The nation’s unemployment rate is significantly higher than stated in the government’s monthly tallies and the number of jobless citizens is now approaching levels not seen since the Great Depression, Donald Trump and author Robert Kiyosaki tell Newsmax.TV.
The two discussed the dire state of the economy during a lengthy sit-down interview in Trump’s New York office to promote their new book, “Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich – And Why Most Don’t.”
The official unemployment rate released by the Department of Labor for September was 9.1 percent. At the height of the Great Depression of the 1930s the number stood at about 25 percent.
“The sad thing is unemployment is really probably at 21 percent if you go by the real numbers,” Trump said. “When you say 9.1 … that number is not a real number, the real number is 21 percent and it could even be higher than that.”
“So it’s a bad time and we wrote the ‘Midas Touch,'” Trump continued. “We had great success in our first book – it went to the number one book on just about every list, and it was really a terrific book, but we think this is better. And we wrote this for these times. We feel there are better opportunities today than there were five years ago.”
Trump was referring to the first book he co-authored with Kiyosaki entitled, “Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message.” Kiyosaki, best known for his “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series of books, said the unemployment rate in the country was one reason for writing the new book.
“Unemployment is a major, major, major problem and governments don’t really create jobs entrepreneurs do,” Kiyosaki confirmed. “And so we got together and said let’s make this as simple as possible for anybody to understand if they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur because many people have good ideas, but they’re not entrepreneurs.”
Trump, the star of “Celebrity Apprentice,” attributed his success to one thing. “Well I think I had a lot of good ideas, but also I don’t quit,” he said. “I see so many people and we discuss this in the Midas Touch, in the book. I see so many people that have ideas, and they’re good ideas in many cases, and they give up — they don’t push forward. And one of the things we discuss very strongly is the fact you have to come up with the right ideas, the right product, whatever it might be, but never, ever quit.”
Kiyosaki boiled down the key to success as an entrepreneur to five things: strength of character, focus, knowing what you stand for, relationships, and knowing what you do best.
“We’ve both had our ups and downs,” Kiyosaki said of himself and Trump. “I say he’s lost lots of money, I’ve lost lots of money, and it’s easy to quit at that time. But can we make the money back is when the strength of character kicks in. I would say that’s the most important thing.”
Some people are born to be a Babe Ruth or musical prodigy, Trump noted, and others can be taught. However, entrepreneurship is not for everyone.
“One of the things I always discuss — whenever I’m speaking or whenever I’m talking about success, and I think it’s very important to understand — some people are better off having a job, they’re better off not being entrepreneurs,” he said.
“They can’t handle pressure, they can’t handle certain things in life, and they’re better off. And there’s nothing wrong with being a great employee and taking home a check and having a wonderful family, nothing wrong with it.”
The two experts at making money and creating jobs also offered their thoughts on when and how the economy might recover.
“What we’re saying is the economy has moved on and I think people have to move on also,” Kiyosaki said. “Just today we did an electronic book signing that was not possible three years ago. This world is changing so fast, and the rules are changing so fast, so the people that are sitting back waiting for it to come back. I think it’s moved on personally.”
Trump asserted that what is needed is new leadership and that President Barack Obama is not getting the job done.
“He’s got the Midas touch for himself and getting elected but he certainly doesn’t have the Midas touch for the country,” he added.
{Newsmax/Matzav.com Newscenter}
