Hot Russian Brides® Men's Lifestyle Magazine™ Fall 2016 | Page 13

to see potential where others might not, and has largely
reshaped the Manhattan skyline as a result. In 1976 in the first mega-deal of his career, and one of the most
famous real-estate deals in history - Trump obtained an
option to purchase the Commodore Hotel which, at the
time, was about to be ‘shuttered’ by its Bankrupt parent
[Penn Central]. With an option in hand, he then negotiated an unprecedented 40-year tax abatement deal
with New York City officials. A 30-year old Trump knew
that he would need an impressive development partner
in order to borrow the money to restore the grand lady
to her full potential. Targeting the Hyatt Hotel Chain one of the few large hospitality groups without a significant New York City ‘presence’ - was itself, a stroke of
genius. Trump successfully entered into a partnership
agreement with Hyatt, and with Hyatt as a management
partner, he was well on his way to securing mortgage
commitments [ultimately from two different banks]
totaling $70M for renovations. The face lift started in
1978, and opened as The Grand Hyatt Hotel in 1980.
The Trump Empire
In 1977, Donald Trump married fashion model and Olympic skiing hopeful, Ivana Zelníčková and the couple had
three children together. Trump Tower opened in 1982,
featuring a six-story atrium as well as an 80-foot waterfall
plummeting amongst pink marble, and a plethora of high
end retail stores. The building garnered Donald Trump
national attention and heralded him as the Boy Wonder
with the business strategy to rebuild Manhattan. After
such real estate development success, Trump decided
to try his hand in the casino business, acquiring a Hilton
Hotel in Atlantic City and renaming it the Trump Castle. He would go on to acquire the largest casino hotel
in the world, the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, which finally
opened in 1990.
It was in 1990, with the fall of the real estate market, that
Donald Trump, the “golden boy” of real estate, came up
against his first hard core set-backs. During this time, his
$1.5 billion empire collapsed to as little as $500 million.
Never one to settle for defeat, ‘the Donald ’ managed to
come up with a business strategy that would reverse the
massive deficit on his personal balance sheet, once again
amassing a fortune of over $2 billion dollars.
The Donald
During his economic struggles - his net worth plummeting
to only 1/3 of its previous value - Trump decided to use his
prominent presence and charisma in the realm of reality
television. This was a tumultuous time for Trump with a real

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estate glut, vultures [banks] circling overhead and ensuing
marital strife, Donald and Ivana were divorced in 1991. He
remarried in 1993 to Marla Maples with whom he already
had a child. That marriage lasted four years and ended in a
highly contested and publicized divorce. He married his current wife Melania in 2005 and a year later they had a son,
Barron Trump (no pressure there) .
Capitalizing on his controversial nature, “The Donald” took
to television, starring in the NBC reality hit television show,
The Apprentice. The Apprentice features candidates vying
to be hired by Trump as his next apprentice. Each week,
one of the candidates gets eliminated when Trump roars
his notorious catchphrase, ”You’re fired!”
Donald Trump For President
Our iconic “Brand of the Year” winner for 2016 has had a
run for the presidential election that’s been riddled with
controversy. People either love him or they hate him, but
few are indifferent to the Donald Trump brand. During
his campaign, he called out Senator John McCain’s war
record. Donald Trump discredited McCain as a war hero
stating, ”He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because
he was captured? I like people who weren’t captured.”
During the Vietnam conflict, McCain was captured and
spent years being tortured by the North Vietnamese in the
infamous Hỏa Lò Prison, (dubbed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by U.S.
Prisoners of War). McCain survived inhumane conditions
and endured grueling torture, not the least of which was
the repeated breaking of both his arms. Donald Trump’s
reference to Senator John McCain’s horrific ordeal as a
POW was clearly in poor taste, and has caused many to
criticize him for his insensitivity. Yet, some have advocated
his willingness to speak his mind regardless of platform or
political party expectations.
Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is always himself
and is currently this country’s most recognized Brand. He
can be counted on to always speak his mind, regardless
of how provocative the message. Trump is the epitome of
the American dream, following Ayn Rand’s ‘pull-yourselfup-by-your-bootstraps’ strategy and philosophy that any
citizen can achieve the American Dream. Whatever your
views of him may be, there is no argument that Donald
Trump is a uniquely recognizable and iconic Brand.
As for the ‘man’ behind the Brand, he is clearly captain of
his own ship and thus far, that ship has sailed him into
greatness. Therefore, we wish to extend the heartiest
congratulations to this year’s ‘Brand of the Year’ winner,
. . . “ The Donald “ J. Trump.

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