attitudes that should be changed. That’s winning.
POSTSCRIPT
The latest threat to Palm Beach is from the airport. They want to build a new runway nearby, and it’s a real problem. Here’s a letter I wrote to the local paper. You have to keep fighting:March 26, 2007
Mar-a-Lago is a great landmark which would be hurt badly by adding another runway to Palm Beach International Airport. It would destroy the integrity of Mar-a-Lago, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation is in total agreement with that assessment—another runway would be a disaster.
Of equal importance for the city and state government, it is a total waste of $1.5 billion to build a runway that is unnecessary. My pilots and others who are familiar with aviation and the particularities of airports feel it is a complete and total waste of money, as the current runways are adequate, and will be well into the future. They have other land that could be used to build a runway at a different section of the airport if it were really necessary, which it is not.
In short, to build another runway would be destructive as well as wasteful. Save the money and let Bruce Pelly get on
with his life.
Donald J. Trump
30
SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Sometimes it pays to take the time to set the record straight. When the New York Times published a review of a book that included some juvenile remarks about me, I was inspired to write them a letter. The book review didn’t merit a letter, but I enjoy writing when I can set the record straight or make a point. The letter was published by the New York Times, and, as it turns out, was named “Best Letter of the Year to the New York Times Book Review” by New York magazine.
It may have been a condescending letter but so were the reviewer’s remarks. Why did I take the time to write it? Because it mattered and because I don’t give up! In fact, here is a copy of the letter for you for future reference—in case this ever happens to you. I hope it doesn’t, but remember to do something about it if it does. You just might win a citation for your efforts, in addition to setting things straight. Creating win-win situations for yourself can happen even as a result of bad or negative knocks. That’s how you turn problems and challenges into successes.
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