Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008 - (Page 33)

Donald Trump L Brash. Ruthless. Supremely confident. Donald Trump pulls no punches and makes no apologies for his business success. Here, the entrepreneurial powerhouse speaks candidly about family, fame, and a Hollywood Establishment that keeps him at arm’s-length. Interview by Robin Marchbank Illustration by Fred Harper eave it to donald trump to benefit from both the sub- prime mortgage mess and the Hollywood writers’ strike. Just as his prime-time show The Apprentice appeared to be on the brink of being “fired” itself, the flow of new, original TV ideas abruptly dried up. So now The Apprentice is back for another season—with its reality TV concept amplified by the addition of minor league celebrities joining in the competition. And how does a businessman as savvy as “The Donald” react to the plummeting real estate market? He creates yet another multi-million dollar business, this one offering foreclosure seminars at Trump University, which he founded in 2005. In essence, Trump’s instructors teach people how to make a lowball offer for the home of someone in financial distress and then sell that property at a higher price before any money changes hands. It’s the classic business practice of many successful real estate speculators. The message: You don’t have to own real estate to make money from it; you just have to have legal control of it. Love him or hate him (and everyone seems to have an opinion), Donald Trump—whose net worth is estimated at $2.9 billion by Forbes magazine—represents something of a bionic version of American entrepreneurship. He is the largest developer in New York and has financial irons in the fire all over the world. Even his name is a brand, marketing everything from men’s clothing and fragrance to catering, bottled water, ice cream, and board games. Ever outspoken and opinionated, Donald Trump is a lightning rod for controversy. He hasn’t always lived the life of privilege he currently enjoys, but as we found—he was born to rule the block. www.BroughtonQuarterly.com 33 http://www.BroughtonQuarterly.com

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Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008 Contents Contributors Plugged In Notes Destination 1000 Words Calendar Wine & Cuisine Of Gods and Monkeys Santa Monica Beach Chasing the Rain Donald Trump Marketplace Spotlight

Broughton Quarterly - Spring 2008

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