This is a well written snapshot of Donald Trump, man of the good, bad and ugly components of his troubled personality are carefully noted with a long list of sources.

The book begins with the relationship he had with his father. A wealthy man who also dabbled in real estate in New York City to make his fortune, Donald quickly learned at the feet of the master. Greatly surpassing his father in accumulated, tangible assets, Trump wheeled and dealed using the infamous lawyer Roy Cohen to help sue his way to the top. The art of bombastic personality and the never ending need to deflate and defame those who do not agree with him has sadly landed him a conflicted person who makes it known when he does not agree with the way he is treated, never minding the way he treats others.

I won't make this review a political statement. I read the book to learn more about Trump and how his personality developed. This was a good reference. ( )

Not a bad read. This book was written in 2005 and updated last year, but the author does not know that this jerk is our new president. One wonders about the writer and Trump's suits against people whom he did not like, as to whether it affected the conclusion. The book describes the history and background reasonably well, but cuts off large bits of the life. For example, when this idiot went bankrupt, the author has no idea as to what happened and how this idiot got his money, There is also no attempt at estimating the idiot's real worth.The problem is that Trump reflects the country and its celebration of celebrity, and that no doubt is why he did so well in the election. ( )

sehr sorgfältig recherchiert! am interessantesten empfand ich die detailreichen Beschreibungen diverser Schlüsseldeals, die Trumps Ruf zementiert haben und einen kleinen Einblick in seine bizzare Persönlichkeit erlauben - mehr als ein kleiner Einblick ist bei diesem Mann nicht drin. Das ist dann auch die Schwäche des Buches, die man schwerlich am Autor festmachen kann sondern die quasi dem Objekt der Betrachtung geschuldet ist. D ´Antonio tut sich schwer dem Mann näher zu kommen und genauso geht es dem Leser. Trump bleibt eine Black Box die Staunen macht und ein beunruhigendes Gefühl hinterlässt. Ist dieser Präsident einfach nur die logische Schlußfolgerung einer entgleisten Gesellschaftsentwicklung? Infantil, oberflächlich und bis zur Schmerzgrenze schrillgrell?

Bei mir blieb am Ende ein unbefriedigtes Gefühl., Zu viele spannende Fragen bleiben komplett im Dunkeln. Wie kommt es, dass intelligente Menschen auf dieses Großmaul hereinfallen können? Welche Rolle spielt dabei "die andere Seite", also die aufgeklärten, liberalen Kräfte, die Intellektuellen usw. und jene die sich dafür halten. Das Phänomen lässt sich meiner Meinung nach nicht auf die im Buch geschilderten Zusammenhänge reduzieren.

Dennoch: lesenswert! ( )

So with this book we take on "The Donald", for better or worse as the case may be. First I need to confess my bias. I am a registered Independent voter, in my early years I considered myself a Republican. On Donald Trump I am for the most part neutral and in this book was looking for something maybe to hang my hat on with him.

I first tried to get a measure of the author's bias. I thought maybe he was neutral or since Trump had agreed to interview with him maybe leaning to the pro. I learned however that there was little if anything good he had to say about him. Not bashing him with enthusiasm like so many do, but more relating the many flaws in an almost matter of fact way. And taking this on face value maybe that is all one can surface in the man, Trump.

I was left with an impression of can a guy like this with so many perceived negatives by so many seriously win the Presidency? And I have to say no. But then again this is Donald Trump and he often does win, but that is in business. Politics, though businesslike at times is, well politics.

D'Antonio gives a profile on Trump in a quick manner skipping through his formative years through his career and personal relationships. For some reason at the beginning and the end he delves into detail on a number of real estate transactions that I found rather boring reading. Yet much of what Trump is about, as even he would tell you in glowing terms of course is his gift at deal making. In large measure he has succeeded in this, but his failures, and those left in the wake of these failures are indeed notable.

I finished the book as uneasy about how I should view Mr. Trump as I started it. What I think I know as probably many feel they do about him is here we have a man so focused on his self worth and success firmly rooted in his embrace of positive thinking that nothing can possibly stop him in his quest for whatever. On this course he feels it also necessary to stake his territory bombastically by dismissing and often denigrating those who oppose him or stand in his way. For him this formula seems to work or at least he believes it does. If nothing else it gets him the attention he so seems to crave. Whether it will work on a national political scale we have yet to see.

Trump seems to feel that his mastery of getting the upper hand in any deal is sufficient to take on the enormous complexities of a treacherous world stage in which questions of security and economic gravity present themselves nonstop, day in day out. Much is staked on image and in thinking of Trump as a Presidential figure, Bill Clinton comes to mind.
In any event the book was worthwhile in trying to get a better grasp on what this man is about. The emphasis is on trying, as with Donald Trump it may be impossible to define what really drives the wheels. ( )