Success with Style
by Donald J. Trump
Chairman, Trump University
The glamour and grandeur of my buildings and my life are no mere trappings. Beauty and elegance, whether in a woman or a work of art, is not something superficial, not just something pretty to look at. It's a product of style, and it comes from deep inside. No matter how hard you try, you cannot buy style. Whether custom-made or off the shelf, good taste is not for sale. For me, style and success are completely interwoven. I wouldn't want to have one without the other.
When I'm going up to my office in Trump Tower, I enjoy looking down on the crowds of people ohhing and ahhing at the magnificent atrium I created. I realize that what I'm seeing is just the outward affect of the spectacle, the tourists' reaction to all that beautiful marble and the 80-foot waterfall. It's probably unlike anything they see back home, and it says "Trump" like few things do.
Even though I'll never actually see it, I also know something else is going on inside those tourists and glamour-hounds who flock to Trump Tower or the Taj in Atlantic City or any of my other properties that dazzle with their flair. These people are responding emotionally to the whole package. Whatever you want to call this reaction--a thrill or simply pleasure and appreciation--I like it, and I can tell you it's no accident. What they're really responding to is the style of my work. Style is what moves people, and style is what the best always have in spades.
Tiger Woods, a phenomenal golfer--and a good friend--has style. If he just sank a little ball in a little hole again and again, that wouldn't account for his popularity and, dare I say, his fantastic wealth. Another friend of mine, Tony Bennett, has more style than maybe anyone who ever set foot on a stage. He's a huge talent, certainly, and he has a fantastic set of pipes, undoubtedly. But it's his style that sells it. Talent without style can be mechanical. Competence without style is often just business as usual, and that's something I'll never be accused of.
Source
Comment - Evidence of the man’s colossal ego, referring to tourists and others in derogatory terms as if beneath him
2005
2005
Trusting the Press
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 3/24/2008 at 11:28 AM
Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the press. Over the years, they’ve written some pretty great stories about me. And, over the years, there have been a lot of lies printed too. I’ve talked to some pretty incredible reporters and some who are just horrible and seem to make up whatever they want to write.
If it’s that way about me, I know it’s that way about almost everything I read. So how do you know when to believe what you read in print or what you hear on the news?
If you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. Right now, more than half of Americans say they tend not to trust the press. They take what they read or what they hear with a grain of salt, knowing maybe they’re not getting the whole story. And I think that’s pretty smart. You just can’t believe everything you hear. Nobody can be that gullible.
Maybe somewhat surprisingly, these days people tend to trust Internet news and information sites more than they trust television. They trust radio news even more...which is why I have a radio commentary.
It’s an election year, so you have to be smarter than ever. Sift through what you hear and what you read on the news and form your own opinions. Don’t trust everything.
Source
Comment - Considering that Trump routinely quotes media articles in his blogs and cites data from a single study rather than several, I think this rather hypocritical. He should apply this same philosophy to the right-wing media today who write articles with no references and with no foundation in truth. What’s most amusing is that the media he despises so much don’t have to resort to printing lies - Trump provides enough cannon fodder from his own words and actions!
2008
If You Were Laid Off...
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 5/2/2008 at 9:07 AM
Of course no one likes to think about it, but if you were laid-off from your job tomorrow how would you fare financially? With today’s volatile economy and job market, unfortunately it’s something you have to consider.
I saw a recent online poll on CNN.com and was shocked at the results. Nearly 100,000 people had logged in their comments and about half said that if they were laid-off now, their savings wouldn’t last more than a couple of weeks.
That’s unbelievable to me. It’s hard for me to imagine that people are that unprepared for financial hardship today, especially knowing how unstable everything is right now.
I know it can be hard to save money when you have a mortgage and car payments and credit card bills but take my advice and try to save just a little bit from every paycheck. Put it in the bank - somewhere you can get it if you need it but where you won’t be tempted to touch it. The same principle applies to me. I don’t care how much you make or how rich you are. You have to save money.
That way if the unfortunate happens and you lose your job, it’s there when you need it until you’re back on your feet. In today’s unsteady economy, it’s the smart thing to do.
Source
2008
Real Estate Investing and The Global Economic Crisis
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 6/15/2009 at 3:33 PM
The following question was submitted to "Ask Donald Trump" by a Trump University memeber.
What do you think about the importance of buying real estate in this world crisis?
There are always opportunities, but one must research and be careful. Of course it helps if you have cash and know how to buy in this kind of market, but it’s important to realize that there are opportunities no matter what the market is doing. One of my first deals was done when the real estate market was in bad shape in New York City, in fact the city itself was in trouble. Everyone said how terrible it was, but I was just starting out and knew it’s what I wanted to do, so I just found a way around it and had my first big success. Make the situation work for you--it may take more time and creativity, but it can be done.
Source
Comment - Trump admits the economy was volatile back in May 2008, reverses his position 3 months later and in June 2009 admits there is such a thing as a Global Economic Crisis.
Donald Trump's Biggest Challenge
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 6/23/2009 at 6:34 PM
The following question was submitted to "Ask Donald Trump" by a Trump University member.
What was your biggest challenge as one of the top entrepreneur’s in the world?
In the early 1990’s I was many millions of dollars in debt, the markets weren’t doing well, and newspapers had reported my demise, that I was finished. But I didn’t believe it for a second. I focused on the solution, not my problems, and refused to give up. I became more successful than I had been before.
Source
Comment - Er, make that a few billion Donald!
2009
Business, the workplace, media and litigation
Times Are Good
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 8/11/2008 at 3:36 PM
You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about when you see that headline. But I’m talking about what’s happening today, now, in the U.S. I say that times are good because there are still plenty of opportunities out there. In fact I’m a little tired of the negative cloud we seem to be under these days.
Difficult doesn’t necessarily mean negative. Challenging doesn’t have to be negative either. There are ups and downs in every aspect of life and business, and as someone who has survived some major financial upheavals and losses, I think I have some insights to share with you about this.
First of all, things usually manage to even themselves out. Real estate is known for having ‘bubbles’, good markets, bad markets, ups, downs, you name it. But many people, including myself, have endured these cycles and still managed to make a lot of money.
What’s the key? Looking for the upside. Looking for the opportunities that are out there no matter what’s going on.
It’s a fact that when I first entered the real estate business in New York City, the market was terrible. Everyone told me it was the wrong time to get started. Know what? I wanted to go into real estate then and so I did, and look what’s happened. But if I’d listened to those people back in the 1970’s when times were ‘terrible’ I wouldn’t be where I am today. One of my detractors back then, a big New York real estate guy, actually told a friend of mine that “Trump has a great line of s--t, but where are the bricks and mortar?” My answer today is that I am now much bigger in real estate than the other guy. To me, it was a time of great opportunity.
So that’s why I’m saying that times are good. Look at it that way and I’ll bet you’ll find a way to not only survive, but to make a difference.
Source
Rudeness at Work
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 10/31/2008 at 11:35 AM
How important is it to you that people be polite at work? A professor of psychology at West Chester University in Pennsylvania conducted a study all about rudeness in the workplace. Jennifer Bunk found that about 75 percent of workers say they’re treated rudely at least once a year. That can mean anything from being ignored by the boss or hearing snide remarks from coworkers.
So, you say, rudeness in the office just makes for an unpleasant work environment. But, according to this study, it also harms productivity. This professor goes so far as to say that the “silent treatment” and other forms of incivility are actually types of psychological aggression that can have “detrimental effects on coworkers.”
That includes decreased job satisfaction which means general unhappiness which results in employee turnover.
The easy thing would be to tell people to just get a thicker skin, but it’s not just about the individual. Ms. Bunk claims that rudeness ends up affecting more than just the person; it hurts the organization. She says, “When someone quits because they are treated rudely, this affects organizations’ bottom lines, because now they have to invest resources in hiring someone else.”
And unless people are polite to that new person after the honeymoon period is over, the vicious circle continues. If being nice helps a company make money, then I’m all for it. How hard can it be?
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Comment - I’m confused. If I worked for Trump should I be nice? Should I stand up for myself or should I quit? See ‘Trump on women’
2008
Connections to organised crime -
He had dealings and had met with Fat Tony Salerno, a New York mobster
Dealings with the Dillinger Coach Works to build the Trump Cadillacs, the owners of whom were convicted felons and one identified by the FBI as a member of the Colombo crime family
When building Trump Tower Trump assisted Verina Hixon, a friend of union boss and racketeer John Cody to buy apartments in the tower. When Cody called for a citywide strike Trumps building project was exempt from the strike
Trump agreed to pay twice the market value for land occupied by a bar owned by the sons of two Philadelphia Mafia bosses (Shapiro and Sullivan) for his Atlantic City casino.
See FBI memo reagrding Sullivan and Trump.
Trump has denied connections to and knowing the high roller LiButti (who frequented Trumps casino in Atlantic City) and who had known ties to mafia boss John Gotti. LiButti's daughter claims that they did indeed know each other and that it included staying at a Trump hotel, and "flying on his helicopter and partying aboard his private yacht". Trump's company bought LiButti 9 luxury cars
Trump used a helicopter service to shuttle high rollers owned by Joseph Weichselbaum, a mob-connected drug smuggler who lived in a Trump apartment while awaiting sentencing on narcotics charges in 1987. Trump wrote a character reference for him despite that he was a twice convicted felon. The case was originally assigned to Trump's sister Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, whose lawyer husband often represented Trump.
Trump has had dealings with at least one member of Chinese organized crime. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Government Affairs reported in 1992 that Danny Leung was both a vice president for marketing at Trump's Taj Mahal casino and an associate of the 14K Triad.
More information here - this document about organised crime mentions Trump.
Trump was joined in building the Trump SoHo by the son of a convicted extortionist described in court papers as a Russian gangster. Court records also show that Sater has himself been convicted of felony assault and of bilking investors out of millions in a stock scheme. Sater has been a senior advisor to Trump and the Trump Organization.
More information here
Business failings -
Chapter 11 Bankruptcies
Trump has said (Aug, 2015) his business acumen could help right a country “that’s essentially bankrupt,” and he has pointed to successful business leaders with histories in corporate-bankruptcy court, such as Carl Icahn and Leon Black, to back his point that the filings are a cost of doing business.
Source
Yet when in the bankruptcy court for the 3rd time in Feb 2010 …
Thursday found Trump pleading the case of the bondholders, arguing they will do a better job than Icahn and Beal could at piloting the company out of Chapter 11. Icahn’s companies have racked up “many, many bankruptcies” Trump said.
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Comment - Yet another example of Trump changing his story
1991 - Trump Taj Mahal $3 billion in debt
1992 - Trump Plaza and Casino, Trump Castle and the Plaza Hotel $550 million in debt
2004 - Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts $1.8 billion in debt
2009 - Trump Entertainment Resorts failed to pay a $53 million bond interest payment
“Hundreds and hundreds of deals, four times I’ve taken advantage of the laws. And, frankly, so has everybody else in my position” Trump said (Aug 2015)
Wrong - An estimated 5 percent of the 500 biggest U.S. companies have filed for bankruptcy in the past two decades, Georgetown law professor Adam Levitin said
Trump University Lampooned: We're Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 6/21/2005 at 5:12 PM
Recently Gary Trudeau spent a week lampooning Trump University in his comic strip Doonesbury. The basic premise of each strip in the series revolved around the disparity between Trump University and a traditional university. It was vaguely funny in the first strip, and less funny in subsequent ones. Trump University has also been mocked in one of Jay Leno's monologues, in the New York Post's Page Six cartoon, and probably in a lot of other places.
It's nice to see that my new venture is making a splash in popular culture. As they say, no press is bad press. But seriously, Trump University resonates in a way these comedians seem to have completely missed. While they're just looking at a business learning venture with my name on it, we are seeing a convergence between people eager for success and the deep-rooted belief that knowledge is the way to achieve one's goals. Knowledge is power, and Trump University aims to be a source of that power.
In his comic strip, Gary Trudeau was taking a subtle but unmistakable elitist stance. Someone who takes a class from Trump University, he implied, is inferior to someone else with a traditional education. Well, not everyone who wants to get ahead is in a position to drop everything and go to business school. Not everyone has the time, the money, or the connections to learn business via the standard route. Does that mean such people should be denied the opportunity to get ahead? Should education, which is by definition something that is designed to elevate and enrich people, be offered only to the privileged? I don't think so.
I've always maintained that when you get big, especially when you become a brand, you become a target. It's the kind of thing I'm used to and it's rare that it bothers me. So, if some people want to get a few cheap laughs at the expense of Trump University just because it has my name on it, that's fine. But to the many people who have already signed up to become part of Trump University and who have started taking our online courses, success--and the education needed to get there--is serious business.
Source
Comment - Trump’s history of litigation for slander is well-documented as are the cases before the courts regarding Trump University
HIATT: But just – given the Supreme Court rulings on libel — Sullivan v. New York Times — how would you change the law?
TRUMP: I would just loosen them up.
RUTH MARCUS: What does that mean?
TRUMP: I’d have to get my lawyers in to tell you, but I would loosen them up. I would loosen them up. If The Washington Post writes badly about me – and they do, they don’t write good – I mean, I don’t think I get – I read some of the stories coming up here, and I said to my staff, I said, “Why are we even wasting our time? The hatred is so enormous.” I don’t know why. I mean, I do a good job. I have thousands of employees. I work hard.
I’m not looking for bad for our country. I’m a very rational person, I’m a very sane person. I’m not looking for bad. But I read articles by you, and others. And, you know, we’ve never – we don’t know each other, and the level of hatred is so incredible, I actually said, “Why am I – why am I doing this? Why am I even here?” And I don’t expect anything to happen–
RYAN: Would that be the standard then? If there is an article that you feel has hatred, or is bad, would that be the basis for libel?
TRUMP: No, if it’s wrong. If it’s wrong.
RYAN: Wrong whether there’s malice or not?
TRUMP: I mean, The Washington Post never calls me. I never had a call, “Why – why did you do this?” or “Why did you do that?” It’s just, you know, like I’m this horrible human being. And I’m not. You know, the one thing we have in common I think we all love the country. Now, maybe we come at it from different sides, but nobody ever calls me. I mean, Bob Costa calls about a political story – he called because we’re meeting senators in a little while and congressmen, supporters – but nobody ever calls.
RYAN: The reason I keep asking this is because you’ve said three times you’ve said we are going to open up the libel laws and when we ask you what you mean you say hatred, or bad–
TRUMP: I want to make it more fair from the side where I am, because things are said that are libelous, things are said about me that are so egregious and so wrong, and right now according to the libel laws I can do almost nothing about it because I’m a well-known person you know, etc., etc.
Source
Comment - Poor Donald - Life is so unfair
Outsourcing Creates Jobs in the Long Run
by Donald J. Trump
We hear terrible things about outsourcing jobs--how sending work outside of our companies is contributing to the demise of American businesses. But in this instance I have to take the unpopular stance that it is not always a terrible thing.
I understand that outsourcing means that employees lose jobs. Because work is often outsourced to other countries, it means Americans lose jobs. In other cases, nonunion employees get the work. Losing jobs is never a good thing, but we have to look at the bigger picture.
Last year, Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Lawrence R. Klein, the founder of Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates, co-authored a study that showed how global outsourcing actually creates more jobs and increases wages, at least for IT workers. The study found that outsourcing helped companies be more competitive and more productive. That means they make more money, which means they funnel more into the economy, thereby, creating more jobs.
I know that doesn't make it any easier for people whose jobs have been outsourced overseas, but if a company's only means of survival is by farming jobs outside its walls, then sometimes it's a necessary step. The other option might be to close its doors for good.
Posted August 29, 2005 5:30:00 PM
Source
2005
TRUMP: Last quarter, it was just announced our gross domestic product — a sign of strength, right? But not for us. It was below zero. Whoever heard of this? It’s never below zero.
Our labor participation rate was the worst since 1978. But think of it, GDP below zero, horrible labor participation rate.
And our real unemployment is anywhere from 18 to 20 percent. Don’t believe the 5.6. Don’t believe it.
That’s right. A lot of people up there can’t get jobs. They can’t get jobs, because there are no jobs, because China has our jobs and Mexico has our jobs. They all have jobs.
But the real number, the real number is anywhere from 18 to 19 and maybe even 21 percent, and nobody talks about it, because it’s a statistic that’s full of nonsense.
Source
Comment - Trump’s major campaign policy is “keeping jobs in the US”. An outstanding reversal from his view in 2005!! His figures are dreadfully wrong (not unusual for Trump) but what on earth does he mean? Those last two lines
simply make no sense!!!
Corporate Corruption: If You Have to Lie, Cheat, and Steal, You're Just Not Doing it Right
by Donald J. Trump
Recently former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski was convicted for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the company. It was his second go-round in court--the first one ended in a mistrial. You may remember Mr. Kozlowski from the original trial. A video of his lavish party on an Italian island, allegedly paid for with company funds, was last year's high profile corporate scandal. The retrial was a more low-key affair, but it served to remind us of how much business corruption there has been over the past few years.
The people at the forefront of these squalid affairs give business a bad name. Maybe they're greedy, maybe they're "ethically challenged," but ultimately they're incompetent. If you have to lie, cheat, and steal, you're just not doing it right. My career is a model of tough, fair dealing and fantastic success--without shortcuts, without breaking the law.
Back to that video for a moment: For a couple weeks it was all over the news, so most people saw at least a snippet of this cinematic atrocity, including a giddy, red-faced Kozlowski dancing amid ice sculptures and costumed models posing as ancient Roman courtiers.
As I watched this public embarrassment over and over again, it made me realize that my biggest problem with Kozlowski wasn't the alleged corruption, but the lack of taste. The kind of buffoonery associated with this brand of corporate corruption is just distasteful and alien to me. While watching these high-level company officers cavorting on the shareholder's dime, it occurred to me that maybe tackiness is at the heart of corporate corruption.
Like I said, these people give business a bad name. They've served to associate it with scandal, untrustworthiness, greed, and bad taste. But, as I prove everyday, it doesn't have to be that way at all.
Posted August 10, 2005 3:46:00 PM
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Comment - It’s a common theme with many Trump blogs - unprofessional personal attacks that are highly hypocritical considering how many times he has been in court. One only has to view other blogs and tweets to know that scandal, untrustworthiness, greed and, especially bad taste, is Trump.
2005
2007
Never Quit: A Lesson from The Apprentice
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 1/28/2007 at 8:31 PM
I was shocked after a recent task on The Apprentice, when a candidate resigned instead of taking her chances in the boardroom. After having a tough time as project manager - and knowing her teammates certainly didn’t like her - Michelle threw in the towel and quit.
I was amazed that she would throw away such an opportunity. She had a chance at catapulting into the business spotlight, a chance at a high-profile job in a high-powered corporation. Yet, she chose to throw it all away.
It’s a business lesson I teach over and over again: “Never, ever give up. Never quit. You can never be successful if you give up.”
In this case, Michelle had plenty of excuses. She said her Apprentice experience wasn’t what she had signed up for. She didn’t expect to be on a losing team, living in tents in the rain. She said the negative adventure just wasn’t worth it to her.
Had she gone to the boardroom, she probably would’ve been fired. But I would have had much more respect for her had she taken her chances and fought for her job than just give up. But she didn’t even try. She conceded defeat without a struggle, without a whimper.
It takes strong people to succeed in business. And if you quit, you don’t stand a chance.
Source
Sue Your Boss
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 9/3/2007 at 8:04 AM
Posted in Success
Sometimes I just can’t believe the stuff I read.
According to The Los Angeles Times, legislatures across the country are considering laws that would allow workers to sue their bosses for being, basically, jerks.
The newspaper says that the number of bullying bosses may be on the rise because companies are relying on lower-paid managers with less experience and poor people skills. And those managers just don’t know how to treat their employees well.
In New Jersey, a proposed bill would allow workers to claim as much as $25,000 in damages if their superior creates “an abusive work environment.” Similar laws are being considered in New York, Vermont and Washington.
Isn’t this ridiculous? Somebody goes to an office, the boss talks to them a little bit tough and they end up suing the boss and the company. If you have a bad boss, if the boss is no good, if the boss treats you poorly, then quit. Leave. Do something.
You shouldn’t have the right to sue.
This will be a total mess.
Just become so good at your job that you become his or her boss and then you can turn the tables.
Source
Woman Fired for Talking Back to Her Boss
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 9/13/2007 at 7:25 AM
I recently read about a woman in China who is suing her former employer because she was fired.
Apparently, the company sacked her because she talked back to her boss three times. She was fined for her insubordination but refused to pay the fines so she was fired.
She was told that according to company rules no matter whether management is right or wrong, employees are not allowed to contradict them and must obey. They obviously have some pretty tough rules.
But even here, I know a lot of managers who run their businesses like that. They figure the boss is the boss and that’s it.
So now the woman is suing to get her job back. I wish her well but here’s a warning. If she wins, she’ll be walking back into a hostile workplace where she’s either going to have to keep her mouth shut or face a lot more backlash.
Wouldn’t she just rather work somewhere else?
Source
Comment - Shouldn't have the right to sue? - when he sues the pants off everybody! It's also disturbing that Trump’s solution to a bullying, incompetent boss is to resign rather than hold the perpetrator accountable. His recent remarks about his own daughter caused an outcry - Source
The latter blog is also displayed on the ‘Trump on women’ page
2007
Emails
Posted by Donald J. Trump on 12/19/2007 at 6:19 AM
I never send emails. If I need to communicate with someone, I ask them to come to my office or I just pick up the phone.
But there are people I know who are always sending emails. They’re always on their computers or their Blackberrys or their iPhones. They send and receive hundreds of messages a day.
Thirty-five million emails are sent daily. White-collar workers spend more than two hours of their paid time each day at a total loss for all employers of 28 billion hours a year and $650 billion dollars! So they waste time and productivity as well as lots of money for employers.
Sure, in many cases business gets done through email but you have to wade through a lot of junk to get through the messages that are actually important.
Try using the phone or actually meeting with someone instead of spending hours and hours on email. Don’t waste your time and your employer’s money.
Source
Comment - My, how times have changed!! If he becomes POTUS they’ll have to take away his Twitter account!
Other failed businesses -
Trump Steaks
GoTrump.com
Trump Shuttle
Trump Vodka
Trump Mortgage
Trump University
Trump: The Game
Trump Magazine
Trump Ice
New Jersey Generals football team
Miss USA
Tour de Trump
Trump on the Ocean
The Trump Network
Trumped!
Trump New Media
Companies that have cut ties with Trump (as of 2015) -
NBCUniversal
Univision
Serta
Televisa
GroupFarouk Systems
Macy’s
NASCAR
ESPN
PGA
PVH Corp.
Jose Andreas
Geoffrey Zakarian (Zakarian Hospitality)
Perfumania
Federal Aviation Administration
5 Rabbit Cerveceria
Studio Ora TV
Teletica
2007
2016
2016
2007
2008
2009
When Trump gets his knickers in a twist he will come after you with a vendetta that’s excessive!
I know Macy’s didn’t do the right thing but Trump is such a hypocrite! Talks about creating employment yet celebrates when the stock price of a company falls (which would no doubt affect jobs). I suggest his campaign against them was purely motivated by Macy’s refusal to continue selling his products.
Macy’s is just one example of his vindictive and obsessive behaviour when he doesn’t like something or someone - as you will see on other pages!
Note - Trump's comments on tax returns and taxes. He whined about Jeb Bush taking advantage of tax laws and Mitt Romney not releasing his tax returns!