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The Story of Donald Trump: From Zero to Billions and Back
Hello, friend! Today I want to tell you a story that might seem familiar, as it's about a very famous guy whose name everyone probably knows – Donald Trump. But we're not going to talk about his presidency, but about how he became who he is. This is a story about how a man who started from scratch (well, almost from scratch, as his father was a millionaire, but more on that later) built an entire empire, and then almost lost it. Get ready, there will be a lot of numbers, risks, and, of course, Trump's signature bluff.
The Beginning of the Journey: Manhattan, Crisis, and "Hell's Kitchen"
Do you know why Trump's story started in Manhattan, and not, say, in his native Queens or Brooklyn, where his father built? The official version is that Manhattan charmed him from childhood. But let's be honest, charm is good, but it doesn't always explain everything. Trump's father, Fred, built in those very areas that were then considered the domain of "thugs," beggars, and garbage dumps. Crime was off the charts, and it was scary to live there. Donald himself, although he lived on a decent street, hated these places and didn't want to build there. But here's the paradox: Trump's first major construction project began precisely in Manhattan, in an area that was then, to put it mildly, not great. We're talking about the area around Pennsylvania Station, which bordered so-called "Hell's Kitchen" – a place where the Irish mafia thrived,