Trump Fans

Maher not paying Trump in bet feud

2013-02-10T05:26:00.004-08:00

Liberal comic Bill Maher responded to “rich idiot” Donald Trump’s lawsuit Friday, saying that he wouldn’t fork over $5 million to charity for a late night talk show joke he made last month.

“They seem to be trying to set a bold new precedent that jokes on late night talk shows are now legally binding agreements between the comedian and the person they’re making fun of,” Maher said on his show HBO’s “Real Time.” “The legal system in this country is not a joke — it’s not a toy for rich idiots to play with.”

Trump said earlier this week he’s suing Maher after Maher didn’t follow through on a bet. Maher said last month on NBC to Jay Leno that he would pay $5 million to Trump’s charity of choice if Trump released a birth certificate proving he’s not “spawn of his mother having sex with orangutan.”

It was similar to an offer Trump made to President Barack Obama about releasing his college records and birth certificate, for which he raised false accusations that Obama wasn’t born in America.

In his response on Friday, Maher told Trump to “suck it up.”

“Now, public figures of course don’t always like everything that’s said about this, but that’s how we roll here in America. Just like we’re the gun country, we’re the joke country — we love our free speech and we love our celebrities getting taken down a peg,” Maher said. “So Don, just suck it up like everybody else.”

Maher said Trump must learn some basic business skills.

“Donald Trump must learn two things: what a joke is and what a contract is,” Maher said. “This is known as parody, and it’s a form of something we in the comedy business call a joke… really, we’re going to court about this?”

He added: “But remember who we’re dealing with here — a man who, for a little extra publicity will happily keep alive a debate about whether is family reunions are held at the zoo.”

Donald Trump’s Dessert, a Tax Bill

2013-01-27T05:23:00.003-08:00

IN HONOR OF TAX SEASON:

There’s no limit to the small money that can be raised in dinners with big names.

President Barack Obama’s campaign is raffling a dinner with the president and first lady.

And Donald Trump is looking forward to that dinner with Republican Mitt R0mney and some lucky winner.

“Looking forward to the “Dine with Mitt and Donald” this Thursday,” Trump, or someone with authority to tweet for him, wrote on his Twitter account. “Can”t wait to meet the lucky winner. ”

Romney has raised $13.4 million in donations of $200 or less, just 11 percent of his total, according to the Campaign Finance Institute, a Washington-based research group, asBloomberg’s Jonathan Salant has reported here at Political Capital — noting that it was such small-donors “who formed the backbone of (Obama’s) record-setting $745-million haul four years ago and are helping fuel his re-election bid this year.” Through May 31, Obama had collected $99 million in donations of $200 or less, 41 percent of his total.

At the same time, those $3 and $5 chances to dine with political royalty can carry a heavy sticker price. The prize, as the campaigns carefully advise contestants, are taxable.

Dinner with “the Donald” includes an estimated $750 of airfare, a hotel stay at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York at $700, ground transit at about $200, and a $50 meal, Legal Insurrection’s William Jacobson has noted.

Per Atlantic’s Wire: “This comes out to $1,750, which by the 35 percent tax bracket logic, makes for a $612.50 tax bill. The Romney campaign’s rules note that, “The value of the Prize may be taxable as income under federal, state, or local laws, and the winner will receive an IRS 1099 Form for the value of the Prize.” Tasty!”

Trump calls drop in popularity survey 'total bull@!$%#'

2012-12-01T13:51:00.001-08:00

Donald Trump to YouGov about its survey that suggests he’s to blame for a 45 percent drop in Macy’s popularity among women: “It’s total bull@!$%#."

"The survey is a joke. The person who did this is a joke," the Donald told TODAY regarding YouGov’s online survey that saw a steep dropoff in the retailer's popularity after a SignOn.org petition asking Macy’s to “Dump Trump,” launched and began gaining over 670,000 digital signatures.

Trump spokesman Michael Cohen added, "These aren't controlled surveys."

YouGov holds daily surveys of 1,000 consumers on hundreds of brands, sometimes in exchange for prizes and compensation.

"YouGov is recognized as one of the most accurate and highly respected researcher companies in the U.S. and internationally. In our daily BrandIndex survey, we carefully select a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. consumers age 18+ and collect their opinions on 1,000 brands. Hundreds of companies depend on our information every day and trust us to present the data truthfully, whether it is good news or bad news," said YouGov BrandIndex SVP and Global Managing Director Ted Marzilli.

Source: YouGov

Trump noted his continued television success and high demand for guest appearances. "You can't have a successful show without women," he said.

The online petition started on October 24th and declared that Donald Trump, known for being obsterperous, "doesn't reflect the Magic of Macy's." Macy's offers a line of Trump branded ties and fragrances in its store and featured Trump in a recent holiday television ad that at one point comedically played off Trump's skepticism over President Obama's birthplace. The petition urged the retailer to cut ties with Trump, rather than sell them.

The petition was started by Angelo Carusone, the director of online strategy for Media Matters, which is a DC based organization "covering and correcting conservative misinformation in the media." The online petition quickly racked up a several hundred thousand digital signatures within a week. Carusone's plan is to deliver it in-person to Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren.

In a statement, Macy's told TODAY:

"Macy’s marketing and merchandise offerings are not representative of any political position. Many of the individuals associated with products sold at Macy's – or at any retailer, for that matter – express personal opinions that are not related to the merchandise we sell or to the philosophies of our company.

Trump said that he and Macy's have not discussed the petition.

"Two million people follow me on Twitter," said Trump. "I can get any kind of petition going I want."

Trump's reputation, and notoriety, is built on being outspoken.

A recent report in The Daily News said Trump's children had cautioned him to tone down his remarks on Twitter, which have attacked President Obama and Cher. "It's a false story," said Trump. "Ivanka and Don never did that. They would know to never do that."

So, no plan to tone down the public utterances?

"I don't do it by plan," said Trump. "I do what's right. I don't have a plan."

Los Angeles based image consultant Farrah Parker told TODAY, "Trump already presents an authentic liability for the brand. The only question is how much is Macy's willing to risk on assuming that consumers simply don't pay attention."

Ashley McCown, president of Solomon McCown & Company, a Boston-based PR and crisis communications firm, said Macy's "knew what they were getting into," when they signed up with Trump.

"If they start to see a true impact on sales, they may make minor adjustments, like featuring him less prominently in ads."

Until then, she said, "they're standing by their man."

Donald Trump has harsh words for Chelsea Handler

2012-11-19T16:56:00.002-08:00

Donald Trump had some very frank words forChelsea Handler on Twitter today, November 18, 2012. Viewers of Celebrity Apprentice are not new to his very familiar way of bringing people down a few notches with a few curt words. Today, Chelsea Handler was in his sights as he spoke his mind on Twitter.

@realDonaldTrump said:

@chelseahandler—stop trying to get your hotelier boyfriend back—a lost cause—he can do much better!

He then Tweeted immediately after that:

@chelseahandler--stop calling my office for me to do your rather "gross" show--I have less interest in you than Andre.

Donald Trump explains his propensity to put people in their place in this Tweet:

Everybody tells me not to hit back at the lowlifes that go after me for PR--sorry, but I must. It's my nature.

You've got to love Donald Trump. If you are on Twitter, he will be one of your most interesting Twitter feeds to follow. His Tweets are as diverse as his interests and just as colorful, too.

Donald Trump insulted by cast member of 'Celebrity Apprentice: All Stars'

2012-11-19T16:55:00.005-08:00

Donald Trump has been a target of many insults since he demanded President Obama provide his college and passport records in exchange for a $5 million donation to any charity of his choice.

In an excerpt blog on Salon Nov. 17, "Celebrity Apprentice" 2012 contestant Penn Jillette writes about his experience on the show. The entertainer who is part of the Penn & Teller illusionist duo will be on the all-stars season that premieres next March.

In this article, segments of Penn's view of Donald Trump is revealed. There's enough he writes about that it's puzzling this is coming out while he's currently filming "Celebrity Apprentice: All Stars." If Trump cares what people think as much as Penn is claiming, this won't make him too happy.

Penn joined a legion of other celebrities who have poked fun at Trump's hair -- not leaving himself out in the process!

"It looks like cotton candy made of piss," Penn writes. "That revelation came to me, and I had to type it here. But my hair is worse."

The "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant went on to say everyone must "kiss up" to Trump on the show.

"I made a deal with the producers and myself that I would pretend to care what Donald Trump thought of me."

Whenever the billionaire said he likes to see "backbone" or "passion" among the contestants, Penn has his own thoughts about that.

Penn writes, "He means, of course, he likes passion for his little TV show, but it feels like he’s saying the outburst was a good thing. We’ve chosen to make this whackjob, with the cotton candy piss hair and the birther sh**, into someone we want to please."

He added this about Trump's beef with President Obama and going back to the hair thing:

"He talked to me, but I was on a show where I wasn’t supposed to talk back. I still did, but only a little. I disagree with him about a lot, but you know, I disagree with you about a lot, and we still get along. He was wicked wrong about the birther sh**, but I’m wicked wrong about a lot, and we both have stupid hair."

What do you think of Penn Jillette's thoughts about Donald Trump? Will he be "fired" next on "Celebrity Apprentice: All Stars."

Keep Donald Trump, Macy's

2012-11-19T16:55:00.001-08:00

I am distressed to note that there is a petition circulating online to remove Donald Trump as Macy’s spokesman. And it’s gotten more than 500,000 signatures already.

Sure, the petition makes some good points. Donald Trump has indeed startled many with his loyalty to the birther conspiracy and misuse of his platform.

But I take issue with their assertion that “Donald Trump does not represent the magic of Macy’s.”

When we think of Macy’s, most of us think of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, when dozens of giant balloons, inflated to cartoonish proportions, dangle over the streets of New York City to the alarm of small children.

And I defy you to find any phrase that more perfectly describes Donald Trump than “a giant balloon, inflated to cartoonish proportions, who dangles over the streets of New York City to the alarm of small children.” He has been cultivating that image for years. Sometimes he floats outside 45th-floor windows on the steam of his own ego. The only difference between him and one of Macy’s inflatables is that he’s full of hot air.

This is the Magic of Macy’s, in a nutshell. Get rid of Trump, and you’ll have to get rid of all the absurd balloons. And getting a job as a balloon in this economy is hard. Both inflation and deflation pose a threat. No, protect the balloon economy. Save the Donald.

By Alexandra Petri | 07:24 PM ET, 11/14/2012

Response to Lack of Transparency

2012-11-01T15:06:00.001-07:00

Donald Trump's Response to Obama's lack of transparency

Major Announcement

2012-10-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

Trump announces 'Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars' cast

2012-10-13T06:11:00.003-07:00

"All-Star" seasons are all the rage this year.

Donald Trump announced Friday that "Celebrity Apprentice" will have its first ever all-stars season starring 14 cast members from the previous five editions. Believe us when we say this is one must-watch lineup ...

On the men's side, we have:

Trace Adkins
Stephen Baldwin
Gary Busey
Penn Jillette
Lil Jon
Bret Michaels
Dennis Rodman
Dee Snider

And then, on the ladies' side:

Marilu Henner
La Toya Jackson
Claudia Jordan
Omarosa
Lisa Rinna
Brande Roderick

Filming on the "All-Stars" season is scheduled to begin on Monday, with an expected premiere date of next March.

Said Mr. Trump himself in a statement, “This season is going to be fantastic!" From the looks of the casting, are you inclined to agree?

Interview With Trump

2012-10-05T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hello, Mr Trump, how's New York?

It's beautiful here, beautiful!

Great! So you're coming to London soon to talk about the secrets of your success (1 ). Can you give me some spoilers?

I've given a lot of speeches to pass on what I've learned, and they always go down very well. My secrets are to know what you're doing, to love what you do and never quit (2 ). The tickets are selling great for the event. I'd be shocked if they didn't as they always do. Well, there's always a first time, ha ha ha! No, I would be shocked if they weren't selling.

You've been very active politically of late (3 ). Do you think the Republicans are now regretting that you're not their candidate?

I was extremely popular but I love what I do so I decided to stick with this. But a lot of people regret it, sure. I was leading in the polls (4 ). But I'm a friend of Mitt Romney, I think he's a very talented guy. He is a little bit behind but there's lots of time, more than a month.

You showed Sarah Palin around New York City last year. Are you still friends with her?

I am. I love her – Sarah's terrific. She should have been given a bigger place at the Republican National Convention. I don't know why she wasn't.

You were very energetic about insisting President Obama produce his birth certificate last year, which he did to your apparent satisfaction. But now you seem to be doubting its validity. Why?

I'm not the only one – many people are doubting it. I'm certainly not out on my own here! I was able to get him to produce it – John McCain couldn't do it, Hillary Clinton couldn't do it – but I don't know what it was he produced. Where are the hospital records? I'm amazed Governor Romney hasn't pursued him on this.

You've also expressed some doubts about the veracity of his university career. What do you want him to show you?

He should produce his college records, like all other presidential candidates have done (5 ). If I were running for president, that would be a main theme of my campaign. The Republicans should make him produce these in exchange for showing tax records. I honestly don't know why they don't insist on it.

Do you seriously think President Obama is hiding something?

Possibly, but we may never know.

You had some harsh words to say about Kate Middleton recently, tweeting that she "has only herself to blame" for being papped topless.

I really like Kate, I think she's terrific, but she does have only herself to blame for those photos. It doesn't matter what the lawyers do, those photos are everywhere. Everyone in New York has seen them. Kate is going to be the future Queen of England and you don't go topless if you're going to be the Queen. Is Kate more to blame than the photographer who took the pictures? Yes, I think so – there's just no excuse. If she'd had a bathing suit on that would be different. OK, she was at a private pool but what about the staff at the house? And there were all the hills and the road nearby – she should not have gone topless. I guarantee the Queen has never walked around topless. The Queen has never done anything wrong at all. I totally adore the royal family.

You've taken to Twitter very enthusiastically – how do you cope with the abuse?

My Twitter has more followers than the New York Times has readers. I have a newspaper – I literally have my own newspaper and it's called @iamdonaldtrump. Literally (6 ). Now when someone attacks me, I attack them right back. I used to have to make speeches to attack people, now I don't even have to do that. I only attack people who attack me or who are wrong – like Alex Salmond.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland?

Mad Alex – that's what I call him – is going to destroy Scotland with those wind turbines. They are a blight and if he keeps going with these things, Scotland will be reduced to nothingness. Scotland's greatest asset aside from its people is its beautiful landscape and he is destroying the beauty. Wind turbines are ugly, inefficient and costly and taxpayers are subsidising his folly. Mad Alex has a death wish. He is trying to destroy Scotland, and England should stop subsidising the death of Scotland.

Right. Speaking of the death of Scotland, how's the golf course, Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire?

It's going fantastic. I've always gotten good reviews for all my work (7 ) but the reviews for this have been the best. It's the best thing that's happened to Aberdeen since North Shore Oil [sic].

Everybody in Aberdeen wanted it – at our worst we had 93% approval. The press really missed that story – that people wanted the golf course. I'm going to go up there and play in a few weeks and I'll see everyone who wants to thank me.

On a more personal level, I saw photos of your New York apartment (8 ) in Hello! recently. Um, wow?

My apartment is in the Trump Tower in New York and it was easier to build the building than it was the apartment. But it's great, I've had some happy feelings there. It's a very friendly apartment.

And finally, how many times a day do you get asked about your hair?

It is my hair and it's an amazing thing. Barbara Walters interviewed me on her show, The 10 Most Fascinating People, and she tried to mess up my hair and she determined it was real. It is my hair.

2012-09-07T14:47:00.001-07:00

Trump: 'Greedy' OPEC Could Decide Election

2012-08-30T04:39:00.001-07:00

Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that rising gasoline could alter the terrain of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, as he blasted the Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for driving up energy prices.

Donald TrumpTrump, a member of the "Birther" movement and a vocal supporter of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, told CNBC's"Squawk Box" that voters are increasingly vulnerable to the ravages of higher gas prices. He put the blame squarely on OPEC's(learn more) shoulders, and linked the cartel to PresidentBarack Obama.

"You're looking at gasoline with a five in front of it, that's pretty bad," said Trump, who once flirted with running for the GOP nomination, but now regularly heaps scorn on the Obama administration. "If it goes up much more I think you're going to have a little bit of a revolution when it comes time to vote."

Approaching Tropical Storm Isaac - which threatens to disrupt oil production in the Gulf Coast - has pushed oil above $95 per barrel and retail pump prices above $4 a gallon in some parts of the nation. Tensions in the Middle East have some analysts predicting that $5 gas could be on the horizon. (Read More: More Drivers Than Ever May Pay $5 Per Gallon.)

"We have nobody to protect us against OPEC," Trump told CNBC. "We have nobody that calls them, that sees them, and talks to them. They got greedy before the election, and they might lose their good friend Barack Obama."

Trump Tuesday on CNBC

2012-08-30T04:37:00.002-07:00

Trump Scotland Video

2012-08-24T04:47:00.002-07:00

Donald Trump Plays Doctor on Twitter

2012-08-24T04:46:00.005-07:00

Mostly quiet since his last birther spasm, Donald Trump today went on Twitter to peddle a junk science theory that claims vaccinations cause autism in young children.
“Massive combined inoculations to small children is the cause for big increase in autism,” Trump wrote. “Spread shots over long period and watch positive result.”
The Romney campaign, for whom Trump has raised millions this campaign season, would not comment on his latest offering.
Doctors and medical research findings, however, are less circumspect.
Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News’ chief health and medical editor, called Trump’s remarks “shameful.”
“The autism-vaccine link has been disproven. Spreading shots out over a long period of time will not reduce the number of children who develop autism but it will leave more children vulnerable to infectious diseases for a longer period of time than necessary,” he said. “That can kill children.”
While it’s true that autism diagnosis rates have risen over the years, there is an ongoing debate over whether or not the numbers can be taken at face value. Many doctors believe a broadening of diagnostic criteria has led to more confirmed cases.
What is unquestioned, though, and confirmed by serious medical studies, is that there is no known connection between the condition and having received childhood vaccinations.
“As we know from political campaigns, stating a claim repeatedly can lead to a public belief in the concept since these conclusions are not always based on rational thought processes but also on emotional thinking and preconceived notions,” Dr. Max Wiznitzer, associate professor of pediatric neurology at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, told ABC News in March.
The scientific paper that once served as a the driving force behind the theory has long since been discredited and rejected by its original publisher, The Lancet, which wrote in 2010 that “it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by [Andrew] Wakefield et al are incorrect.
“In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were ‘consecutively referred’ and that investigations were ‘approved’ by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false.”
The British Medical Journal published an editorial in January 2011, calling the Wakefield report “fraudulent,” adding that “clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare.”
Closed, that is, until Trump opens it again.

Donald Trump Tweets Well Wishes To Rosie O'Donnell After Heart Attack

2012-08-24T04:46:00.001-07:00

Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell, two media personalities known for their mutual disdain of one another, seemed to make peace on Tuesday.

Following news of O'Donnell's heart attack, Trump tweeted her a get well message.

".@Rosie, get better fast. I'm starting to miss you!" Trump wrote. O'Donnell quickly responded, jokingly asking if the NBC "Celebrity Apprentice" host was "trying to kill her." She thanked him and admitted his post "was a bit of a shock."

Trump and O'Donnell seem to never shy away from conflict with one another. They attack one another over Twitter and through Trump's infamous, and incredibly high quality, video blogs.

Late last year, Trump criticized O'Donnell's new show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), calling the program a "complete and total disaster." He also said he "felt bad" for O'Donnell's fiancé. O'Donnell fired back by calling him "an ass" and attacking his self-proclaimed wealth.

O'Donnell suffered a heart attack last week after feeling chest pains and nausea. She took a Bayer Aspirin and later went to the doctor, who told her that her LAD was 99 percent blocked.

Trump's tweet was not only surprisingly kind towards O'Donnell, but also generally lighter than recent messages. For whatever reason, he seemed pretty moody as of late. Perhaps Trump hit up a yoga class or recently finished a juice cleanse and is feeling rejuvenated.

Donald, Ivanka Trump discuss plans for luxury hotel at DC’s historic Old Post Office

2012-08-18T19:24:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON — In a city of stately buildings, the Old Post Office is an especially fine piece of real estate. It’s 315 feet tall, just behind the Washington Monument (impressive, but not available). It’s historic, celebrated and on prestigious Pennsylvania Avenue.
The perfect building for Donald Trump.
Trump and his daughter Ivanka are close to adding the national landmark to the growing portfolio of shiny Trump things. The Old Post Office Pavilion is so revered that the threat of its demolition launched the capital’s historic preservation movement. Built in the 1890s, it has been ogled by local developers for years, and competition for the property began to boil almost immediately when the federal government sought private partners in March 2011.
When the government announced in February that it had selected the Trump plan to turn the building into a luxury hotel, it stunned Washington real estate insiders and politicos alike.
Critics have not held back. They say the Trumps are famous for making unrealistic promises and suing to get their way. They say the $200 million the Trumps have proposed to spend renovating the Old Post Office is not economically sensible, setting the project up for failure. The Trumps have built fewer hotels than their competitors and have never navigated Washington’s political and regulatory landscape. This, the critics say, should matter.
Trump, sitting in the 26th floor office of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, smiles from behind his desk at the criticism. It’s a grin familiar to millions of Americans who watch “The Apprentice,” which he tapes downstairs.
“In a way, we are paying too much for the Old Post Office,” he says casually. “I mean, we are paying too much for the Old Post Office. But we will make that so amazing that at some point in the future it’ll be very nice.”
Fifty years into his real estate career, confidence is a luxury that Trump says he can afford, although that was not always the case.
Trump was 37 and already famous when he completed 58-story Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue building with pink marble interiors where he lives and works.
But his early triumphs prompted an ambitious entrance into Atlantic City in the 1980s that nearly cost him his fortune. Four times Trump-branded casino companies filed for bankruptcy to ward off creditors in the 1990s and early 2000s, although he has no role managing the companies today.
He staged his return, renegotiating loans and returning to bold skyscraper projects, such as the 72-story Trump World Tower in Manhattan, which a New York Times architecture critic dubbed a “handsome hunk of a glass tower,” and the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, an $850 million hotel and condominium project completed in 2009 that is the second-tallest building in the city. His expansion into golf courses includes the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, where he plays a half dozen times a year and stays when he is in town.
With the help of “The Apprentice,” which debuted in 2004, and “Celebrity Apprentice,” Trump also took his name from one associated with resorts, casinos and a playboy lifestyle to a luxury brand, one that adds value to his properties the way LeBron James’s does sneakers and Paula Deen’s does skillets.
Terry J. Lundgren, chairman and chief executive of Macy’s, says Trump’s brand works. Macy’s sells Trump-branded neckties, shirts and cuff links, helped by the millions of viewers who see Trump wearing the solid color silk ties and French cuff shirts on prime time.
“I see his image being attached not just to real estate but just general business success,” Lundgren said.
That brand carries value in the hotel industry, according to David Loeb, managing director and senior real estate research analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co.
“Trump has cultivated an image that a lot of people do respond to,” he said. “And the Trump name is recognized, maybe not globally, but in international and domestic markets. And frankly the Trump hotels have achieved a reputation of being high-end luxury hotels in places like New York and Chicago.”
But having a highly rated television show and a line of successful neckties were not among the criteria the General Services Administration sought in a private developer for the Old Post Office, and the task of convincing the agency that the Trump Organization was the best choice to develop the building fell to Ivanka.
A celebrity herself, who learned details of her parents’ divorce from New York tabloids and whose ballet recital as a child was attended by her neighbor Michael Jackson, Ivanka has graced the cover of fashion and lifestyle magazines from Seventeen to Harper’s Bazaar.
A Wharton graduate who strikes a serious tone discussing real estate, she played a role in developing Chicago’s Trump International Hotel and Tower and took the lead on a $150 million purchase of the Doral Golf Resort and Spa on 800 acres outside Miami.
As vice president of her father’s company, Ivanka considered Washington one of the most attractive markets in the world to build the family’s ninth luxury hotel worldwide.
“For us I would say if there was a top priority market,” she said, “I would put Washington at the top of the list globally.”
But the Trumps prefer to build the biggest building that zoning rules, physics and airplane flight patterns allow. In Washington, a federal law prevents most buildings from exceeding 130 feet, less than one-tenth the height of the family’s Chicago property.
When the competition began last April, Ivanka, with her brother Eric, joined dozens of developers, architects and investors in a walk-through of the building, past kitschy Americana shops full of postcards and T-shirts; through a vacant, unheated and crumbling rear annex; up into the clock tower with soaring views of the National Mall.
As she mingled with other bidders — operators of some of the world’s most luxurious hotels — Ivanka realized the Old Post Office, on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the Capitol, was the building she wanted.
“I wouldn’t be interested in entering that market unless we could do so with a product that had the potential to be the best, and this is an opportunity we saw where we could accomplish that,” Ivanka said. “It’s not replicable — the beauty of this building, the location, the potential.”
Ivanka began assembling a bid last spring, traveling almost weekly on the Acela train to buttoned-down Washington to tour the building and competing luxury hotels with investors, engineers and architects.
Ivanka, who has her own brand of shoes, jewelry, handbags and coats (with perfume and sunglasses on the way), chose an architect, Arthur Cotton Moore, who was born and raised in Washington. He also began studying and working renovation plans for the building in the early 1970s. Rebecca Miller, executive director of the nonprofit D.C. Preservation League, says Cotton is “intimately familiar with the building.”
The Moore selection bolstered the organization’s experience restoring or managing historic buildings in New York. In developing the Grand Hyatt hotel, one of his earliest projects, Trump renovated the exterior of Grand Central Terminal. More recently he bought and renovated the Hotel Delmonico (built: 1929) and the Mayfair Hotel (1925) and converted both to luxury condominiums.
To put up the money for the Old Post Office project, the Trumps partnered with Colony Capital, a private-equity firm in California. Together they offered $200 million to renovate the building into a luxury hotel, spa and three restaurants and $3 million in annual base rent. (The Trumps declined to provide their full proposal, and the GSA declined to provide either the proposal or documents related to it in response to an open records request.)
Trump also would not say how much of the cash he will provide (”We’ll be putting in a lot of money”) but said he has avoided the debt problems that plagued him in past years. Indeed, he has been buying others’ properties out of bankruptcy and distress. The Trumps bought the Doral golf resort out of bankruptcy in June and the 776-acre Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard, outside Charlottesville, for $6 million at a bank auction last year after it was foreclosed on with more than $20 million remaining on mortgages.
With commercial lending thin, the Trumps say they have put more than $120 million into their Chicago tower and $50 million into acquiring and beginning work on a 1,400-acre golf course and resort in Scotland.
Trump has rarely steered free from controversy, however. While his daughter was doing her best to win over GSA officials — whose leadership was appointed by President Obama — her father was suggesting the president was not born in the United States, that he wasn’t qualified to attend Ivy League schools and that he was, in fact, “the worst president ever.”
At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, when Obama struck back in an extended and personal way, joking that Trump’s decision to fire actor Gary Busey from an episode of “Celebrity Apprentice” represented “the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night,” Trump glowered back. Might he be ruining his company’s chances in Washington?
“I often wondered about that to be honest with you,” Trump said in his office, surrounded by magazine covers bearing his face. “Was I hurting, was I helping? Now, I couldn’t change. I can’t say, ‘Oh gee, I want to get the Old Post Office so I’ll go undercover for six months.’”
Ivanka said she was apprehensive about backlash over her father’s pronouncements.
“Look, I think there are a lot of people who assumed we wouldn’t be selected because of the politics,” she said. “I certainly had my fair share of concern that that would affect us adversely.”
After receiving 10 bids for the project — from Hilton, Park Hyatt, Montage Hotels & Resorts and the National Museum of the Jewish People — GSA officials asked their teams to present their proposals during a three-day period in December.
Trump and Ivanka flew by private jet from a family event in Florida to Dulles International Airport for a one o’clock presentation Dec. 19 at the GSA’s blocky regional headquarters near L’Enfant Plaza. Their plan: a 261-room deluxe hotel with three restaurants, a Trump-branded spa, plus a lounge, 35,000-square-foot banquet facilities and a curated museum dedicated to the building’s history and the Congress Bells.
In selecting the Trump plan two months later GSA officials — under heavy pressure from Congress and the president to produce savings from under-utilized real estate — pointed to the $200 million in announcing the selection, saying the project would “save millions in taxpayer dollars” and “provide a positive economic return for the Federal Government.”
But the selection set off a revolt among some competing bidders. District developer Monument Realty complained to news media and congressional staff that it had offered more in rent for the property. Hilton Worldwide and its hometown president and chief executive, Arlington native Christopher J. Nassetta, had proposed a Waldorf Astoria for the building in tandem with Reston-based developer Metropolitan Partnership. Metropolitan filed a protest in April, criticizing the selection process and taking aim at Trump’s history of bankruptcies, lack of experience in Washington and plan for the property.
“The record of Trump bankruptcies indicates that Trump will be an unreliable business partner,” wrote Cary Euwer of Metropolitan. “Trump has a distinctly different posture at bid and award press conferences than it has in bankruptcy and court proceedings that emerge as a project fails. The public record reveals that Trump projects often fail, and fail with a great deal of negative publicity.”
Metropolitan offered to spend only $140 million to renovate the building, compared to Trump’s $200 million, but argued that Trump’s proposal, “would require Trump to obtain hotel room revenues which are simply not obtainable in the Old Post Office’s location based on the concepts for redevelopment.”
GSA contracting officer Kevin Terry responded with a seven-page letter rejecting the protest for procedural reasons and defending the Trump choice, saying Trump’s estimates for revenue per hotel room, when compared with other hotel bidders, were “by no means unreasonable.”
Trump gloats about the victory, saying, “We will build the greatest hotel that Washington has ever seen.”
“There will never have been a comparable hotel to what we’re going to do with the Old Post Office.”
Ivanka, now busily at work meeting with historic preservation officials, balks at suggestions that she and the company would damage the building’s historic aspects. “Anyone who is concerned about how we may alter or affect the historic character of the building can be assuaged by looking at our plans,” Ivanka said, adding. “This isn’t, I think, a very polarizing concept.”
Trump said he wasn’t so focused on making money and has no timeline for when the project ought to show a return on the investment. Is there a market of Washington travelers willing to pay up to $700 to stay in a hotel with his name on it?
“Maybe, and maybe not,” he said. “And you know if there isn’t, it’s okay, because we have a lot of money. And we’ll have a beautiful painting.”
___
Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Trump brand moves beyond real estate to sunglasses, bottled water, chocolate bars

2012-08-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

It’s the morning after the Miss USA pageant, and the event’s co-owner, Donald Trump, is attending to business.

Sitting in his Trump Tower office, he examines a printout of the ratings (“Look at these, these are great”) and then moves on to other Trump-branded items, of which there are many. On his desk is a pile of photographs and renderings of Trump golf courses he owns in Scotland and Los Angeles, and a third in Miami, the Doral, that he would buy the following Monday for $150 million.

His assistant comes in to hand him a black-and-white prototype of the new logo for the property, which has five championships golf courses and is being renamed Trump National Doral. “Eight hundred acres in Miami,” he said. “It’s phenomenal. What a piece of property. Just bought it. Can you imagine, right in the middle of Miami? It’s a tremendous place. So we’re going to fix that up and make it nice.”

Sitting in a bag behind him is a sampling of new Trump cuff links, to be offered alongside Trump suits, shirts, shoes and ties at Macy’s. He pulls out a sleeve of the gold- and silver-colored prototypes. “I have to approve all this stuff. This is the little things that you don’t see,” he said.

Trump grew up in real estate, cutting his teeth on affordable housing developments with his father, Fred Trump, in Brooklyn, Queens and East Orange, N.J., before setting out for Manhattan.

Today his name is plastered on more than real estate; in addition to “The Apprentice” and Macy’s products, there are more than a dozen books, a modeling agency, sunglasses, bottled water and chocolate bars made to look like bars of solid gold.

Not everything “Trump” succeeds, but the evolution of his brand into a synonym for wealth benefits the real estate business, according to Trump and his family. His son, Don Jr., who leads development of the 1,400-acre golf resort in Scotland, said he spends less than half of what competitors do on marketing because his father creates his own press.

“You couldn’t buy the type of publicity that he is able to get just by, you know, talking about something,” Don Trump Jr. said. “I think any other real estate developer would kill for that power.”

Trump on VP Pick Paul Ryan

2012-08-15T11:54:00.001-07:00

Trump Answers Fan Question

2012-08-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

Trump Vlog Discussing Mike Tyson Movies and more

2012-08-09T15:44:00.001-07:00

Trump on CNBC 8/7/2012

2012-08-07T13:38:00.001-07:00

Bret Michaels: Trump Asked Me to Do 'Celeb Apprentice All-Stars'

2012-08-05T19:43:00.001-07:00

Bret Michaels says he's considering a return to the world of reality TV ... becauseDonald Trump has asked him to compete on the upcoming, "Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars."

Bret's rep says the rocker is considering the gig, but has yet to officially commit.

As for rumors Bret will once again hunt for skeezers on another "Rock of Love" VH1 reality show now that he broke up with his fiancee ... Michaels' rep insists it's just not true.

"Anyone who knows Bret's family and knows him as a father and a friend would truly understand that he is hurting over the separation and the last thing he is thinking about is doing a dating show."

http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/02/bret-michaels-donald-trump-celebrity-apprentice-all-stars-rock-of-love-4/

Trump on CNBC 7/31/2012

2012-08-01T07:56:00.001-07:00

'You've Been Trumped' looks at Donald Trump's controversial efforts to build golf courses on protected Scottish land

2012-07-29T18:07:00.002-07:00

Donald Trump’s blustery reality-show persona may be entertaining to American TV audiences, but when you’re an ordinary citizen on the receiving end of Trump’s insults — and his financially backed influence — well, the guy just seems like a bully.

That’s the verdict of Scottish journalist and filmmaker Anthony Baxter, whose documentary “You’ve Been Trumped” opens Friday.

The film chronicles a David-and-Goliath tale as Trump sets his sights on building a lavish golf complex — including two courses, hotels and time-share apartments — in an environmentally sensitive area near Aberdeen, Scotland.

The catch: The Scottish government had declared the land a site of “special scientific interest” due to a rare formation of sand dunes, the only one of its kind in the British Isles.

“It seems there’s one rule for tycoons and [a different one] for everyone else,” Baxter tells the Daily News. “The Scottish government rolled over for Trump.”

Trump himself wasn’t available for comment about the film, but a Trump company vice president and legal counsel, George A. Sorial, told The News that Baxter’s film amounts to “nothing more than a guy making a cheap dime off the Trump name.”

The movie reports on how the Scottish government wound up overruling local planners and councils. That allowed Trump to bulldoze the dunes and build the first of two projected golf courses on the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire.

One reason for the government’s move, Baxter says, is that Trump publicly proclaimed that this was a billion-dollar-plus project producing 6,000 local jobs.

People never scr utinized the claims because they wanted to believe Trump’s actions would spur an economic boom, according to Baxter.

“Under scrutiny,” he says, “the numbers don’t add up.”

The process, which “Trumped” chronicles, began in 2005, when the New York mogul bought the 1,400-acre Menie Estate, an environmentally protected area on Scotland’s east coast. A year later, Trump announced his intention to build the golf courses and resort — a plan that was rejected by local planning boards in 2007, only to be overruled the same year by the government.

But the resort portion was put on hold when locals refused to sell their land to Trump. The developer subsequently announced that he wouldn’t build the resort because it would be overlooking a “slum,” terming a farmer and fisherman’s nearby property a “pigsty.”

The documentary includes footage from a Golf Channel program in which Trump casually tells the cameras how he’ll get rid of the eyesores.