TrumpNation : The Art of Being the Donald

Kirkus Reviews New York Times business reporter O'Brien gets down and dirty-in the most good-natured way-to craft a myth-busting biography of the real-estate developer. The author has been following Donald Trump's story for the past 15 years, watching him rise, fall and rise again on a self-generated tide of publicity and endless hyperbolic statements. While Trump's business trajectory isn't in dispute, O'Brien takes issue with the financial specifics. He punctures decades' worth of bluster and offers his own take on Trump's career and the "kitten's skein of holdings Donald had woven together" by the time The Apprentice anointed him the nation's most successful developer. Highlights O'Brien explores include Trump's early battles with Mayor Ed Koch, his business dealings with known Mafia associates and the bailout by his much-less-famous siblings that kept him from going bankrupt. The Donald's character is almost too colorful; the business deals based on braggadocio, the creative reporting on personal wealth and the trophy wives eventually blend together in a glittering haze. O'Brien keeps coming back to the numbers, however. The book's essence can be discerned in his analysis of the Forbes 400; for each year that the magazine reported Trump's personal wealth, the author has done his own reporting. For example, in 1982, Forbes said Donald had an undefined share of the Trump family's $200 million, "at a time when all [he] owned personally was a half interest in the Grand Hyatt and a share of the yet to be completed Trump Tower." O'Brien also mentions that New Jersey regulators assessed Donald as being "short on cash and in debt up to his eyeballs." It's no shock that Trump is a self-promoter, but it is surprising that he appears to have cooperated with the author, despite having declared O'Brien "a total whack job" to the press. A bemused, entertaining portrait of a gold-toned incarnation of the American dream, plus some believable financials for anyone who wants to know the real fiscal story. ====================== From Publishers Weekly Donald Trump, entrepreneur, television star and powerful brand selling suits, perfume and quixotic dreams of fortune in his name, asks in this engrossing romp, "What is it about me that gets Larry King his highest ratings?" O'Brien, a New York Times investigative reporter who has reported on Trump's ups and downs, answers that question in this instructive tongue-in-cheek primer for would-be Trumps. Sometimes hilarious quizzes summarizing the main points of each chapter demonstrate Trump's audacity, itinerant poor judgment and the kind of hubris one can only stand back and watch with astonishment and a sort of clandestine admiration. O'Brien chronicles Trump's rise, fall and rise again from both public favor and the Forbes rich list, and deftly balances irreverence and respect for his subject. The star of The Apprentice appears alternately arrogant and (nearly) humble, whether he is popping Oreos while watching Pulp Fiction on his private jet, discussing the "emotional business" of selling hotels, or dismissing the lure of the jet set. O'Brien's reportorial style, peppered with wit and irony, is the perfect base to Trump's acidic persona; he is the straight man to this contemporary P.T. Barnum. In between, there are lessons to be learned, regardless if the reader ever gets to apply them, for instance: be outrageous in your demands and keep a straight face. That may be hard to do while reading this book, but, as Trump might spin it, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Donald Trump called this book "terribly written," sued the author for $5 billion--and lost. For anyone wondering what life might be like under President Trump, this field guide through TrumpNation offers a probing, often hilarious, and thoroughly definitive account of the man behind the hype. Available for the first time in a decade, with a new introduction by the author, this myth-busting look inside the world of Donald Trump is chock full of rip-roaring anecdotes, jaw-dropping quotes, and rigorous research into the business deals, political antics, curious relationships, and complex background of the leading Republican presidential candidate. Granted unprecedented access, Timothy L. O'Brien traveled across the country and up and down the East Coast with Trump on his private jet, wheeled around Palm Beach with him in his Ferrari, and spent hours interviewing him in his home, in his office, and on the golf course. He met with the entrepreneur's closest friends and most aggressive rivals, while compiling a treasure trove of Trumpisms from the Donald himself: Trump on the public's enduring fascination with Trump: "There is something crazy, hot, a phenomenon out there about me, but I'm not sure I can define it and I'm not sure I want to." Trump on naysayers: "You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I'm a great builder." Trump on the art of self-promotion: "You might as well tell people how great you are, because no one else is going to." Ultimately, when O'Brien's research revealed that Trump's business record and annual spot on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans might be more fantasy than reality, he--like so many others who have dared to tangle with the former host of The Apprentice--found himself in a courtroom. In a new introduction, O'Brien reflects on the recent wave of TrumpMania and updates readers on what it's like to depose one of the world's most litigious businessmen--and win. Be careful what you wish for, America, because--spoiler alert!--the Donald is a sore loser For anyone wondering what life will be like under President Trump, this biography offers a probing account of the man behind the hype. Available for the first time in a decade, with a new introduction by the author, this entertaining look inside the world of Donald Trump is chock full of rip-roaring anecdotes, jaw-dropping quotes, and rigorous research into the business deals, political antics, curious relationships, and complex background of the leading Republican presidential candidate. Granted unprecedented access, Timothy L. O'Brien traveled across the country and up and down the East Coast with Trump on his private jet, wheeled around Palm Beach with him in his Ferrari, and spent hours interviewing him in his home, in his office, and on the golf course. He met with the entrepreneur's closest friends and most aggressive rivals, while compiling a treasure trove of Trumpisms from the Donald himself: Trump on the public's enduring fascination with Trump:?There is something crazy, hot, a phenomenon out there about me, but I'm not sure I can define it and I'm not sure I want to.? Trump on naysayers:?You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I'm a great builder.? Trump on the art of self-promotion:?You might as well tell people how great you are, because no one else is going to.? Ultimately, when O'Brien's research revealed that Trump's business record and annual spot on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans might be more fantasy than reality, he--like so many others who have dared to tangle with the former host of The Apprentice--found himself in a courtroom. In a new introduction, O'Brien reflects on the recent wave of TrumpMania and updates readers on what it's like to depose one of the world's most litigious businessmen--and win. This?myth-busting biography? (Kirkus Reviews) is the only argument you need against making America a TrumpNation, providing all the necessary details to?separate Trump the reality from Trump the reality show? (USA Today) The extensively researched biography that goes beyond the hype to “separate Trump the reality from Trump the reality show” (USA Today). Now with a new introduction by the author, this entertaining look inside the world of Donald Trump is chock full of rip-roaring anecdotes, jaw-dropping quotes, and rigorous research into the business deals, political antics, curious relationships, and complex background of the forty-fifth US president. Granted unprecedented access, Timothy L. O’Brien traveled across the country and up and down the East Coast with Trump on his private jet, wheeled around Palm Beach with him in his Ferrari, and spent hours interviewing him in his home, in his office, and on the golf course. He met with the entrepreneur’s closest friends and most aggressive rivals, while compiling a treasure trove of Trumpisms from the Donald himself: Trump on the public’s enduring fascination with Trump: “There is something crazy, hot, a phenomenon out there about me, but I’m not sure I can define it and I’m not sure I want to.” Trump on naysayers: “You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I’m a great builder.” Trump on the art of self-promotion: “You might as well tell people how great you are, because no one else is going to.” Ultimately, when O’Brien’s research revealed that Trump’s business record and annual spot on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans might be more fantasy than reality, he—like so many others who have dared to tangle with the former host of The Apprentice—found himself in a courtroom. In a new introduction, O’Brien reflects on the recent wave of TrumpMania and updates readers on what it’s like to depose one of the world’s most litigious businessmen—and win. The extensively researched biography that goes beyond the hype to “separate Trump the reality from Trump the reality show” ( USA Today ). Now with a new introduction by the author, this entertaining look inside the world of Donald Trump is chock full of rip-roaring anecdotes, jaw-dropping quotes, and rigorous research into the business deals, political antics, curious relationships, and complex background of the forty-fifth US president. Granted unprecedented access, Timothy L. O’Brien traveled across the country and up and down the East Coast with Trump on his private jet, wheeled around Palm Beach with him in his Ferrari, and spent hours interviewing him in his home, in his office, and on the golf course. He met with the entrepreneur’s closest friends and most aggressive rivals, while compiling a treasure trove of Trumpisms from the Donald himself: Trump on the public’s enduring fascination with Trump: “There is something crazy, hot, a phenomenon out there about me, but I’m not sure I can define it and I’m not sure I want to.” Trump on naysayers: “You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I’m a great builder.” Trump on the art of self-promotion: “You might as well tell people how great you are, because no one else is going to.” Ultimately, when O’Brien’s research revealed that Trump’s business record and annual spot on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans might be more fantasy than reality, he—like so many others who have dared to tangle with the former host of The Apprentice —found himself in a courtroom. In a new introduction, O’Brien reflects on the recent wave of TrumpMania and updates readers on what it’s like to depose one of the world’s most litigious businessmen—and win. He has a line of stylish clothing and bottled water emblazoned with his name and unmistakable image--yet he once needed a loan from his siblings to stay afloat. His name is plastered on some of the most magnificent hotels and casinos in the world--yet his casino company, swamped in debt, was forced into bankruptcy. This is the world of Donald Trump, full of glitz, glamour, and other people's money. Yet despite glaring cracks in the shimmering façade, the myth and the image have remained stubbornly impenetrable to a fascinated public--perhaps even to Trump himself. In this unique look inside the life of one of the world's most charismatic businessmen, entrepreneurs, and larger-than-life personalities, New York Times investigative reporter Timothy L. O'Brien pulls back the velvet curtain surrounding the wizard of hype known simply as The Donald.--From publisher description. IN 1948 ALLEN FUNT, A GOOD-HUMORED BALD GUY WITH A VOYEUR'S love of the absurd, produced a new TV program for American airwaves. By Timothy L. O'brien. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [245]-247) And Index.