Dan's Papers - August 31, 2007 - Donald Trump

Donald Trump is known for doing everything bigger, better and more lavishly than it has ever been done before. So it came as no surprise that when he sponsored Week Five of the Bridgehampton Polo Club's tournaments, it was the biggest polo party ever thrown. "I've been to polo in the Hamptons and in Palm Beach and I love the event," he explained. And when The Donald (a name his ex-wife, Ivana, coined for him decades ago) puts his name on something, it always seems to turn out just right. After the guests left the field, promoters were stunned to find that Week Five's Saturday event was the most highly attended polo match in the history of the Bridgehampton Polo Club. "It was the biggest ever," Trump marveled.

However, it was not his love of polo that brought him to the Hamptons, but his enthusiasm to support his newest venture on Long Island, Trump on The Ocean. Donald Trump is partnering with developer Steven Carl, who won the bid for the former Boardwalk Restaurant on Jones Beach. Trump and Carl have grand plans for the $40 million banquet and event facility, which will be open in the spring of 2009. Among them is a high-profile client base. "We'll be doing a lot of business with people in the Hamptons and all over the island," The Donald promised. "We will get a Hamptons audience." Although the foundations for the project have not been laid as of yet, reservations for the 75,000-square-foot banquet palace have already started rolling in.

Although it seems as if everything Donald Trump turns to gold, life has not always been so grand for the real estate mogul. Beyond the grandeur of Donald Trump's public image, hairstyle and gold-lettered last name, there is a man who personifies the American Dream - a boy from Brooklyn who dreamed of being the biggest, best real estate developer in the country and succeeded.

After graduating from the Wharton School of Business, Donald Trump was an "Apprentice" to his father, Fred Trump, at his Brooklyn-based real estate company. His father has lovingly credited Donald with closing some of his company's most important deals and Donald follows suit, often expressing that he learned his business sense from working under his father. Now, history is repeating itself as Donald's children join his company and enrich their family business. Although his daughter, Ivanka, first followed in her mother's footsteps and traveled the world as a fashion model, she has now decided to concentrate on a career in real estate. "Ivanka did really well in modeling and now she is doing really well working for me. She and my sons, Don and Eric, really get involved with the company projects," her father said with pride.

Although most New Yorkers are familiar with the towering glass skyscrapers emblazoned with the massive bronze letters "TRUMP," some of the Trump family's projects might surprise even the most seasoned sidewalk pounders. His most famous projects include The Trump Building on 40th Street and Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City, the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, but when asked which projects were most meaningful to him, the list Donald provides is slightly different. "I have many favorite projects - the Trump Tower on 57th Street, the Trump World Tower near the United Nations, which is the tallest residential building in New York City and Trump Place," where he turned the rundown, 13-block-long Riverside Park area into a row of gleaming skyscrapers and a city park. "The Wollman rink was another favorite," Trump remembers. "It was left in disrepair for seven years while the city tried to raise the money to fix it - it was a very sad thing to witness. I took it over and completely rebuilt it in three months. My company runs it to this day. It is now the most successful skating rink in the country."

In recent years, The Donald has become famous for more than his real estate projects, as his name has become synonymous with the phrase "You're Fired!" As the star of the hit television series "The Apprentice," Trump has become the judge of what it takes to succeed in the business world - and who's got it. Season after season, bright young Americans with big dreams compete in front of the cameras for a job working for one of Mr. Trump's companies. Jobs under him are in such high demand, in fact, that he even has working actors and actresses applying for the chance to win one. "We have ten celebrities applying for every spot on the show - I had no idea that there were so many celebrities," he joked. Next season, fourteen of these hopefuls will compete on the celebrity edition of "The Apprentice." The Donald is also known for his involvement with the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, which have beat out NBA playoff games for ratings year after year.

Although Donald Trump is known for living and breathing business, he does take time out from his busy development schedule every summer to come to the Hamptons and relax. Years ago, Donald Trump was a fixture on the Hamptons scene, where he could be spotted on any given summer day at the beach near his home in Wainscott or playing a few holes of golf on one of his favorite Hamptons courses. "I like everything about the Hamptons - I love the ocean, I love the beach and I have many friends out there," he explained. "Although I am not as much a part of the Hamptons as I used to be, I'll always love it here." Although he has not visited since he hosted polo, The Donald will be back soon. "I have a lot of friends out there who want to play a game of golf with me," he explained. "I love the Shinnecock course and I love the National, so I'll be out again. I look forward to it."

From vacationing in the Hamptons to erecting the world's grandest skyscrapers, Donald Trump is living the American Dream. And with a new baby boy, Barron, a new wife, supermodel Melania, and new projects rising higher into the sky with each passing year, he seems to be living every minute of it to its fullest. Perhaps The Donald said it best when he summed up his current state - "I'm having a good time."