My first book on Donald Trump was an examination of one of the world’s most successful outlaws. Over the course of five decades, Trump had been accused of sexual assault, tax evasion, money laundering, non-payment of employees, and the defrauding of tenants, customers, contractors, investors, bankers, attorneys, and charities. Along the way Trump owned at least twenty different businesses that went “belly up” and six times he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcies. Nevertheless, Trump managed to amass power alongside much of the wealth that his father had made and passed along to him. In short, Trump was never the successful self-made “art of the deal” billionaire that he claimed to be.
Trump’s political success, similarly, had nothing whatsoever to do with his understanding of domestic or international affairs. Nor did Trump win the 2016 race for the presidency based on his expertise in business, finance, or real estate. Rather, Trump’s unique ability to acquire power, even after losing the 2020 presidential election and his failed coup two months later, came from his perseverance and expertise as a huckster and conman, along with his uncanny ability over decades to double down on corruption, lawlessness, and deception.
