Dear Rudy and Donna:

Well, I had the advantage of a strong prenuptial agreement. Unfortunately, you don't have that advantage. It really solved many of my problems. It's not a bad thing to have in times of trouble. It gave great certainty to my financial life, at least. I knew the amount. It was stipulated.

I think that the best thing for the two of you to do would be to sit down with each other in a room without your lawyers and see if you can settle it. Rudy, you've been the best mayor in the city of New York, and now you're being hurt by this. It's a shame because this is detrimental to your reputation and image. You don't want this to undercut everything you've done.

About your lawyer: Let me say that Raoul Felder is a nice man whom I like personally, but I think he loves the press. The one who's having the best time in this case is Raoul. This is a case that cries out for settlement, but Raoul loves the press too much. You know lawyers don't like to settle cases, especially high-profile cases. They become stars for no reason, and they make a lot of money. It's very hard for them to turn off the spigot. Do you think Raoul wants to settle the case? Because the day it settles, there's no more press. And he won't be happy with that.

If I were in the room with the two of you, I would say, "Get this case settled for the sake of the children, and for your own sake -- and you can do it very easily." I just think it would be so wise of you. I know the kids and they're great kids and it makes so much sense to settle this for their sake.

The media is selling papers with it, and Rudy, certainly I can't say you're totally wrong about that. But I guess there are many people at fault. I mean, this is a cover story, right?

Sincerely,

Donald Trump
(as told to Robert Kolker)

Related:

• Archive: “Gotham: Life in the New City”
• Table of Contents: Jun 4, 2001 issue of New York | Subscribe!