He is great at business. His politics will be even better, never mind all that he says—he’s only playing the media.
Donald Trump is a stickler for detail. When Trump Towers, his only business venture in India, was coming up in Pune, he insisted on choosing the marble himself. He wanted the interiors to be different and, sure enough, Trump Towers is one of the finest properties in India. And since Trump is a brand name, it commands a premium that is nearly 30 per cent more than what similar properties in the vicinity would cost.
In fact, the world over, you have to pay a licence fee if you want to use the Trump brand name even though Trump has not invested in the project and it is only his name that he has lent to the venture. The tower in Pune is a landmark and similar to the one in New York. It is different from the rest because plaster and cement haven’t been used; it is the first building in the country that is all granite and glass. Trump says plaster will fall off in 10 years and we want our buildings to look just the same even 50 years later.
That’s his political vision as well. He thinks ahead of the rest. A very shrewd and intelligent businessman, he thinks highly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised him a lot while addressing investors when he came to Pune in 2014. Some people may not agree with Trump’s political views and all that he says, but then, what politicians say before elections is not what they say once they are in power. In that sense, he knows how to play the media.
Trump runs his poll campaign like he runs his business. Everything is thought out to the last detail and he runs the campaign with his own money. That means, he tells us, he is not taking favours from anyone and, therefore, when he comes to power, he will not have to give favours to anyone.
But that doesn’t mean he is a difficult person to deal with. When he arrived in India for the first time in 2014, the airport in Pune did not have a ladder tall enough to reach the huge jet plane that he travels in. It took nearly an hour to make the special ramp but when he came down, he was cracking jokes and shaking hands with everyone instead of throwing tantrums.
In the evening, there was a function in his honour and one normally expects the chief guest to arrive a little late. Trump arrived nearly an hour before the function because he was getting bored in his room and decided to take selfies with the hotel staff and joke around.
Trump sees huge business potential in India. He is investing in another project with us, which will again be under his brand name. He feels that India will be in 20 years where China is today. His business dealings are great. His politics will be even better.
(Atul Chordia is chairman of Panchshil Realty)
as told to Meetu Jain