On a female employee:

Lily, she’s the general manager [at Trump Turnberry, a resort and golf course in Scotland]. She’s also beautiful. She’s been there for years. She started as a cocktail waitress. ... We made her the maître d’, we then made her the head of the restaurant and then made her the manager. I said, “You know, I have a problem. I have a woman who’s smarter than my managers.”

On why most politicians fail:

They don’t know how to speak properly. They don’t know how to talk. They don’t know how to sell.

To be a good politician you have to be a salesman, O.K.? I’ve known every politician. I know ’em all. Many of them are friends of mine. Many of the enemies that you see on television talking about me are friends of mine — you understand that. Guys that you would never believe, but they’re friends of mine. I know ’em all. To be a great politician, you have to be a great salesman.

On the genetic component of success:

You gotta make the putts. In life you gotta make the putts, but a lot of it is genetic. I’m not sure if you can teach people this.

On his wives:

Well, it’s very hard for somebody to be married to me. Now look, they have compensating balances. This isn’t so bad, right? [Points to apartment inside Trump Tower.] But it’s very hard, because I’m very business oriented. And work, and enjoy myself, but for long hours. And I remember years ago I watched an interview with John Paul Getty, when he was the hot guy. And he said, somebody asked him — he was married many, many times, and he was a very difficult man — and he said it was very unfair for my wives because they have to compete with my business, and he said it’s very hard for them to compete with my business. It was an interesting statement.

On whether Bill Clinton is an honest golfer:

I’ll tell you, he doesn’t cheat on the golf course. What he does is very honest, actually. He’ll say, “Can I hit another ball?” We’re not playing for money. So he wants to hit because he doesn’t get out very often. ... But that’s not cheating. He just wants to have some fun playing golf. So he’ll hit a few balls and we’ll walk to the green and there’ll be a few balls. That’s not cheating though, to me. Because I’ve heard that about him. I’ve heard that.