Trump: The Art of the Deal

I had read several times that to understand Donald Trump you should read this book. I finally decided to get the book and I’m glad that I did. This book helps you understand not just how he conducts his business but also how he now makes deals with foreign countries as President. You realize that despite what the media and political opponents claim, there really is a “method to his madness”. I think career politicians who have either never had a job outside of politics or it’s been decades since they did, have no real idea of the gamesmanship that goes into complicated negotiations which is why most of them don’t have the intestinal fortitude to stick out a tough situation, apply pressure, and make the deal that benefits OUR country. You also see how, unlike other politicians, whose views change depending on how the political winds blow, Trump’s stances on many issues remain the same as they did in the 80’s and he was and is right on many of them. What I’ve come away with is that we need MORE people like Trump in Washington DC; fewer feckless, career politicians, and more gutsy , successful, risk taking business people who understand how to get things done!

I wanted to understand our great President and his beginnings. I was a project manager and could relate to his work. I really enjoyed reading this book about an extremely successful man and it helped me better understand him. For me, it was a great read.

Great product!

Hi All! I picked up The Art of the Deal just to see what it was all about. This past year, the media can't go 30 seconds without saying "Trump" and it's a book I hear mentioned on TV daily, so I figured I'd give it a look. What do I have to lose by reading, right? I gotta tell ya, I found it interesting enough that I couldn't put it down. Did I love it? eh.. not really, but it's not that kind of book. My normal genre of books are in the area of true war stories, WWII, Holocaust... You know, real stories where people's lives were on the line. I also like some political books, especially secret service books where retired agents tell what our politicians' lives are like when the cameras aren't rolling. Those are the books that really keep me interested. The Art of the Deal, for me, was one of those books that kept me interested throughout. For those that don't know, this is not a "how to" book at all. It is a look into Donald Trump's life up to about 1987. I was born in '76. As a kid in the 80's, I remember quite a bit about Trump during the time of this book, which made me realize something: Children who were born when The Apprentice began in 2004, are only 12 years old today, which means new 2016 voters were only 6 years old then. They likely do not know anything more about Trump than he was the "You're Fired" guy on The Apprentice, or what the media decides we should see or think about him. The main question I wanted answered by reading The Art of the Deal: What is the man really like? I was not disappointed, in fact, I think this book gives more insight into why Trump is the way he is... How his mind works... what he might be thinking. Keep in mind, the book is quite dated, but I did find it still very much relevant. I enjoyed learning about Trump's upbringing and how he got started. I enjoyed seeing all the "behind the scenes" work that went into his building deals, much of which would no doubt make a lesser person give up and try a different profession, especially when you inject big city politics and bureaucratic BS into the mix. There really isn't much political stuff in this book, other than his experience with NYC political figures at the time. If you are looking for his past political views, there are numerous old interviews on YouTube of Trump in the 80's and 90's that should shed some light. All I can say is just with all political stuff, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and don't let the media tell you what to think. 'Nuff said on that. Today, the media likes to make a big deal about Trump's little sound bytes, bankruptcies, etc., and basically paint him to look like a complete fool. Well, I don't know about you, but turning a "small loan of a million dollars" from his father into a $10bn dollar global corporation? You don't get to that level by being a foolish idiot. There are a TON other people in the world who are hundreds of times richer who got to where they are by doing a lot less (ahem.. wall street speculators... cough cough.. hedge fund managers). So what did I take away from the book? Trump is above all is a devout family man who despite being a workaholic, still managed to be an involved father who raised his kids right by instilling work ethic and high personal values... unlike the Kardiashian twits who have never had to work a day in their lives. He is a man who understands how the world really works and uses that understanding to his advantage. Whats most clear to me now having read this book is that Trump built his company the old fashioned way through relentless perseverance, hard work, and ability to see the bigger picture. I'm the kind of guy who gives credit where credit is due, and the bottom line I took away from the book is that Trump is NOT the guy the media portrays. He is a no BS guy who deserves respect. I highly recommend reading this!

Great Read!! Everyone should read this book. I actually bought it twice by mistake!

I feel like I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the real estate business. A different kind of read.

Wonderful book

Almost done reading. This book is really good. A good read to see how the greatest president got starting in business.

Passionné par la lecture de ce livre, j'en ai acheté d'autres de Trump que j'ai refermé aussi sec. Depuis que Trump a troqué ses habits de titan de l'immobilier pour celui de star des média et qu'il a créé sa propre émission de télé réalité, l'homme est clairement pénible et ses livres beaucoup plus commerciaux que profonds ! Ce livre toutefois est à part. Ecrit dans les années 80, alors qu'il était encore jeune et déjà très riche, son propos est de décrire tout son parcours au travers des plus belles affaires qui l'ont rendu célèbre. Le style est moins pédant, il ne l'a pas écrit pour ramasser de l'argent sur son nom, mais clairement pour expliquer son parcours. Le message est beaucoup plus authentique et sincère. Son bras droit, George Ross, l'homme de l'art derrière Trump écrira de lui en préface de son livre qu'il est le plus grand génie immobilier de son époque... J'en suis convaincu depuis que j'ai lu ce livre. Un livre très inspirant où il explique longuement et en détail ses plus grands deals ; il est passionnant de ce point de vue car il nous plonge au coeur de ce qu'est un deal immobilier dont la richesse, la diversité et la complexité sont surprenantes. Il faut dire qu'avec un tel guide, le voyage est clairement passionnant ! On y découvre aussi son parcours. Issu d'un milieu aisé (plutot classe moyenne haute) mais sans commune mesure avec ce qu'il est devenu, on découvre un homme tenace et inspiré puisque très jeune il savait exactement ce qu'il voulait ; un homme dont tout le parcours a consisté à décliner cette vision. On découvre encore un homme patient qui sait attendre activement son tour, un homme de vision capable de voir la valeur là où les autres ne la voient pas (hotel commodore) et un homme sans concession vis à vis de ceux qui auront tenté de lui barrer le chemin. A l'évidence un génie de la négociation, stratège hors pair doté d'une incroyable intelligence de situation. Le seul livre de Trump à retenir, le seul vraiment authentique intéressant pour découvrir le bonhomme au delà de l'image arrogante et pédante qu'il s'est construite, mais aussi un livre très intéressant pour découvrir en détail la richesse de son métier. Pour ceux que l'aspect immobilier intéresse, je recommande aussi la lecture du livre écrit par son bras droit, George Ross intitulé "Trump stratégies for real estate", plus technique et dans lequel l'auteur tente de tiré des leçons en prenant des exemples concrets de son expérience avec Trump. Bref, à acheter si l'on s'intéresse à Donald Trump ou à l'immobilier du point de vue des professionnels. Un seul regret : je crois que ce livre n'est plus traduit en Français. Il faudra le lire en anglais mais l'homme n'étant pas particulièrement doué pour la littérature, le style est simple et le livre se lit facilement.

Great quality of the book and the content is even better.

Probably it’s not an original print, looks like it’s printed 500 years ago or it’s the cheapest print I have ever seen.

Not bad at all.

I bought that book before he won the presidency, back when he just started running. No wonder he got that far with the amount of self-confidence he has. This book gives great insight into his way of thinking as well as being extremely motivational.