The Trump Blog

We’ve all heard Mr. Trump discuss the importance of establishing yourself and then defending yourself. One seems to follow the other - once you become successful, it’s great, but you also become a target. I’ve been around long enough to know that Mr. Trump follows the advice he gives others - if they come after you, you have to go after them. Most of time it’s simply to set the record straight when the facts seem to escape the grasp of journalists and other people with the tools to damage your business and reputation.

A couple of weeks ago an article came out in The Wall Street Journal that was definitely of the “cup half empty” variety versus the “cup half full” philosophy. The writer was reviewing the situation of real estate developments with Mr. Trump and The Trump Organization, in which he mentions two small projects in Florida and the big building going up in Chicago, the Trump International Hotel & Tower. The title of the article was “Stalled Condo Projects Tarnish Trump’s Name,” published November 16. Regarding Chicago, the article says that the building has 30% left to sell. There are two years left to go until completion, which means that an unfinished building is 70% sold, an enviable position to be in. How things are stated can definitely present an obvious skew.

The two Florida projects that were mentioned because they were having problems are licensing deals. Mr. Trump is not the developer. But the writer focused on those two projects instead of the particularly significant facts that are amazing considering the state of real estate and financing today. So what Mr. Trump did was to write a letter to The Wall Street Journal that listed the facts, which they published, and when you compare the article to the letter, it becomes very obvious that he was presented in an inaccurate light.

For example, Mr. Trump asks why certain large projects are not included in the article - or why the apartment in his Trump World Tower that sold last week for $34 million wasn’t mentioned. His tower in Waikiki was 100% sold out, with $729 million in sales in less than five hours, which is a record. His tower in Las Vegas is already sold out with sales over $1 billion, and the SoHo tower has received over 4,500 applications for just 400 units. These facts were ignored.

Another good point Mr. Trump brought to their attention, and which was printed, is best said exactly as he wrote it:

In spite of the many daily trade publications, including yours, that are constantly referring to this as one of the worst credit crunches in years, and in an environment when no developers are getting financing for their jobs, we have successfully secured financing within the last three months for our Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto, Trump SoHo and Trump International Hotel & Tower in Panama. Those facts are a testament to the strength of the Trump name and brand within the financial community.

The Wall Street Journal was responsive and professional in their handling of this situation, and the facts were brought to the reader. It took time and effort on Mr. Trump’s part, but it was the right thing to do. That’s something to remember that when you have a name and brand to protect. It’s called setting the record straight, pure and simple. So keep the facts in mind whenever you are attacked. Sometimes they are the only weapons you’ll need.

Note from the editor: This post contains links to letters and articles in the Wall Street Journal.  Please be advised that before you can open and read them, you may be asked to register on that site or to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal online.  The Wall Street Journal is not affiliated with Trump University.