The Art of the Deal Book Review-Part Two
- Larry Ray
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
President Donald J. Trump wants to be seen as the Winner.
Trump responds to Flattery and Respect.
If you are not at the table, you are on the table. Reference to Ukraine not being at the negotiation table in Saudi Arabia.
Introduction
Two blog entries are devoted to the book, The Art of the Deal by Donald J. Trump and Tony Schwartz. The first one focused on the interviews of the author Tony Schwartz and Chapter One. The second blog entry will analyze the book itself. Author TS asserts that he wrote every word of this book and wonders aloud if Trump has even read the book. Oddly TS writes that book in the first person of Trump.
Chapter 2: Trump Cards. The Elements of the Deal.
Trump (T) believes that deal-making is “in the genes.” By that, he means there is intelligence involved but the key is instincts. Below are “common elements” to his deal-making.
Think Big. He wants to make a statement in deal-making. Thinking big takes “total focus” to the point of being obsessive, almost maniacal.
Protect the Downside and the Upside Will Take Care of Itself. T believes in the power of negative thinking; that is, plan for the worst. Do not be too greedy.
Maximize Your Options. Be flexible. Get involved in many deals and think of many approaches to achieving each deal.
Know Your Market. Use one’s instincts to know what folks want and give it to them. T does not rely on numbers or surveys of which he has not been a part. He is guided by asking people’s opinions. He does not take too serious critics who stand in the way of his deal-making.
Use Your Leverage. Don’t be desperate. Deal-making comes from strength and strength comes from leverage. Persuade the folks that they NEED, not just want, what you have.
Enhance Your Location. One can enhance one’s location by psychology and promotion. Never be desperate. Never pay too much. Be not afraid to walk away.
Get the Word Out. The press is always looking for something different so give it to them. People want to believe in the fantastical. This is the best. This is the tallest. He calls it truthful hyperbole. The more sensational, the better.
Fight Back. Don’t be afraid to fight back, very hard…to be confrontational. Take them to court, if necessary.
Deliver the Goods. Many people can talk positively, can talk a good game but only a few people can actually deliver and that is necessary.
Contain the Costs. Be cost conscious. If one is being overcharged, complain and take action.
Have fun. Life is short and fragile so have fun. Money is never important to Trump except to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.
Chapter 3: Growing Up: Takeaways
-Trump enjoyed creating mischief and always wanted to keep thing stirred up.
-In grade school, he hit two teachers and was expelled, leading to his Dad sending him to military school. T called that “standing up” for himself. (AI: During the 2020-21 school year, 7% of elementary public school teachers reported being physically attacked by a student.)
-At Wharton School of Business he learned not to be overly impressed with academic degrees.
Chapter 4: The Cincinnati Kid: Prudence Pays.
Stealing is the worst. If one catches someone stealing, hit them hard.
Be prudent. It never pays to be in too much of a hurry.
Chapter 5: The Move to Manhattan.
Trump joined Le Club and met attorney Roy Cohn. T shared with Cohn his dislike of attorneys because they did nothing but delay deals. T saw Cohn as different. When prepared, Cohn was tough, loyal and unbeatable.
Chapter 6: Grand Hotel-Reviving 42nd Street: Takeaways
-Try to keep one’s risk to a minimum.
-Do your best to meet with the top, key person rather than employees.
-Transform someone’s desperation into a value for the meeting.
Chapter 7: Trump Tower - the Tiffany Location.
-If one has a good idea, be patient. Don’t give up.
-Bad publicity often is better than no publicity.
-Study the situation: Who are the influencers? Who has the power?
Chapter 8: Gaming: The Building of the Boardwalk
-Be sure to leverage one’s credibility. Point out what has been accomplished.
-Pay attention to the serendipitous, which one might miss if one obsessively follows a plan.
-Pay attention to how the local culture operates. In this case, corporate management in America.
Chapter 9: Wynn-Fall-The Battle for Hilton
-Don’t get too smug and self-satisfied.
-Pay attention to the experiences of others in the same business.
-If there is an impasse, take a break, maybe just a few hours.
-It pays to trust your instincts.
Chapter 10: Low Rent, High Stakes, The Showdown on Central Park South
-Sometimes by losing a battle one finds a way to win the war.
-Claiming harassment as a tactic can work. Harassment is associated with interference. It is a buzzword.
Chapter 11: Long Shot: The Spring and Fall of the USFL.
-Remember one’s partnership is only as strong as the weakest link.
-Realize when you may be part of the problem.
Chapter 12: Ice Capades: Rebuilding Wollman Rink
-The one motivating force to persuade politicians to take action is the threat of bad press.
-Government may be largely incompetent in big and small things.
Chapter 13: Comeback: A West Side Story
-Quid pro quo works. One does a favor and one day, the favor is returned.
-Most reporters look for the sensational, not the substance.
-Keep all options open. Be prepared to wait.
Chapter 14: The Week That Was: How the Deals Came Out
-Mar-a-Lago turned out to be close to paradise.
-In 1987, Trump dreamed of a Moscow Hotel.
-Trump spent 20 years in accumulating, now he wants to give back.
-Trump believes he is very good at overcoming obstacles and motivating people to do their best work.
Index, page 369.
MY ANALYSIS
Overall, the book is a good read. 90% of what author Tony Schwartz writes about negotiation is consistent with what most of us call effective negotiation. Based on Schwartz’s interviews, he claims he wrote every word and wonders if Trump has even read it. Schwartz asserts that he spent a year watching and listening to Trump and his deal making because Trump does not have the attention span to sit down for interviews. Schwartz did a great job in translating what he saw and heard into a book of good negotiation advice.
Judge people by their actions, not their words.
Trump’s actions and behaviors do not reflect the book’s negotiation approach.
A few recent experts comments on Trump's Negotiation Style:
Lawrence O’Donnell, The Last Word, MSNBC: Trump is an irrational negotiator. He is an unhinged threat. His negotiation style is disruptive and destructive.
Derek Kahn Thompson is an American podcaster and journalist. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and co-author of the 2025 book Abundance: Trump negotiates in a zero-sum game fashion, basically “ a fixed pie” in which one gains and one loses. There is no cooperation or collaboration in his style. He operates by the law of scarcity, not abundance.
Stephanie Ruhle, Expert Economist, NBC: Trump’s international economic approach is erratic. There is no overall plan. He goes after country by country, not a worldwide view or plan. This chaos relates to tariffs and deportations.
Susan Glasser, Writer, The New Yorker. Glasser has served as the top editor of several Washington publications, including Politico….She asserts that Trump’s strategy is “purposeful confusion” and that “uncertainty is his brand.” He enjoys confusing people by his unpredictability.
Wall Street Editorial Board has issued a number of columns on Trump’s process. There is no planning. Trump lacks a cohesive plan. He twists and turns. The trade war with Canada is “dumb.”
Lawrence Alan Kudlow is an American conservative broadcast news analyst, columnist, journalist, political commentator, and radio personality. On CNBC, he calls the trade war “insane.” He claims that it is all about Trump’s ego.
James Joseph Cramer is an American TV personality, author, and entrepreneur best known for hosting CNBC's Mad Money and offering investment advice. He claims that Trump is often angry and loses his temper instead of being strong. Trump is causing a recession by his policies.
Susan Jean Elisabeth "Zanny" Minton Beddoes is a British journalist. She is the editor-in-chief of The Economist. She claims that Trump causes uncertainty and that is the point, the strategy. Beyond causing uncertainty, Trump has no strategy with the tariffs, with his international approach.
Ari Naftali Melber is an American attorney and Emmy-winning journalist who is the Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC. Ari claims that Trump lives 99% of the time in a fantasy world. It is like “method acting." As an authoritarian ruler, he is immensely dangerous. His number one interest is not power but money. He conflates his wealth with his worth as a person.
Charles Joseph Scarborough is an American television host, attorney, political commentator, and former politician who is the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC. Joe asserts that he has known Trump for decades. Trump has no grand plan. He is transactional. He goes day by day. He shows up each day and responds to whatever is happening at the moment, whoever is calling, whoever his is meeting with.
David Reynolds Ignatius is an American journalist and novelist. He is an associate editor and columnist for The Washington Post. Ignatius in his Washington Post columns claims there is no evidence of The Art of the Deal in Trump’s dealing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, especially in the “stomach turning” scene in the Oval Office recently. VZ either forgot or did not know how to manage the Bullying Trump. Trump is being viewed more of a demander than a peacemaker, maybe even an extorter. In contrast, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “masterfully flattered Trump” and handed to Trump an invite from King Charles III before the cameras. Starmer was rewarded. “Trump, bizarrely, seems to want to rescue Moscow from its mistakes…He expressed a kinship with Putin as a fellow victim….”
Summary
Above are the statements of many experts concluding that Trump operates,
-No planning.
-No strategy.
-Erratic hour by hour operation.
There seems to be no evidence that Trump operates according to the advice contain in the book The Art of the Deal.
Trump takes great pride in that he can operate on only 4 hours of sleep. Yet, medical experts assert that older men need 6-8 hours per day. If not, for older men, insufficient or poor-quality sleep can lead to a range of negative impacts, including increased risk of mental health issues (like depression and anxiety), cognitive decline, and physical health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain. Could this be part of the explanation of his erratic behavior?
Is Trump’s behavior explained by the lessons he learned from Roy Cohn?
What about Trump hitting two elementary school teachers?
Most folks have no idea how to respond to a bully, especially if the bully is President of the United States.
Resource:
Trump: The Art of the Deal is a 1987 book credited to Donald J. Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz. Part memoir and part business-advice book, it was the first book credited to Trump, and it helped to make him a household name. It reached number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, stayed there for 13 weeks, and altogether held a position on the list for 48 weeks. (Wikipedia)
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