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A review by williamd
Trump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz
Read this out of curiosity. Most of it is quite uninteresting descriptions of daily things Trump was involved in around 1986. You won't be disappointed if you're expecting the kind of self-aggrandizement and bloviating we know him for. Still, it's interesting to get another perspective from what is kind of primary source for understanding the Trump phenomenon. He may not be likeable in this book, but he is less hateful. It's the pre-birther, pre-wall, pre-neo-nazis-are-OK Trump.
That said, some of the warning signs are there. He clearly is not a deep thinker on topics like race relations, like when he makes it clear he doesn't think it's possible for him to have had racial prejudice in his buildings because he did on occasion actually rent to black people (he claims he just wanted to rent to people who seemed like they were more likely to pay their rent, as if that wasn't already a dog-whistle in the 80s). Or when he boasts about how much he is willing to spend to sue people over tiny matters because it helps him beat them down rather than negotiating in good faith. But mostly he's only interested in promoting himself and his business, and has no interest in the difficult larger issues, domestic or foreign, that face the country. Like he is today.
In a way it reminds you that there are a lot of ways DT could be part of our national scene that would be OK, or even positive in a way. He was easy to hate as a reality star, but reality shows are made more interesting by egotistical and obnoxious people. And he may have been an obnoxious billionaire real-estate developer, but at least he got some projects developed. Unfortunately, it reminds you that of all these ways he could be part of the scene, being President is probably the one he's most unsuited for.
That said, some of the warning signs are there. He clearly is not a deep thinker on topics like race relations, like when he makes it clear he doesn't think it's possible for him to have had racial prejudice in his buildings because he did on occasion actually rent to black people (he claims he just wanted to rent to people who seemed like they were more likely to pay their rent, as if that wasn't already a dog-whistle in the 80s). Or when he boasts about how much he is willing to spend to sue people over tiny matters because it helps him beat them down rather than negotiating in good faith. But mostly he's only interested in promoting himself and his business, and has no interest in the difficult larger issues, domestic or foreign, that face the country. Like he is today.
In a way it reminds you that there are a lot of ways DT could be part of our national scene that would be OK, or even positive in a way. He was easy to hate as a reality star, but reality shows are made more interesting by egotistical and obnoxious people. And he may have been an obnoxious billionaire real-estate developer, but at least he got some projects developed. Unfortunately, it reminds you that of all these ways he could be part of the scene, being President is probably the one he's most unsuited for.