Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in the “Letters to Fortune” section of the February 15, 1988 issue of Fortune. Trump sent this letter to Fortune in response to Gary Belis’s review of his first book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” in a previous issue.
I notice that Gary Belis, who reviewed my book, Trump: The Art of the Deal, is the director of public relations for Fortune. Based on the skimpy size (only 96 pages) of your January 4 issue, I would suggest that Fortune is sorely in need of a new public relations director. What you need is a “good promoter,” and with the recent image of Fortune, Mr. Belis is certainly not the answer. Perhaps Malcolm Forbes could help.
I am happy to inform you that all my profits from the book are going to charity, and that the book is already on the national best-seller list. (Obviously Mr. Belis was not in charge of its promotion.) His attack on me, not the book, is so vicious and personal in nature that I actually had to laugh at its stupidity and the obvious and deep-seated prejudice Mr. Belis has displayed. Based on Fortune’s strong belief in “freedom of the press,” I assume you will be printing this letter.
—Donald Trump
