In June, NBC reportedly severed all ties with Donald Trump following his lashing out at undocumented "illegal" Mexican immigrants, calling them criminals and rapists.
The network issued a statement, "At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump."
They asserted that they would air The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice with a new host, and would no longer broadcast Trump owned beauty contests.
Donald was apparently persona non grata at NBC -- until recently. In September NBC featured Trump as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, drawing excellent ratings. He has also been interviewed on NBC's Meet the Press, and is scheduled to host their Saturday Night Live program on November 7.
In addition, Monday he was the guest on NBC's Today Show "Town Hall Meeting" moderated by Matt Lauer in New Hampshire, a Country Club event that had all of the charm and elements of an infomercial.
During the presentation, Trump made some interesting comments, including the following where he described how hard it has been for him:
It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars. I came into Manhattan. I had to pay him back. I had to pay him back with interest. But I came into Manhattan, I started buying up properties. And I did great.
Oh, the humanity!
Wait a minute -- a small loan of one million dollars? That sounds like an oxymoron to me.
According to biography.com, "In 1971 he [Donald Trump] became involved in large, profitable building projects in Manhattan."
I think we can all agree that in 1971 a million dollars was worth significantly more than it is now. In 1971 a gallon of regular gas cost 36 cents, and the median annual household income was $9,028. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, a million dollars in 1971 is the equivalent of $5,875,185 in 2015.
What Trump didn't discuss in the Today Show "Town Hall Meeting" was any additional loans or other financing he may have received from his father or from family trusts, nor how much he may have inherited. (Click here for an interesting article in the Washington Post on these topics.)
Trump has made some excellent business decisions -- perhaps one of his best was his choice of a father.