Transcript - Remarks: Donald Trump Receives an Honorary Doctorate at Wagner University - May 21, 2004 | Factba.se

Unidentified

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Dr. Guarasci, I present Donald J. Trump for the degree of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa. Trustee John Myers and Professor John Moran, professor of business, will assist with placing the foot on the shoulders of Donald J. Trump. Wagner College welcomes into the ranks of its alumni today, Donald J. Trump, A New York original.

Unidentified

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Everyone knows something about him and everyone has an opinion concerning him. He is brash, demanding, sometimes boastful, but the same time candid, insightful and supremely confident. Nothing second best. The Trump name is most commonly associated with superlatives. He owns the largest parcel of land in New York City, the former west side rail yards.

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00:01:18 - 00:01:49 (31 sec)

He owns the tallest building in downtown Manhattan, 40 Wall Street. The Trump World Tower near the United Nations is the tallest residential tower in the world. Nothing second-class. Virtually, all of the holdings in Mr. Trump's portfolio are described as world-class luxury developments, including the famous and historic estate Mar-a-Lago, now an ultra luxury Club.

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Self-promotion aside, the Trump name and the worlds of finance, construction and real estate mean a dependable return on investment. A job that will finish ahead of time and come in under budget, but most importantly, the Trump name means superior quality. It is not just his love affair, with the tallest, the largest, the best of most luxurious, the rich and famous.

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It is also his disdain for sloppiness indecision incompetence and plain stupidity. Wollman Rink in Central Park was the clear symbol of what the Trump Organization means to citizens of New York City. After the expenditure of over $12 million and almost a decade of failed attempts to renovate the aging outdoor ice skating facility, the Donald promised he could begin from scratch and give the city a new Wollman Rink in no more than six months, at a cost of no more than $three million.

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Four months later, in $750,000 under budget, the job was completed. Wollman Rink was already the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the country, but only since Mr. Trump has it been the best. In his mind's eye, he's a practical no-nonsense, straight-shooting person. He believes that The Art of the Deal, the title of his first and perennial a best-selling book, is just that, an art, and he knows that you're, measured by how much -- not by how much you undertake, but by what you finally accomplished.

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A graduate of the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, he learned there not to be overly impressed by academic credentials, but he also learned there and continues to realize that awarding degree is considered very prestigious. So he said, "I'm glad I went to Wharton." From that same critical stance, Wagner College, not wanting to be over interest, is nonetheless eager to acknowledge that your exercise of the talent, drive and creativity, which you possess in abundance, is both the lifeblood of a city such as New York and the gift that free society offers us all.

Unidentified

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That you Strive to be the best at what you do is commendable, that you are the best at what you do, is impressive. Wagner College is truly glad that you are here today and is our sincerest wish that you will be as glad to have a Wagner degree, as we will be to claim you as an alumnus. [Applause]

Richard Gaurasci

00:04:48 - 00:05:25 (37 sec)

With the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees of Wagner College and the laws of the state of New York, I hereby confer upon you, Donald J. Trump, the degree of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, and thereby declare that your name forever be inscribed on the role of Wagner College's most esteemed alumni.

Donald Trump

00:05:25 - 00:06:19 (54 sec)

Well, thank you very much. I've always wanted to be known as a doctor. And, Melania, from now -- from now on, you will address me as Dr. Trump. Sure she will. Well, you're about to begin a great new journey, and you never really know where that journey will take you. Look at me. I was a very successful real estate developer in New York City and they said, "Do you mind doing a television show?" So I said, "I guess, what the hell." And we did it. And then after I agreed to do it, I was speaking to my good friend John Myers, who runs a little thing called the General Electric pension fund.

Donald Trump

00:06:19 - 00:06:47 (28 sec)

What is that? A couple of hundred billion or something? Ridiculous like that. People don't know, people just don't know he's a great guy. And John and some of the NBC folks explained that 95% of the shows that go in the air failed. So I said, "Why didn't you tell me this before I agreed to do it?" But it became really something, and it went to the No. 1 show on television.

Donald Trump

00:06:47 - 00:07:19 (32 sec)

So here I am, I'm a star, and there's nothing like it. It beats real estate all the time. I hope each and every one of you realize how really important you are not only to your parents, and you owe them a very big thank you. But really, you have to realize that to yourself and if you do you're going to go out and conquer.

Donald Trump

00:07:19 - 00:07:49 (30 sec)

Graduation, really, is just a beginning. I graduated from school, we're all a little bit nervous. We never know what's gonna happen. We never know where the world is going, we're in a pretty, pretty frightening place right now, but I thought what I'd do is put down a few points so that you folks can go out and at least maybe have a guideline, because I've lived by this guideline, and it sort of worked.

Donald Trump

00:07:49 - 00:08:21 (32 sec)

We've had some little doubts every once in a while, but it's -- it's worked for me and I always begin by saying, "You have to love what you do. If you don't love it, don't do it." Don't let your parents push you into something, don't let your girlfriend, your boyfriend. Don't let anybody push you in. If you don't love it, don't do it, and probably you won't be very good at it. If you're doing something against your will.

Donald Trump

00:08:21 - 00:08:50 (29 sec)

It may not seem like the right thing at the time, but you've gotta love it. Another thing, give 100% of what you've got. No matter how long we're on this planet, if we're 80, 90 or a hundred years old, it's really just a speck of time, so give 100%. Just so important. Review yourself every day. How am I doing?

Donald Trump

00:08:50 - 00:09:19 (29 sec)

Especially now. How am I doing? What am I doing? Am I enjoying it? Am I doing it well? Do my bosses like me? What's going on? Review yourself. See how things are going. You're gonna have a lot of problems. Life is tough. In 1990, and John can tell you, I owed billions and billions of dollars and it seemed like there was no end.

Donald Trump

00:09:19 - 00:10:02 (42 sec)

Some people would say $9.2 billion. Nobody wants to owe that much money. I slept well, but the banks didn't. Now I'm all good. The fact is, I fought, I worked, and now my company is a much bigger, stronger, more solid company that it ever was before, much bigger than it was in the '80s, much, much bigger than it was in the '90s, but I never gave up. And honestly, the odds were against me, the Guinness Book of Records, other than this great recognition today, I think, in its own way, I'm very honored.

Donald Trump

00:10:02 - 00:10:22 (20 sec)

The Guinness Book of Records has me down as The Greatest Personal Financial Comeback Of All Time. Now I don't know what that means, because I just kept working. It's the same thing. The '90s weren't as good as the '80s. Then the end of the '90s were great, and now it's sort of better than that. But you just keep working.

Donald Trump

00:10:22 - 00:10:51 (29 sec)

Be disciplined. Don't lose discipline. Get out there and fight for everything. Don't lose discipline. And don't live on the edge like I do. You don't need it. You want to have a nice, folks, OK? Study something everyday. Learn. There's nothing like education. You know, I grew up right next to Wagner College, a lot of people don't know.

Donald Trump

00:10:51 - 00:11:14 (23 sec)

They see Trump Tower and they see Fifth Avenue. I love this. When John asked me to receive this great recognition? I was happy to do it. My father owned a job right next door Grimes Hill apartments and I would collect coins in the washing machines with my father, almost every Saturday. And we'd go around collecting on Howard, we'd just go around and collect.

Donald Trump

00:11:14 - 00:11:49 (35 sec)

And they usually wasn't too much money in there, but we'd collect. And he'd say, "Come on, let's make the rounds." And we'd stop at Wagner College a lot. And I happen to think -- and I've been to great colleges and great campuses. I happen to think that this is one of the most beautiful campuses anywhere in the United States I really believed it. [Applause] Keep the big picture in mind, but never lose sight of the details, because the details can send you down.

Donald Trump

00:11:49 - 00:12:17 (28 sec)

If you lose sight of the details, they can send you down. So keep that big picture in mind. Never lose sight of the details. Always -- and this is sort of a little bit tough to say, in terms of success, and I refuse to say it to this crowd. I refuse. Because you're much too idealistic. Always have a prenuptial agreement, but I'm not saying.

Donald Trump

00:12:17 - 00:12:50 (32 sec)

I will not say. Of course, half of my friends have been destroyed by divorce, but I refuse to say. I'll tell you, to me the second most important thing, after love what you do, is never ever give up. Don't give up, don't allow it to happen. If there's a concrete wall in front of you, go through it, go over it, go around it, but get to the other side of that wall.

Donald Trump

00:12:50 - 00:13:17 (28 sec)

I have so many people that I've seen over the years. If they just fought a little bit harder, they would have made, they would have succeeded, they would have accomplished their goal, but they gave up. Don't give up. Abraham Lincoln said, "I will study and prepare, and prep -- perhaps, just perhaps, my chance will come." And that's very, very true.

Donald Trump

00:13:17 - 00:13:41 (23 sec)

And just in closing, I'm going to say to you two words that I only said once on the apprentice. You are hired. [Applause] Good luck. Do well. Thank you.