Jack: Good evening and welcome to "MetroFocus."

New York City is full of rags to riches stories but if you have a story like John Catsimatidis.

Morning Grace, went to Harvard, dropped out of college to work full-time in the grocery business.

That business has transformed into the Red Apple Group, a conglomerate with interests in everything, including a new ABC radio where he host a roundtable program.

He is also a player for mayor and is donated to everyone from President Clinton to President Trump in his new book, "How Far Do You Want To Go?

Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire," He reflects on the secrets of his success.

Lessons which he is sharing with us.

I want to start with the book, then politics.

Over the years, your story is so fascinating.

So much has been written about you.

Why did you cite that now is the time for you -- why did you decide that now time for you to write about you?

John: I surgery think about it when I hit 70 years old.

-- I started to think about it when I hit 70 years old.

Is it before I get Alzheimer's, let me write it down so my kids and grandkids will know who is paying their tuition.

That was important to me.

I wanted to write a bit about our history.

That was one good reason.

Then COVID hit.

200 on the shelf for -- we put it on the shelf for two years.

I did consider running for mayor in 2020 -- or 2021, for the wave a politics is going, right now, I was saying, what the heck is going on?

Jack: I do want to talk about your thoughts on politics because you do talk about it in the book.

John: The second reason I wrote it is I am chairman of the police athletic region in New York.

He is claiming to help kids of our inner-city.

You know what I tell my friends and people buying my book?

Make sure you buy some extra bucks so you can give them -- extra books so you can give them to your kids and grandkids, maybe to make a difference in their life.

When I go and see the kids in Harlem, I am dedicated to having those kids.

That is where I came from.

I say, I am from him.

I made it.

You can make it, too.

What these kids need is mentors, people to give them advice.

I read in my book that I had a lot of gray hairs.

Whether is the real estate industry, the food industry, I always went to my friends -- the guys with the gray hairs -- and asked them for advice.

It was tremendously helpful.

Hoping the kids of tomorrow -- helping the kids of tomorrow, I am concerned about our education system.

We are number 56 in the world in education -- and we spend the most.

We probably spend more than all 56 nations together.

Kids are not getting educated problem.

What is going to happen?

I had the U.S.

Senator in my office two weeks ago.

I said, Senator, I am concerned about the way kids are being educated, attacked Wisconsin fentanyl, that in 2076, the 300th year of our country, we make not make it.

Jack: It is concerning.

I want to come back to political things in a moment, but you right in your book that the American dream does not come with an instruction manual or a page that says, OK, you can stop now.

You have arrived.

A good portion of your advice has to do with that notion is there an end point?

A point where you say, I am done?

What do you say to young people?

John: It is your choice.

Success comes with sacrifice.

You know why I am not a big football fan?

I work seven days a week.

When everybody was watching football games, I was working.

I am not the next stand in New York because I was not a Knicks fan in New York because I was working.

I was always a Yankee fan.

I remember my grandfather taking the games.

There are certain things you not forget.

Those are things I did not want to put in the book -- great memories of growing up, of teaching the kids.

That is what it is all about.

New York is the greatest city in the world.

I leave in New York -- I believe in New York.

I believe New York will make a comeback, but in the last two years, thousands of people have left New York.

You know what I tell politicians on both sides in Albany and New York?

Who will pay the taxes?

Those people who left were the ones paying the taxes.

You guys want to raise the budget?

Great.

Give yourselves races and more money, but who is going to pay?

Some year, what is the expression?

It will hit the crapper.

Jack: This ties into your advice in the book.

You mentioned New York City.

I am curious if you think New York City itself was an essential ingredient in our success?

You were a handful of credits away from graduating from NYU and said, "I am starting my professional business in the grocery store."

You had opportunities.

What role did New York City play?

John: I did not drop out.

I was 8 credits short.

I already had a business, worked seven days a week, worked until 1:00 in the morning.

Somehow, that calculus class, I never finished.

Jack: [LAUGHTER] I can understand that.

I was a history major.

I had a problem with calculus.

John: I looked at those equations and asked how is that going to help me make a dollar?

I was 8 credits short.

John Sexton, president of NYU -- Jack: Who I know well.

Wonderful man.

John: He said to me, "why don't you come back and finish those credits?"

I said, why don't I come back and teach?

Jack: Let's get back to politics.

The book is marvelous, gives great life stories that are inspirational.

Let's talk today.

As you have mentioned, you have supported Democrats and Republicans in the past.

Let's talk about current situations.

Do you see yourself supporting President Trump again?

John: I can -- I have known Donald Trump for 40 years.

He is more of an acquaintance, because the print is a person that a friend is a person you call.

He is an acquaintance.

He did a great job in many things.

Our country was well respected internationally.

The joke at used to town the radio is President Trump terrorized the terrorists.

Can we have Bill Clinton.

-- then we have Bill Clinton.

I adored him.

I think he was the smartest president we ever had.

I used to run those dinners at the hotel in Washington.

Democrats and Republicans, 20 people in the room with the president for two hours.

Not a single Democrat or Republican ever walked out saying I am disappointed.

Jack: People always talk about the good old days but they were not always so great in terms of bipartisanship, we hear people say we are no longer talking about partisanship but tribalism.

You probably would not have the ability to put 20 people from both parties in a room today.

You think?

Why not?

John: That is very hard.

I know and respect both sides.

I know common sense Democrats.

I have had Andrew Cuomo on my show in the last few weeks.

And Governor Parson was a -- Patterson was irregular.

Common sense Democrats.

The problem we have today is that common sense Democrats are not standing up against the Looney Tunes, the people who want to change our way of life.

That is the problem.

Anchors common sense Democrats to stand against the people who want to change our city, our country.

Stand up against them.

Jack: Do you see common sense Republicans that you need to enter find are encouraged to do the same?

John: I am a person in the middle.

I dislike extreme left-wingers and extreme right-wingers.

I believe in common sense.

We all should sit down.

Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton, they did not like each other.

The deficit was 5.5 current dollars.

-- $5.5 trillion.

They sat down and brought the deficit down to $5 trillion.

Jack: Was Ronald Reagan -- they would get together and have a year.

When did common sense come so in common?

We can talk forever.

I want to get you back here, but the book is "How Far Do You Want To Go?

Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire."

There is an awful lot of common sense in there.

Thank you.

I look forward to having you back.

John: There is so much for me and you could put together and bring common sense Democrats and common sense Republicans together and save our city, our state, and our country.

Jack: I look forward to the conversation.

John: buy my book and you will make a billion dollars, too.

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