ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank David Fisher, Bill Zanker, Corey Lewandowski, David Cohen, Rhona Graff, Meredith McIver, Hope Hicks, and Amanda Miller for their enthusiasm and assistance throughout the writing of this book. Additionally, Byrd Leavell and Scott Waxman at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency, Don McGahn, and Carolyn Reidy, Louise Burke, Mitchell Ivers, Jeremie Ruby-Strauss, Irene Kheradi, Lisa Litwack, John Paul Jones, Al Madocs, Jaime Putorti, Jennifer Robinson, Jean Anne Rose, and Nina Cordes at Simon & Schuster brought their expertise to the table and delivered a finished product in record time. Thanks to all for your hard work—it is very much appreciated.
MY PERSONAL FINANCIALS
My net worth has increased since I released (at my presidential announcement) the attached financial statement which is dated as of June 2014. The value of my real estate in New York, San Francisco, Miami, Washington, DC, Europe, and many other places has gone up considerably. I have very little debt, and even that is at low interest rates. My current net worth is more than ten billion dollars.
My income for 2014, as I reported in the PFD statement, was $362 million dollars—not including dividends, interest, capital gains, rents, and royalties. Income for 2015 will exceed $600 million. I also did well in the stock market. While that isn’t something that I’ve focused on in the past, and is only a small part of my net worth, 40 of the 45 stocks I bought rose substantially in a short period of time, resulting in a $27,021,471 gain on sale—the stocks remaining in the portfolio have an unrealized gain of more than $22 million.
On the financial disclosure forms I included more than 500 business entities, 91 percent of which I own completely. I also included the royalties from my book The Art of the Deal, one of the bestselling business books of all time, which is still selling after three decades, as well as my many other bestsellers.
I also reported receipts from my TV show, The Apprentice. NBC/Universal announced it was being renewed, and they were very disappointed when I informed them that I would not be available to be in the boardroom for our fifteenth season because of my run for president. They tried to talk me into it, but eventually hired Arnold Schwarzenegger—who will do a great job—to sit in my chair. During the 14 seasons of The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice, which is now being broadcast around the world, I made $213,606,575.
I was very pleased to file this disclosure and proud of what I’ve accomplished.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Donald J. Trump is the very definition of the American success story, continually setting the standards of excellence while expanding his interests in real estate, sports, and entertainment. He is the archetypal businessman—a deal-maker without peer.
Mr. Trump started his business career in an office he shared with his father in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. He worked with his father for five years, where they were busy making deals together. Mr. Trump has been quoted as saying, “My father was my mentor, and I learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from him.” Likewise, Fred C. Trump often stated that “some of my best deals were made by my son, Donald… everything he touches seems to turn to gold.” Mr. Trump then entered the very different world of Manhattan real estate.
In New York City and around the world, the Trump signature is synonymous with the most prestigious of addresses. Among them are the world-renowned Fifth Avenue skyscraper Trump Tower, and the luxury residential buildings Trump Parc, Trump Palace, Trump Plaza, 610 Park Avenue, the Trump World Tower (the tallest building on the East Side of Manhattan), and Trump Park Avenue. Mr. Trump was also responsible for the designation and construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on land controlled by him, known as the West 34th Street Railroad Yards, and the total exterior restoration of the Grand Central Terminal as part of his conversion of the neighboring Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt. The development is considered one of the most successful restorations in the city and earned Mr. Trump an award from Manhattan’s Community Board Five for the “tasteful and creative recycling of a distinguished hotel.” Over the years, Mr. Trump has owned and sold many great buildings in New York, including the Plaza Hotel (which he renovated and brought back to its original grandeur, as heralded by the New York Times Magazine), the Hotel St. Moritz (now called the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South), and until 2002, the land under the Empire State Building (which allowed the land and lease to be merged together for the first time in more than 50 years). Additionally, the NikeTown store is owned by Mr. Trump, located on East 57th Street and adjacent to Tiffany’s. In early 2008, Gucci opened their largest store in the world in Trump Tower.
In 1997, the Trump International Hotel & Tower opened its doors to the world. This 52-story mixed-use super-luxury hotel and residential building is located on the crossroads of Manhattan’s West Side, on Central Park West at Columbus Circle. It was designed by the world-famous architect Philip Johnson and has achieved some of the highest sales prices and rentals in the United States. As one of only three hotels in the nation to have received a double Forbes Five-Star rating for both the hotel and its restaurant, Jean-Georges, it has also received the Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, and was voted the number one business hotel in New York City by Travel + Leisure magazine. Condé Nast Traveler magazine has named it the number one hotel in the US, and its innovative concept has been copied worldwide. It has won the Forbes Five-Star Hotel Award each year from 2009 to 2015 and ranked in the Condé Nast Traveler “Readers’ Choice” awards every year since 2010. This year marks the eighteenth anniversary of this Trump Hotel Collection gem.
Mr. Trump was also the developer of the largest parcel of land in New York City, the former West Side Rail Yards, which is now Trump Place. On this 100-acre property, fronting along the Hudson River from 59th Street to 72nd Street, is the largest development ever approved by the New York City Planning Commission. There are a total of 16 buildings on the site, with Mr. Trump erecting the first nine buildings and the other portion of land being sold for a substantial amount. Mr. Trump also donated a 25-acre waterfront park on Trump Place and a 700-foot sculptured pier to the City of New York.