Students can pick up free tickets for Donald Trump's appearance next Thursday at the Annenberg box office. It won't take much negotiating to see the man who mastered the art of the deal next Thursday. Free tickets for real estate tycoon and presidential hopeful Donald Trump's appearance on the CNBC political talk show Hardball will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis starting Tuesday in the Annenberg Center box office. As part of Hardball's nationwide college tour, host Chris Matthews will interview Trump in front of a live Penn audience at 4 p.m. in the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium. The show will air later that evening on CNBC and MSNBC. According to Theo LeCompte, the co-chairperson of Connaissance and the student coordinator of the Penn Presidential Speakers Series, about 500 audience tickets will be available to those with a PennCard. Each person may pick up a maximum of two tickets. In addition, LeCompte said that a block of about 50 tickets will be reserved especially for Wharton students and will be distributed through Interim Wharton Dean Patrick Harker's office. "Hardball wants to make sure Wharton is well represented," the Engineering junior said. Hardball producers said earlier this week that they chose to interview Trump at Penn since they want to hear what current students think of the 1968 Wharton graduate's plans for seeking the Reform Party presidential nomination. In addition to Matthews' own hard-hitting questions for Trump, the host will entertain about a dozen questions from the audience. The political discussion will likely focus on Trump's plans for a one-time 14.25 percent "net-worth" tax on individuals and trusts worth at least $10 million to pay off the national debt, provide a middle class tax cut and keep Social Security afloat. Former Republican operative and longtime CNN commentator Patrick Buchanan recently withdrew from the Republican Party and is likely to seek the Reform nomination. Trump has the support of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the party's highest ranking elected official. However, the conservative Buchanan is thought to be supported by party founder Ross Perot. Trump's appearance -- sponsored by the Provost's Series, Tangible Change Committee and Connaissance -- will mark the first event of the Presidential Speakers Series. Penn is the second stop on Hardball's college tour, which is interviewing a number of presidential hopefuls at colleges and universities across the country. Earlier in the day, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will participate in an unrelated symposium on campus crime at the Inn at Penn, for which tickets have already been distributed by lottery.
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