Donald Trump: ‘Art Of The Deal’ Ghostwriter Says He Has ‘Sociopathic Tendencies’


In 1987, Donald Trump’s memoir, “The Art of the Deal,” was published. Tony Schwartz was the ghostwriter on the book, and today he says it’s a job he regrets. In a just-released issue of the New Yorker, the writer explains that his regret emerged when he saw Trump declare his candidacy for president of the United States.

When Donald Trump declared his candidacy for president of the United States, he said, “We need a leader that wrote ‘The Art of the Deal.'” Schwartz describes the process of writing the book. A process that involved following Donald Trump for eighteen months and conducting many interviews. It was upon information from and observations of this process that Tony wrote “The Art of the Deal.” After hearing Trump’s statement in the speech in which he declared his candidacy, he tweeted his thanks.

Although he joked about Trump’s statement publicly, Schwartz states that when he heard Trump claim that he had written his memoir, he realized that,

“If he could lie about that on Day One—when it was so easily refuted—he is likely to lie about anything.”

Not believing that Donald Trump would go far in the presidential race, Schwartz decided to keep quiet about his many reservations about him. As time went on and Trump’s popularity rose, Schwartz’s ability to stay quiet diminished.

Tony Schwartz’s concerns aren’t with Donald Trump’s ideology. He doesn’t believe Trump has an ideology. His concern is with Trump’s personality, a personality he describes as “pathologically impulsive and self-centered.” He considered writing an article about his concerns but worried that, because he wrote “The Art of the Deal,” he may not have much credibility. In a quandary and knowing that if he didn’t say anything, if Donald Trump became president, he would regret not speaking up, he agreed to an interview with the New Yorker. Tony Schwartz makes some strong statements about Trump in the interview. This one is among them.

“I put lipstick on a pig. I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is. 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.”

If he were to write a book about Donald Trump today, Schwartz says it wouldn’t be titled “The Art of the Deal.” It would be titled “The Sociopath.”

As reported by the Hill, Schwartz appeared on Good Morning America on Monday morning and expounded on his concerns. He stated that the thought of Donald Trump becoming president of the United States is “a terrifying thing.” He continued as follows.

“I haven’t slept a night through since Donald Trump announced for president because I believe he is so insecure, so easily provoked and not particularly nearly as smart as people might imagine he is.”

He expanded on his concerns about Trump’s short fuse and self-centered nature.

“In the face of somebody like Putin provoking him cleverly – because Putin’s a heck of a lot smarter than Donald Trump – I do worry that with the nuclear codes he would end civilization as we know it. This is a man who has more sociopathic tendencies than any candidate in my adult like that I’ve observed.”

Schwartz described the series of interviews he conducted with Trump, interviews that never last more than 10 to 15 minutes because of Trump’s short attention span. “My [2]-year-old grandson has a longer attention span than Donald Trump.”

When Trump heard about Schwartz’s interview with the New Yorker, he phoned him and told him he was disloyal. Here’s how he says that phone conversation with Donald Trump went, in part. The first speaker below is Trump.

“I had a lot of choice of who to have write the book, and I chose you, and I was very generous with you. I know that you gave a lot of speeches and lectures using ‘The Art of the Deal.’ I could have sued you, but I didn’t.”

“My business has nothing to do with ‘The Art of the Deal.’

“That’s not what I’ve been told.

“You’re running for President of the United States. The stakes here are high.

“‘Yeah, they are,’ he said. ‘Have a nice life.’ Trump hung up.”

[Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images]

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