Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday morning that he had a hard life growing up and that his father only gave him a $1 million loan to get started as a businessman.
“It has not been easy for me,” said Trump during a town hall on NBC’s Today. “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. But I came into Manhattan. I started buying up properties, and I did great.”
Astonished by the comment, moderator Matt Lauer asked Trump to clarify.
“Let’s just put this in perspective,” said Lauer. “You said it hasn’t been easy for you, but ‘My dad have me a million dollar loan.’ That probably is going to seem pretty easy to a lot of people.”
“You’re right,” said Trump. “But a million dollars isn’t very much compared to what I’ve built.”
For more on this story, visit Talking Points Memo “Trump: My Life Hasn’t Been ‘Easy,’ My Dad Gave Me ‘Small’ $1M Loan”
