The Art of the Deal: on Principles & Values


Donald Trump: I play to people's fantasies to Think Big

Trump was determined to push beyond his father's realm in New York's outer boroughs and make it big in Manhattan. He had neither time nor patience for climbing the ladder rung by rung. He believed in big, bold leaps, even if that meant breaking tradition or rules.

"The key to the way I promote is bravado," he wrote in "Trump: The Art of the Deal," his best -selling book. "I play to people's fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That's why a little hyperbole never hurts."

Donald Trump was determined to do whatever it took to "be a killer," as his father had repeatedly insisted. While working on his first hotel project in 1976, Trump persuaded a New York Times reporter to profile him as "a major New York builder," even though he had never built a thing and had no financing.

Source: Wash. Post "Mueller", p.507-8, on "The Art of the Deal" Apr 23, 2019

Donald Trump: You can't con people for long; you have to deliver the goods

You can't con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion & get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you can't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.

I think of Jimmy Carter. As poorly qualified as he was for the job, Jimmy Carter had the nerve to ask for something extraordinary. That ability above all helped him get elected president. But then, of course, the American people caught on that Carter couldn't do the job, and he lost in a landslide when he ran for reelection.

I see the same thing in my business, which is full of people who talk a good game but don't deliver. When Trump Tower became successful, a lot of developers got the idea of imitating our atrium. But they saw that it all added up to many millions, and these people with great ambitions would decide [against it].

The dollar always talks in the end. I promoted the hell out of Trump Tower, but I also had a great product to promote.

Source: The Art of the Deal, by Donald Trump, p. 60-1 Jul 6, 1993

Jimmy Carter: Asked Donald Trump for $5M for Jimmy Carter Library

I think of Jimmy Carter. After he lost the election to Ronald Reagan, Carter came to see me in my office. He told me he was seeking contributions to the Jimmy Carter Library. I asked how much he had in mind. "Donald, I would be very appreciative if you contributed five million dollars." I was dumbfounded. I didn't even answer him.

But that experience taught me something. Until then, I'd never understood how Jimmy Carter became president. The answer is that as poorly qualified as he was for the job, Jimmy Carter had the nerve, the guts, the balls, to ask for something extraordinary. That ability above all helped him get elected president. But then, of course, the American people caught on pretty quickly that Carter couldn't do the job, and he lost in a landslide when he ran for reelection.

Source: The Art of the Deal, by Donald Trump, p. 60 Jul 6, 1993

Thomas Kean: Supported construction of Atlantic City casinos in recession

In Atlantic City in the spring of 1982, the only casino under construction by then was the Tropicana, and thousands of local construction workers were either out of work or about to be. [The Holiday Inn] represented the first casino-hotel in Atlantic City ever built on time and on budget.

On May 14, the casino opened to a public response that exceeded my wildest expectations. The governor, Thomas Kean, was the main speaker, and he was extremely generous in praising what we had accomplished.

Source: The Art of the Deal, by Donald Trump, p.217 Jul 6, 1993

  • The above quotations are from Trump: The Art of the Deal, by Donald Trump.
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2020 Presidential contenders on Principles & Values:
  Republicans:
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(IN)
Pres.Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Bill Weld(MA)
Democrats:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
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Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
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Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
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Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
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Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Gov.John Kasich (R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY)
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Gov.Bill Weld (L-MA)
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Page last updated: May 20, 2019