The ghostwriter of the best-selling "The Art of the Deal" reveals everything he fears about Donald Trump. He regrets contributing to forging the myth - not only because the presidential candidate doesn't read books.
Image: Reuters/M. Segar
Advertisement
5 books Donald Trump might have read - or not
Donald Trump's hit memoirs from 1987, "The Art of the Deal," helped to create his myth. Now, his ghostwriter regrets having written the book. He believes Trump doesn't read at all - with a few rare exceptions.
Image: Timothy L. O´Brien
The Art of the Deal - Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz
The "Art of the Deal" combines Trump's memoirs and business advice. It was a huge best-seller in 1987. Though he's said he wrote it himself, his ghostwriter Tony Schwartz recently discussed the writing process in "The New Yorker" and claims Trump didn't pen it all. The former journalist now regrets having helped create the myth of the charismatic businessman - now presidential candidate.
Image: Random House
The Bible
Trump has often said that he only has one book he prefers to "The Art of the Deal," and that's the Bible. He might skip over that Commandment about not lying, though. Spending 18 months with Trump to prepare the book, Schwartz quickly realized he lied all the time, without remorse. To make his dishonesty sound more acceptable, the ghostwriter came up with the euphemism "truthful hyperbole."
Image: Getty Images/J.Raedle
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
Many feel this 1929 masterpiece on the pointlessness of war should be mandatory reading in school - and it often is. Last May, Trump quoted this work when asked on Fox News if he had a third favorite book. The host asked about more recent reads, and Trump finally admitted, "I don't have the time." While doing his long research, Schwartz never saw a single book in Trump's office or apartment.
Image: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Advertisements for Myself - Norman Mailer
This collection of short works by Mailer promoting his cocky persona is definitely not a book in Trump's nonexistent library. However, its title perfectly describes the content of "The Art of the Deal," writes "The New Yorker." Critics say one deceitful aspect of Trump's 1987 memoirs is how he claims to be a self-made man. His father, Fred Trump, was a politically influential multi-millionaire.
Image: Harvard University Press
Trump Nation - Timothy L. O'Brien
The investigative biography "Trump Nation: The Art of Being the Donald," by award-winning journalist O'Brien, debunks many aspects of Trump's public image and his famous business deals. Donald contributed interviews - and unsuccessfully tried to sue O'Brien, too. The 2016 re-edition of the book opens with a typical quote of the self-aggrandizing man: "I can be more presidential than anybody."
Image: Timothy L. O´Brien
5 images1 | 5
When he was asked if he wanted to write Trump's autobiography, Tony Schwartz knew it was a Faustian offer.
On one hand, the journalist despised the values of the businessman - then 38 years old in 1984 - and knew very well that working as a ghostwriter would damage his reputation as a reporter.
On the other hand, the financial terms were so generous that Schwartz felt he couldn't refuse so much money for his growing family. So he accepted, and wrote the 1987 best-seller, "The Art of the Deal."
This book established Trump's image of a bragging but charismatic deal-breaker. Its success led him to star in the reality TV show "The Apprentice," from 2004 to 2015. From there, he moved on to trying to become the president of the United States.
Schwartz incredibly regrets writing the book, especially now that this is an actual possibility.
"I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes, there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization," Schwartz told "The New Yorker," where he recently discussed the whole writing process of "The Art of the Deal" and what he learned about Trump while preparing the book.
'No attention span'
When Schwartz and Trump first sat down to work on "The Art of the Deal," the journalist was confronted with a major problem: He realized that Trump couldn't concentrate long enough for an in-depth interview on his early years. One of Trump's main attributes, Schwartz said, is that "he has no attention span."
As an alternative, they both decided that Schwartz would follow Trump everywhere and listen into all of his phone calls for the next 18 months.
Obama and Bush read tons of books
That's how Schwartz could come to the conclusion that Donald Trump never reads. Trump has blamed his busy schedule for this lack - something many people can sympathize with - yet the two most recent US Presidents have managed to find time for more novels than most people read.
Obama releases his reading lists every time he goes on holidays. Karl Rove, who used to be George W. Bush's senior adviser, has said they both spent years doing book-reading contests.
