Donald Trump, The Master of the Deal

Donald Trump 1, The Master of the Deal

The institutions that finance what I have, they happen to be in love with Donald Trump, but they’re not in love with me because I’m a 1)nice guy or anything. They’re in love with me because everything I’ve done has been a tremendous winner.
-- Donald Trump

For the last two decades, the name Donald Trump has become almost 2)synonymous with the New York City 3)skyline. And as the 1990s headed to the end of the millennium 2, he was there adding one of his latest Trump triumphs. It was almost as big as his ego 3. It was his latest deal. He had taken control of the old Gulf 5 and Western Building and 4)turned it around. He gave it the Trump touch of gold, crystal and a skin of gleaming glass. He has taken over the 5)penthouse for himself and his family. From there, they can look out over the city he has conquered. 

It wasn’t easy. Donald Trump was born across the East River in the Borough 6 of Queens, into a middle-class family. When he graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964, there were a lot of opportunities opening up for him.

May 4th, 1975, is a milestone 7 in the life of Donald Trump’s deal-making. He called a press conference to announce that he had made a deal with the Hyatt chain to go into a partnership 8 to rebuild the old Commodore. That was only part of his amazing deal. This unknown, 6)untried dealmaker applied 9 for and received a 40-year tax 7)abatement 10 from the City. Then, with Hyatt and the City in his corner, he made deals with banks and a prestigious 11 private investment company, to give him 8)hefty loans. He still wasn’t finished. He then persuaded the City to accept his plan to cover the old concrete 9)facade 12 of the Commodore with gleaming glass. The first master deal of his life became a whirlwind of successful negotiations 13, a pattern for the rest of his life.

His whirlwind behavior carried over to his romantic life. The stylish 14 woman who had captivated the playboy was Ivana Zelnicek Skoumalova Vinclomeir. She was an Olympic skier 15 from Czechoslovakia, via Canada, where she had become a top fashion model. She had moved to New York after meeting Donald in Canada, and ten months later they were married in Marble Collegiate Church, where some of New York’s social 10)elite 16 have said their vows 17 for generations. They moved into a modern apartment overlooking Central Park. Donald had high regard for Ivanna’s taste in decorating, so he put her in charge of the interior design of the Hyatt Hotel. It took two years, but in September of 1980, the first major deal of his life finally became a 11)going concern. The Grand Hyatt Hotel opened its doors for business. 

The Grand Hyatt was just the beginning. While getting ready for the hotel’s grand opening, Donald Trump was involved already in his next deal, the biggest one so far. He bought the property next to Tiffany’s on New York’s 12)swanky Fifth Avenue. But more than that, he got the 13)air rights over the prestigious jewelry 18 store. Air rights may not mean much anywhere else, but in crowded Manhattan, the right to build straight up is pure gold. Now, not just his presence but his name would tower over the city. Construction began on what he 14)dubbed “The Trump Tower”, a sixty-eight story building, the tallest residential 20 concrete-walled building in Manhattan. 

Billions of dollars come and go, but Donald Trump has never lost his billion-dollar ego. Getting back operating control of his casinos has given him the cash flow to remain a major player in New York and Atlantic City, and he probably will never have trouble finding 15)backers. 

Cindy Adams (Columnist): He’s not purporting 21 to be Mother Teresa. He is not purporting to be anything beyond what he is. He is what he is! He’s a high-class, 16)Wharton-educated, brilliant 17)conman. And I think he’s the best at it. 

Con 4 man or master of the deal, where does he go from here?

Trump: First New York. Next, the world!

注释：
1) nice guy: trump 在非正式语中有“好人，好汉”的意思
2) synonymous [si5nCnimEs] a. 同义词的
3) skyline [5skailain] n.（建筑物、高山等在天空映衬下的）空中轮廓线
4) turn around 完全改变
5) penthouse  [5penthaus] n.（豪华的）顶层公寓
6) untried [5Qn5traid] a. 未经检查的；未试过的
7) abatement [E5beitmEnt] n. 消除
8) hefty [5hefti] a. 相当大（或多）的
9) facade [fE5sB:d] n.（建筑物的）正面，临街正面
10) elite [ei5li:t] n. [法] 精华，中坚分子
11) going concern 开张营业的商行；营业发达的商行
12) swanky [5swANki] a. 奢华的
13) air right（土地、不动产上面的）空间所有权
14) dub 19 [dQb] v. 授予称号
15) backer [5bAkE] n. 支持者
16) Wharton 即Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania（宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院），20世纪60年代，特朗普在那里学习商务。
17) conman [5kCnmEn] n. 骗子

商界奇才特朗普

那些向我提供资金的机构，他们碰巧都喜欢唐纳德·特朗普。但他们喜欢我不是因为我是个好人什么的，他们喜欢我是因为我做的每件事都获得辉煌的成功。
——唐纳德·特朗普

过去二十年里，唐纳德·特朗普这个名字几乎成为纽约市高层建筑的代名词。随着二十世纪九十年代向新千年的迈进，他又赢得了一次“特朗普”式的胜利，这次胜利几乎如同他膨胀的自我那般强大。这是他最近的一次生意。他改造了旧的海湾和西部大楼，使其焕然一新；他以金碧辉煌、晶莹璀璨的特朗普风格来装饰它。他与家人住在顶层高级公寓，在那里，他们一家人可以俯瞰这个已经被他征服的城市。
这一切来之不易。唐纳德·特朗普出生于东河对面皇后区的一户中产阶级家庭。1964年，当他从纽约军事学院毕业时，许多机会展现在他面前。
1975年5月4日是唐纳德·特朗普的商海生涯中的一个里程碑。他召开了一个记者招待会，宣布他将和凯悦集团合伙改造老肯蒙得饭店。那只是他令人吃惊的生意的一部分。这个不为人知的新手从市政当局那里申请并获得了长达四十年的减税期。有了凯悦和纽约当局的支持，他和银行及一家著名的私人投资公司进行接洽，获得可观的贷款。这还没有结束。随后他说服了市政当局采纳他的一项计划，用闪闪发亮的玻璃覆盖肯蒙得饭店陈旧的混凝土表面。这是他生命中第一桩具有奇才风范的生意，它成了一股引发诸多成功谈判的旋风，也成了一个贯穿他此后一生的典范。
他旋风般的作风延伸到他的爱情生活中。俘虏了这个花花公子的时髦女郎是伊凡娜·泽尔尼科娃·温克洛梅尔，她是捷克斯洛伐克的奥运会滑雪选手，经加拿大来到美国。在加拿大，她成为一个顶级时装模特；也是在那里，她遇到唐纳德，随后迁居至纽约。十个月后，他们在大理石联合教堂成婚，那里是几个世纪以来，纽约的一些社会名流举行婚礼的地方。他们搬进一套可以俯瞰中央公园的时髦公寓。唐纳德十分赞赏伊凡娜的装饰品味，所以让她负责凯悦大酒店的内部设计。装修花了两年时间，一直到1980年9月，唐纳德生命中的第一个主要投资项目终于开张营业了——凯悦大酒店迎来了首批客人。
凯悦大酒店只不过是个开始。在为酒店盛大的开张仪式做准备的时候，唐纳德·特朗普已经着手他的下一单房地产生意，也是目前为止最大的一单。他买下时尚前卫的纽约第五大街上邻近第凡内的一处房产。不过更重要的是，他得到了这家名望卓著的珠宝店上空的空间所有权。在其他地方，空间所有权或许无足轻重，但是在拥挤不堪的曼哈顿，建造高空建筑的权利实质上就是滚滚财源。如今，不光他的大楼，甚至连他的名字也被竖立在城市高空之上。他称之为“特朗普大楼”的建筑开始动工，这座68层楼的建筑是曼哈顿最高的混凝土墙的居民住宅楼。
数十亿美元转瞬消失，唐纳德·特朗普却从未失去过他无价的自尊心。重新掌握对赌场的控制权使他拥有了流动资金——他仍然是纽约和大西洋城的主要玩家；他或许永远不用担心找不到支持者。

辛迪·亚当斯（专栏作家）：他无意成为德兰修女。他无意去做任何超越真实自我的事。他就是他自己！他属于上流社会，是一名从沃顿毕业的、才气纵横的商业好手。我认为他是最精于此道的。
是骗子还是大师，他从此走向何方？

特朗普：先是纽约。然后，是世界！