A week later we received a letter from him reading, “As we both know, it is business owners who create jobs—not the government.” Then he asked for a million-dollar donation.
A million dollars!
When I turned him down he attacked me in the press. I was not a real candidate, he said, “and it would be unfortunate if I took away a spot at even one Republican debate.”
Take away a spot from whom? Someone, I suspect, who gave them that big donation.
When I pulled ahead in the polls, this group spent a million dollars on ads attacking me in Iowa. This is one smart group; they come to my office asking for a million-dollar donation—and it ends up costing them a million dollars.
Meanwhile they’re bad-mouthing me to their followers: “Donald Trump is the worst kind of politician who will say anything to get elected.” Saying anything to them means telling the truth to me.
This demonstrates everything that is wrong with our political system. We look at politicians and think: This one’s owned by this millionaire. That one’s owned by that millionaire, or lobbyist, or special interest group.
Me? I speak for the people.
So the establishment attacks me. They can’t own me, they can’t dictate to me, so they search for ways to dismiss me. They point out (accurately, for once) that at one time I was a registered Democrat. I grew up and worked in New York, where virtually everyone is a Democrat.
You know who else was a Democrat? Ronald Reagan. He switched, and I switched years ago, when I began to see what liberal Democrats were doing to our country. Now I’m a conservative Republican with a big heart. I didn’t decide to become a Republican. That’s who I have always been.
By nature, I’m a conservative person. I believe in a strong work ethic, traditional values, being frugal in many ways and aggressive in military and foreign policy. I support a tight interpretation of the Constitution, which means judges should stick to precedent and not write social policy.
I represent traditional conservative values. I get up every morning and go to work. I work hard, I’ve been honest and I’m very successful. The billions I have? I earned every penny. When I was beginning my career my father never gave me much money, but he gave me a great work ethic. I always know a hater when they say my father gave me $200 million when I was starting out. I only wish!
Number one: He didn’t have that kind of money. In those days, all of Brooklyn wasn’t worth $200 million. And number two: If he did, he would never have given it to me.
When I wanted to leave Brooklyn and Queens and venture into Manhattan, he thought I was crazy. Nevertheless he had confidence in me. I’ll never forget when he told my incredible mother, “Look, I don’t know if he is right or wrong, but I’ve got to let him do it. He has great ability and talent, and who knows? He may be able to pull it off.” My father was a tough cookie, but he had a warm heart. He was a man who truly loved his wife and five children: Maryanne, Elizabeth, Robert, Fred, and me. He always wanted what was best for us.
He loaned me a small amount of money—loaned, not gave—around $1 million—money that I probably could have gotten from a bank—and the biggest part of my journey began. I paid my father back a few years later, with full interest, after my Manhattan deals started to come in—and very successfully. One of them, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, was a big hit, built by me—on time and under budget. I made a lot of money. He was very happy and even more proud of me than ever before.
When my father passed away at the age of 93, he left his estate to his children. By that time, I had already built a massive and internationally recognized company. After the family split the assets and estate taxes, the money I got was—relative to what I had built—not that consequential. Nice to have but not a big-money factor. What he left me, much more importantly, were the best “genes” that anybody could get. He was a special man and father.
Let’s review the conservative scorecard and check my grades:
Affordable health care? Here’s my word—and I never go back on my word: Obamacare needs to be repealed ASAP—and replaced with something far better.
Immigration reform? Has anybody been more of a leader on this issue than me? My plan is simple: We build a wall and take back control of our country. Massive law enforcement on the borders. Legal immigrants should speak or learn English; without it they can never assimilate.
Anchor babies? They’re here for one day and the child is entitled to a lifetime of benefits when others have spent a lifetime, or their lives, earning them. This needs to end!
The Iran deal? Iran cannot be allowed to build a nuclear weapon. That’s not a threat. It’s a statement of fact. Our allies and foes alike should take heed.
The Second Amendment? I believe the rights of law-abiding gun owners must be fully protected.
Defense of religious freedom? I believe religious freedom is the most fundamental constitutional right we have and must be protected.
Fix our broken tax system? There is no politician who understands our tax system like I do. It has to be changed to make it fair for all Americans—and simplified.
I am a strong, proud conservative. The biggest difference between me and all the do-nothing politicians who are all talk, no action? Those people constantly claiming they are more conservative than anyone else? I don’t talk about things, I get things done.
I am standing up for this country because our so-called leaders haven’t been able to. So the next time someone questions my conservative credentials, show them this list!
10
LUCKY TO BE AN AMERICAN
I KNOW HOW LUCKY I am. The day I was born I had already won the greatest lottery on Earth. I was born in the United States of America. With that came the amazing opportunities that every American citizen has: The right to become the best possible person you can be. The right to be treated equally with all other Americans. The right to speak freely (and by the way I take that right very seriously). The right to practice the religion of your choice the way you choose. The right to achieve as much as your own hard work and talent allow. The right to be secure in your home thanks to the greatest law enforcement agencies anywhere, and the privilege of raising your family knowing that you are protected by the men and women of the finest military forces in the world.
I think my parents must have known how proud I would be to be an American: I was born on Flag Day, June 14!
I’ll tell you how proud I am to be an American. You may have heard that I own a house in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s called Mar-a-Lago, which means “Sea to Lake.” It has 128 rooms. It’s listed as a National Historic Landmark because it is one of the most beautiful homes ever built. It was built by E. F. Hutton and his cereal heiress wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post, in 1927.
The land it sits on is reportedly the most valuable 20 acres of land in Florida. After I bought it, I wanted people to know how proud and grateful I am to be an American, so I decided to fly an American flag in front of my house, an American flag that nobody could miss, a flag fitting for this beautiful house.
So I raised an extra-large flag, 15 feet by 25 feet on an 80-foot-high flagpole.
Watching that flag catch the wind and fly proudly was a beautiful sight. Except the city of Palm Beach decided my flag was too big. They claimed it exceeded zoning regulations. Who knew there was a law about the size of flag you are allowed to fly? When I politely informed them I had no intention of taking down my American flag, they began fining me $250 a day until I removed it.