Trump: How to Get Rich

11:30 A.M. I return nine calls and realize I’m looking forward to having lunch at the golf club and a round of golf with Bill Clinton, David Granger, and Alfons. It’s a beautiful day, and I love checking out the course. That’s one reason I don’t feel too guilty about taking a Friday afternoon off—I’ll still be working.

Someone sends in a big box of Godiva chocolates. This will be tough, but I’ll just look at them for a while and then put them outside for my staff. Who says I’m not a nice guy? Ditto for those Belgian truffles. Life can be tough.

12:00 P.M. I ask George Ross to come in, and we go over a few things. George brings the word laconic to life. Five minutes with him equals one hour with your average lawyer.

12:05 P.M. I decide to call Mike Donovan. I want to see how the work is going on my 727. He says it will be ready next week, which is good news, as I want to visit my golf course in California.

12:15 P.M. Mark Burnett and his two producers, Jay Bienstock and Kevin Harris, come in for a meeting, to go over the assignments to be given to the sixteen candidates on The Apprentice. This is an interesting process. We want to make sure that each assignment has a purpose beyond entertainment. These guys are not only nice, they’re intelligent. I really feel they’ve got their bases covered. Any apprehensions I had about the TV show have evaporated.

12:45 P.M. I go through twenty-seven requests, including invitations from Norway, Peru, and India. Norma tells me I should view the video made for Trump Park Avenue before I leave, which has some beautiful footage. It’s a great video.

1:00 P.M. I collect my papers and faxes and ask Rhona to call the elevator and to tell Eddie to have the car ready in fifteen minutes.

I make my exit. It’s been a great week. I just hope the car is ready. Otherwise, Eddie’s in for it—big time.

Here I am with Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice, and Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment.

Prime Time

Over the past few years, since reality shows came into vogue, television networks have been trying to get me to do one. They approached me with offers for substantial amounts of money, but the concept was always predictable. They wanted to follow me around with cameras, watching me make deals, brush my teeth, and, most certainly, comb my hair. None of this appealed to me at all.

One day, I was approached by the head of CBS Entertainment, Les Moonves, who wanted to broadcast the live finale of the hit series Survivor from Wollman Rink in Central Park, which I control through a long-term lease. It sounded like a great idea to me, especially when they told me they were going to build a jungle to replicate the one in which the Survivor contestants had been living.

When I arrived at Wollman Rink that night, I was amazed to see what they had been able to do. They had transformed a city skating rink into an exotic wildlife scene. As I was heading toward my seat, an attractive young man approached me and said, Hi, Mr. Trump, I’m Mark Burnett and I’m the creator of Survivor.

I said, Mark, you don’t have to tell me that. Everybody knows who you are, but it’s really nice to meet you.

He said, You know, Mr. Trump, I have an idea and I’d love to see you at your earliest possible convenience.

A week later, he came to my office. Before he got to his formal presentation, he did what any smart entrepreneur would do: He made sure he established a connection with me.

He did this by telling me that I’m a genius. Some people may consider such flattery excessive, but when you’re on the receiving end, it’s usually okay.

In the most passionate terms, he told me how, fifteen years ago, when he was selling shirts on Venice Beach and barely making a living, he had read a copy of The Art of the Deal. He said it had changed his life.

If that’s so, I said, why haven’t you given me twenty percent?

He laughed heartily. I knew he was setting the table, but he was setting it brilliantly. I was impressed.

Then he told me his idea for The Apprentice—a series set in the jungle of New York City, the toughest jungle of them all, where people tear each other apart just to get an inch ahead of the competition.

His idea was terrific: Have sixteen people compete in a televised thirteen-week job interview, where the winner gets to become my apprentice. Whoever won would get a six-figure job at The Trump Organization for one year—maybe longer, if he or she was worth it.

What appealed to me most was that the premise of The Apprentice would be educational to viewers. People would be able to see how the real business world works and what it takes to survive in it—or to even have a chance to survive in it.

I asked Mark what kind of a time commitment he would need from me.

Mark’s words, which I will never forget and will always remind him of, were: Donald, believe me, the most time we would need is three hours a week.

I can affectionately say that I was a real schmuck for believing that line.

The first few episodes took about thirty hours each. But it turned out I didn’t mind. As time went by, I started to realize that this show could be really big, and I wanted to devote the kind of time to it that Mark needed me to give.

When we pitched the project to the top networks for bids, everyone wanted it. They loved the concept. We chose NBC, which also broadcasts my Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants, so it was a quick and easy deal. Neither side had to be convinced of anything, and from the very first meeting, the relationship has been a strong one. Bob Wright, the chairman of NBC, and Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment, are the best in the business. They worked hard to promote the show and were rewarded with rave reviews and the best ratings of any new show of the season. I know this sounds like typical showbiz hype, but it’s all true.

Once I got used to the time commitment, working on the show came naturally, because, in effect, what I do on The Apprentice is what I do in life: I hire people. I fire people. I make things work.

One of my favorite aspects of the show are the dramatic entrances and exits I get to make—from limousines and planes, or into the boardroom. It’s good to be the CEO, and it’s even better to be the CEO on national TV. It was also great to enlist the services of special guest stars such as George Steinbrenner and Donny Deutsch, the best advertising man in the business, as well as Regis, of course.

When we announced the show to the media in one of the most publicized job listings in recent memory, the reaction was instant and huge. In the first week, we received over 86,000 website hits. Over 70,000 applications were downloaded—the first one from Hamburg, Germany. The tally reached 215,000 before we finally stopped counting. This might have been the biggest job application in history.

Fortunately, Mark and his team knew what they were doing. After reviewing the twelve-page applications and videotapes required of prospective contestants, ten casting directors and five assistant casting directors studide the materials further, narrowing the field to those deemed strong possibilities.

The Apprentice auditions in August 2003. I’m greeting these brave people in front of Trump Tower.

Their screening process was comprehensive and thorough. In the spirit of fairness, open calls were held in ten major U.S. cities. Tens of thousands of people showed up. In New York City, at Trump Tower, those thousands stood in the pouring rain for hours just to get a few moments of consideration. Obviously, most of them didn’t make it, but they’ve got what it takes to succeed because they’ve got the guts to go for it.

Seeing their enthusiasm really revved me up for the show. It also bowled me over. I thought to myself,All these people want to work for