Resident (R): Thank you for sitting down with us. Eric Trump (ET): It’s my pleasure, you have a great magazine. R: Obviously, you’re a Trump. What does it mean to be a member of that family? ET: It means I have a lot of responsibility on so many different fronts. I was very fortunate to be born into a great family and I recognize that. My grandfather was a developer and was incredibly successful. My father has obviously done amazingly well and has clearly become the “King of New York.” But what we, as a family, have done with the Trump brand outside of the United States is nothing short of exceptional. This has created an incredibly strong foundation. We believe in family businesses. I always like to say that we’re the “biggest mom and pop” in the world. It’s very special to enjoy the company’s assets on the weekend with one another when your livelihood is spent turning them into something very special. To have eight eyes looking at each detail of every single property is a huge advantage and is what makes a family business all the more meaningful and effective. So, what does it mean to be a Trump? Certainly, you carry that responsibility as the next generation. There is, of course, a
Resident October 2012
philanthropic element, as well – “to whom much is given much is expected.” We all take that aspect very seriously and prioritize philanthropy in our lives. R: Were you expected to be a part of the business? ET: No. My father has always said that if you don’t love what you do, don’t do it. For a couple of reasons – life’s too short to be miserable each day and if you don’t love it, you’ll never be good at it. He’d always reinforce that point. Ultimately, his greatest wish has come true – having all of us actively working in the business alongside him. He loves to call me at 6am to talk about an asset or acquisition, while also being able to interact with his son. I value these calls, as well, because he is an amazing mentor. But if we weren’t good at what we do, or if we didn’t love it, I think he’d ask us to pursue other interests. At the end of the day, we’re a very big business; we have tens of thousands of employees and a lot rides on the decisions we make. Therefore, like any other employee, we will be held accountable – family only goes so far. R: What exactly do you do for the company? ET: I do a lot of the company’s acquisitions, particularly those that fall under the auspices of our golf company. We have expanded
four courses to 13. We now have courses both domestically and internationally. We’ve also grown the hotel business tremendously and I spend a lot of time working on our properties in Las Vegas, Chicago, Panama and Doral, among others. All of these assets are award winning and I’m proud of all of our accomplishments. I also run one of our newest acquisitions, Trump Winery, Charlottesville, VA. An incredibly stunning piece of land – over 900 acres - that produces award-winning wine. R: I understand that you grew up in New York? ET: I did. I attended The Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, PA, and Georgetown University in Washington, DC, but eventually made my way back to New York. R: What does it mean to be a New Yorker? ET: Today, there is no family that’s more synonymous with New York than the Trumps. My father lives and breathes the city. My grandfather did such amazing work in Brooklyn and Queens, building 27,000 middle income units – they were formidable and fantastic buildings. Eventually, my father moved the business into Manhattan and, as we all know, built some of the tallest