Well, I did it.

Over the course of a weekend and a half I finished reading (former and current President) Donald J. Trump's The Art of the Deal. And, for starters, I have never been more convinced that Leftists don't know how to read. (This includes Karl Marx because we all know The Communist Manifesto was actually written by Engels, not that deadbeat Marx.)

The reason why I don't think Leftists can read is because it feels like Donald Trump hasn't changed very much since this book came out in 1987.

The Art of the Deal is mostly a biography with smatterings of Trump's dealmaking and work philosophies sprinkled throughout the stories of some of Trump's biggest deals. He takes opportunities to dunk on competitors and politicians, including former Mayor Ed Koch and Steve Wynn. While I was assured by others that he didn't actually write it (Tony Schwartz's name gets into the byline) there are enough "frankly's" and nicknames to believe that The Donald actually had a significant hand in crafting the book.

Long review short: recommended for big Trump fans. It's a fun, quick read. It gives you some insight into the mind of Donald Trump, but you won't be surprised by anything you find there. Hindsight is 20/20 and gives you a perspective beyond the content of the book. New Yorkers will understand most of the references and be familiar with a lot of the sights from the city. Otherwise, you'll have to look up the buildings before and after online.

Long review

We open on a week in the life of Donald Trump. Monday through Friday, he talks about everything he's working on, from the Wollman Ice Skating Rink to a hostel takeover of Holiday Inns to buying out a Georgia family's mortgage on their farm to getting NBC to commit to leasing his project in Television City. The book ends with a chapter on how all these deals worked out: Trump took about 5 months to rebuild the Wollman Ice Skating Rink. Holiday Inns' board of directors attempted to enact a poison pill to keep Trump from taking over, so he sold his stock and made millions. Trump hosted a mortgage burning in the atrium of Trump Tower and Annabel Hill got to keep her farm. Finally, Trump never did get to bring the tallest building back to New York City. I wonder if that is a regret that hangs over the real estate tycoon.

Trump likes to work. He gets energy in working. He likes to make deals. He likes to come out on top. One of the things you learn from The Art of the Deal is that Trump loves America, more specifically, New York City. The story of the Wollman Ice Skating Ring is a significant part of Trump's life and not just because it's in this book. Trump put up his personal money, but, more importantly, his reputation on the failed city project. What had cost the city $12 million dollars over 6 years with nothing to show for it, Trump promised he could do in 5 months for $3 million. He waged a war with Ed Koch in the press, and the press was on Trump's side.

If Trump had failed, it was his reputation on the line. He probably would have continued working in real estate, but the city would have bragging rights, would have been able to say, "not as easy as it looks, is it?" Knowing what we know now, Trump's entire political future could have hinged on that one project.

Of course, he finished it ahead of schedule and under budget. And, this chapter of The Art of the Deal exists to dunk on Ed Koch. Which feels exactly like how he dunks on politicians now.

When recalling his move into Manhattan, here's a direct quote from the book:

I discovered, for the first time but not the last, that politicians don't care too much what things cost. It's not their money.

He's right, you know. It feels like that has followed him to the White House, where his disdain for that idea led to the creation of DOGE. He also says:

I learned from my father that every penny counts, because before too long your pennies turn into dollars.

Trump hasn't changed much. If the Left wanted to know how to beat him, they should have learned how to deal with him. One of the best ways to learn how to deal with him is to read The Art of the Deal. Now we're back where we started: the Left can't read.

There's a chapter on the now-defunct professional football league the USFL that shows how Donald Trump will fight like hell for his principles. That's not just an LwC turn of phrase. Trump actually talks about fighting like hell for people that put their trust in him. The Left would have known that couldn't take him down through impeachments or, if you'll pardon the saying, trumped up charges. Donald Trump will go broke fighting for what he believes and he's has a lot of money. I don't think the Left knew what they were doing trying to take him on.

This is not a book I would have ever picked up this book if not for Trump being our president. It's only happenstance that I am attempting to buy my first home at the moment in time I decided to read this and was able to relate on an infinitesimal level to any of the multi-million dollar deals Trump is negotiating. (So far, I've ended up paying a bunch of money to inspectors only to terminate the contract as my option period expired.) But this is Trump. Real estate is his canvas. The deal is his paint. His philosophy on how to run a business is his philosophy on how to run a country. I can't help but to consider that fact that he is a billionaire.

And I am not.

Kate works in production at LwC and serves as both Cheese Correspondent and Person Who Reads What No One Else Wants To. She is the author of Live Like Legends. When she isn’t writing...who are we kidding? She’s always writing. You can find her here on X.