Donald Trump spoke at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Monday morning where he told voters that he, too — Donald Trump himself! — has had to overcome adversity and obstacles to get where he is in life, despite the fact that he was literally born into a real estate mogul family. A registered Republican in attendance asked The Donald if, with the exception of his family, if he’s ever been told “no” in his life. Trump shot back that not only has he been told no, but he’s been told no his entire life, starting with his father who advised him against developing in Manhattan at the start of his career.
It has not been easy for me, it has not been easy for me. And, you know, I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars. I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest.
I feel like it’s important to note that while a million dollars may not seem like a lot of money today (a million dollars is still totally a lot of money today), Trump went into Manhattan in 1971. And, according to an inflation calculator, $1 million in 1971 is the equivalent to more than $5.8 million in 2015, which in itself is a baffling amount of money to trust a kid right out of college with. Honestly, the only way I can even sum this whole thing up is with the Willy Wonka meme generator:
There, much better.