6 • | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
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PRESIDENTIAL CANDI
Judging a candidat
“The Art of the Deal”by Donald Trump (1987) Who I’d recommend it to: Aspiring venture capitalists, real estate visionaries, hospitality gurus, political critics and all libertarians Who I wouldn’t recommend it to: Anyone who isn’t 100% pure-blooded capitalist, students who aren’t innately passionate about business and hospitality and those who believe in ethics-driven politics Summary: Trump reveals his personal vision of deal-making through a series of accounts of his greatest business ventures and transactions, shining light onto his business methods and inner character as his career progresses and his dominion expands.
The first reasonable question is why I think a 33 year-old book can be used to judge someone and their future. Trump answers this for you in his personal introduction to the audiobook, which he made when it was published in May 2016: “I don’t do it for the money; I have enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. That’s how I get my kicks. My book was made almost 30 years ago and its words still ring true today, in fact truer than ever.” That solves the question. We can see the character of the book’s introduction being applied by some of his very first acts of presidency: withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord, an international agreement on climate change, and withdrawing from the Transpacific Partnership, an economic trade agreement between 11 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. The deals were not good enough for Trump; different deals would have to be struck. Now back to the actual book. Let me further clarify who this book is for: those who want the primary aspect of their career to be making deals. Unlike the blanket term “negotiation,” this means top-to-top, head-to-head maneuvering to reach an end-product most to one’s own advantage. This thins the herd of most business majors – Trump makes it clear in his book he doesn’t work with information systems, he specifically dislikes accountancy and distances himself from “number crunchers,” and he doesn’t himself rely on quantitative marketing skills. He doesn’t manage things either; he invests in hiring the best of the best to manage for him. That leaves us with finance majors. Trump makes his endgame clear: He wants
to sit down in a room with the head of the other organization, play his best positions, move a lot of money around and not walk away until the deal is cemented. The bigger the better, and the sooner it’s over with the sooner he can start making the next deal. In this book you’ll get business tactics, strategies and personal philosophies: always go to the head of an organization instead of the em-
ployees. Vet someone’s personal life before doing business. When in doubt, stick with the proven winner and always send thank you, congratulations and condolences cards. Some of this may feel generic, but perhaps the success of its source will prove its validity to you. You’ll also get details into Trump’s style and personal traits, the little things that set him apart from mere mortals like the rest of us. He doesn’t drink. He dislikes parties and small talk. He favors spontaneity over rigid structuring. He has a fixation for cleanliness. Most of all, he believes skill at deal-making is something instinctual that individuals are either born with or incapable of learning. The bulk of the book consists of detailed accounts of his ventures in establishing an ever-expanding presence in Manhattan, building the Trump Tower, moving into the casino and gaming industry, foraying into professional football franchise ownership, etc. These chapters are reminiscent of case studies from business course textbooks for graduate classes, but with the disadvantage of losing relevance as the decades have passed and the nature of the industry has shifted. This has mixed tie-ins with being the president of the United States. Who can make bigger deals in the world than the leader of a country with the largest economy and military in the world? The real answer is the same president but with the backing of Congress, the senate and the judiciary system. Business as it is presented in this book has only one divine authority: money. And if money is the god, the company presCourtesy: Random House Books ident is the prophet telling the people how to
worship. It turns out presidents don’t only answer to one entity and are at the mercy of an array of political checks and balances. This is where the book is no longer able to keep track of its subject – the uncharted territory is so different from Trump’s stomping grounds in real estate that this book can no longer be an effective indicator of what his future actions might be.
Character
As far as explaining the essence of Trump’s character, this book tells how his charisma and attitude brought him to where he is today. It’s all narrowly focused on what he does best and cares about most. Given that “The Art of the Deal” doesn’t explain much the philosophies or histories of deal-making, it’s a fair assumption that the author believes his own experience is enough to define the art. “The Art of the Deal” raises the grand question: is Trump making deals on behalf of the United States and for the welfare of its citizens, or, as he stated in this book’s introduction, is he doing it for the sole sake of enjoying making lavish deals?
Verdict
If you’re a fervent Trump political supporter or take Warren Buffet as a role model and you have 15 bucks to spare, download the audiobook and you’ll learn something. If you don’t know who Warren Buffet is or are opposed to shrewd capitalist tactics, you will be at best disinterested and, at worst, repulsed.
