TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald [Hardcover]

Biographers and analysts keep chipping away at Donald Trump, hoping to eventually reach the core, the bottom line, the ultimate truth. New York Times journalist Timothy L. O'Brien seems to have gotten closer than anyone else who has recently chosen to tackle this subject. During the past decade, he has interviewed and interacted with Trump a number of times -- sometimes even at the m/billionaire's request. He certainly has had access to the man and his colleagues. The result is TRUMPNATION, a readable and fascinating book about someone who, for whatever reason, continues to fascinate the American public. At least for now.

You've got to get past the book jacket first, past the stoic image of Trump in a superhero action-figure-like stance. The star (savior?) of his own universe. Is that how he sees himself? Should we? O'Brien more often likens him to showman P.T. Barnum, and Trump does little to dispel this notion. He's even quoted as claiming, "I am going to put show business into real estate. I'll have the best of both worlds." (p. 53) He inflates any number that comes his way, from his own net worth to the floor count of his buildings. The best evidence of this disparity comes in two lists found in the "TrumpBroke" chapter. The first shows Donald's inconsistent Forbes 400 ratings for the past 23 years. The second one lists Trump's current properties and projects and what Donald says they're worth. When the latter is compared with a similar list found in the back of his own book from 2004, "Trump: How to Get Rich," the two just don't match up. What a difference a year can make! But you also have to consider the source. O'Brien refers to all of the books Trump has penned as "nonfiction works of fiction" and "a tour of the business world according to Mister Id." (A great turn of phrase, by the way.)

While this book is a tad more current than Gwenda Blair's "Donald Trump: Master Apprentice," it also provides more financial specifics about the deals that Trump has been involved in. It describes more completely his battles with Ed Koch, Steve Wynn, Ivana, Marla, and professional sports and gaming commission officials. O'Brien got Trump's version, then went to the other players in the contests, some of whom felt more freedom to speak now, years after the fact. The result is probably close to reality, though readers are still called upon to draw their own conclusions. Each chapter closes with a summary faux-quiz that the author encourages readers to answer and mail to Trump himself. The imagined prize will be free tickets to the 12th Apprentice finale. (The author already refers to the TV show in the past tense.) I wonder how many people will take the bait?

O'Brien knows business, so maybe we can forgive him for not knowing sports trivia. After Donald Trump bought the New Jersey Generals of the USFL, the author writes, "he signed Doug Flutie, a Heisman-winning Boston College quarterback who entered the national spotlight after hurling a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown and a victory in the final seconds of the 1984 Cotton Bowl." (p. 87) That legendary last-second pass from Flutie to Gerard Phelan put BC over Miami, 47-45, on November 23, 1984. Flutie and the Eagles went on to beat Houston 45-28 in the 1985 Cotton Bowl game on January 1st. Two separate games. Alas, in any event, Doug Flutie can have the last laugh. He's still in professional football. Donald Trump isn't.

You'll enjoy TRUMPNATION if you're still simultaneously attracted to and annoyed by The Donald. How long can this ride last?

Those fans of Donald Trump's TV show The Apprentice might be

FIRED UP when you listen to author Timothy L. O'Brien's Trump

Nation: The Art of Being the Donald (three cds, three hours,

abridgement, Time Warner Audio books). O'Brien shows the under

belly of the real Donald, the Trump that is hidden for public

view or buried on page 57. It is stark and revealing, but its

all true. It is investigative journalism on audio at its best

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

The host of your show is not what he seems to be. Donald Trump on TV: calculating decisionmaker, ruthless corporate assassin, titan of business. Donald Trump in TrumpNation: prone to screw-ups, entertainingly BIZARRE, stumbling with people, befuddled in business. This book is so accurate and broad that you finish in a state of disbelief about how Trump has gotten over on all of us for so long. Once the author grabs hold of Trump he doesn't let go, and you wonder why Trump cooperated to the degree that he did. There are exchanges between Trump and O'Brien that are priceless and Trump clearly believed he was going to seduce the writer I think. Well, the result is hilarious and instructive and Trump does not come out on top. This book has a lot to say and it says it quickly and unrelentingly. I really enjoyed it!!

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