Letter: Donald Trump responds to Lazarus’ column

Mr. Davan Maharaj
Business Editor
Los Angeles Times
202 West 1st Street
Los Angeles, California 90012

To Mr. Maharaj:

I am worth many billions of dollars, am building large scale developments all over the world, am considered by many to be, by far, the hottest name in real estate, and I have to read an article by a third-rate reporter in your newspaper that my “primary claim to fame” is hosting The Apprentice. Unlike many other people that make their money giving seminars, I made my money in real estate and, as your reporter should have known, I never filed for bankruptcy. In Los Angeles, for instance, I own (100%) one of the most successful and highly-rated golf courses in the State of California, Trump National in Palos Verdes. This golf and residential development, which fronts over a long stretch of the Pacific Ocean, was purchased for a mere fraction of its current worth --- and that is what I teach at Trump University.

When your reporter called me two weeks ago to ask questions about Trump University, a very successful though very small part of my business holdings, this reporter sounded like a real “wise-guy”. Unfortunately, there are too many such people in the otherwise wonderful profession of journalism. With people like this working for the Los Angeles Times, I now see why it is a newspaper in a tailspin – both from an advertising and circulatory standpoint. Try getting rid of your “bad apples” like this and I bet you will do a lot better --- and by the way in last season’s Apprentice the Los Angeles Times was all too anxious to partake in one of its episodes.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump

P.S. The picture, however, was great!