Berates Columbia president as a 'total moron' over land deal

In a July 2010 letter to Columbia University's Eye magazine and in a follow-up phone call to the Wall Street Journal, Trump lashed out at president Lee Bollinger for refusing to buy his Lincoln Center property, calling him "terrible," a "total moron," and mocking him for allegedly announcing Columbia's expansion "before buying the land—dummy!" while implying the school should pay Trump instead of assembling its Harlem campus. The tirade showed him bullying a non-profit institution and spreading false insinuations to push a private real-estate deal that primarily benefited himself.

"Bollinger is terrible!... He actually announced his project before buying the land—dummy!" — Letter to Columbia Spectator's Eye magazine published July 6, 2010