General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDONALD TRUMP’S GHOSTWRITER TELLS ALL
Last June, as dusk fell outside Tony Schwartzs sprawling house, on a leafy back road in Riverdale, New York, he pulled out his laptop and caught up with the days big news: Donald J. Trump had declared his candidacy for President. As Schwartz watched a video of the speech, he began to feel personally implicated.
Trump, facing a crowd that had gathered in the lobby of Trump Tower, on Fifth Avenue, laid out his qualifications, saying, We need a leader that wrote The Art of the Deal. If that was so, Schwartz thought, then he, not Trump, should be running. Schwartz dashed off a tweet: Many thanks Donald Trump for suggesting I run for President, based on the fact that I wrote The Art of the Deal.
Schwartz had ghostwritten Trumps 1987 breakthrough memoir, earning a joint byline on the cover, half of the books five-hundred-thousand-dollar advance, and half of the royalties. The book was a phenomenal success, spending forty-eight weeks on the Times best-seller list, thirteen of them at No. 1. More than a million copies have been bought, generating several million dollars in royalties. The book expanded Trumps renown far beyond New York City, making him an emblem of the successful tycoon. Edward Kosner, the former editor and publisher of New York, where Schwartz worked as a writer at the time, says, Tony created Trump. Hes Dr. Frankenstein.
Starting in late 1985, Schwartz spent eighteen months with Trumpcamping out in his office, joining him on his helicopter, tagging along at meetings, and spending weekends with him at his Manhattan apartment and his Florida estate. During that period, Schwartz felt, he had got to know him better than almost anyone else outside the Trump family. Until Schwartz posted the tweet, though, he had not spoken publicly about Trump for decades. It had never been his ambition to be a ghostwriter, and he had been glad to move on. But, as he watched a replay of the new candidate holding forth for forty-five minutes, he noticed something strange: over the decades, Trump appeared to have convinced himself that he had written the book. Schwartz recalls thinking, If he could lie about that on Day Onewhen it was so easily refutedhe is likely to lie about anything.
I put lipstick on a pig, he said. 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. He went on, 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 writing The Art of the Deal today, Schwartz said, it would be a very different book with a very different title. Asked what he would call it, he answered, The Sociopath.
This is an interesting read from the New Yorker. If you read through to the end it is typical Trump. Confirming a lot of our views on his temperament and ego.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)groundloop
(11,522 posts)PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)This has to be spread far and wide!! Our country's future (and the planet's) is at stake!
BlueMTexpat
(15,373 posts)later ... thanks for the find!
Javaman
(62,534 posts)and trump is referred to in the book several times as some sort of example of what to aspire to.
If you haven't read the book, it's a truly amazing look into the brokers of wall street pre-1989 crash and their level of vapid over indulgence.
here is the wiki like about the book and the author:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Psycho
forgotmylogin
(7,530 posts)The book includes explicit descriptions of violence, misogyny, animal killing and cruelty, as well as intentionally boring stretches of clothing descriptions and essays about 80s music.
It breaks convention and might be considered a daring piece of literature, but it's not a breezy airplane read.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)he confesses to the fact that he lived just like the main character Bateman without the killing.
everyone in the book are loathsome individuals, but it gives a good view into that bizarre lifestyle.
The bizarre obsession by those in the book with image and lifestyle is fascinating.
and yes, there are long stretches of very boring descriptions of their gewgaws of wealth, but I look at those passages more on the level of an OCD type who thinks that these items of novelty are what define them. and in the reality of the characters, those things do. And that's why the long descriptions of electronics, clothing and music, give fabric to the level of superficiality of the characters. Painting a deeper portrait of a person with out any real intrinsic worth. Just fleeting materialism to cover for lack of real substance.
I also find fascinating the level of grooming Bateman employees to stay "young". it's comical. I think that's the intent of the author to paint a picture of a modern day clown to maintain his visual performance.
The author stated that he first wrote all about the lifestyle of the characters, then wrote the passages of the murders and the sadistic sexual fantasies later. then interwove the two. He did say, that while he personally didn't partake in the various sadistic fantasies, he knew of a number of his fellow workers that would tell him of their sexual exploits while he was out with them. Many of the sadistic exploits were used for the book.
forgotmylogin
(7,530 posts)I see why it closed, but it was dazzlingly imaginative and must less of a slog than the book. And the Trump lines get laughs.
The movie is good too!
Javaman
(62,534 posts)I'm holding off from watching the movie until I finish the book.
Once upon a time, in my primordial days, I was at the Sun Dance film festival when American Psycho was premiering. I had a chance to go to the premier, however, I instead chose to go to a party for another film, which name completely escapes me at the moment, that stared no body and never went on to be a success, but the band at the party was The Cult. LOL That's why I went to that instead of the premier for American Psycho. LOL
klook
(12,165 posts)She's the author of "Dark Money," the book about how the Koch bros. and other plutocrats bought control of the American political system. So this promises to be a good read.
underpants
(182,876 posts)That is a great read.
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)which has been the source of two movies, one which I've seen
once again....thanks, Joe Biden, for allowing this perverted perjurer to slime trail his way to a permanent job.
treestar
(82,383 posts)he was involved with! A guy wrote his book 30 years ago and owes everything to Trump!
MiniMe
(21,718 posts)Since tRump has a habit of not paying his bills in full
treestar
(82,383 posts)with a third of the profits when the first one was half! And had a party and charged the writer half the expenses without making that a deal first!
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)I think the publisher handled the deal. It's very likely the writer got wealthy off the book. He is donating his share of book proceeds from 2016 to charities that support people Trump hates.
Barely makes a dent in his karma bill imo.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)he was just writing one the thousands of bullshit business books that come out every year. He had no idea this ignoramus would actually get the GOP nomination. I mean, who would? If I saw a movie about this, I'd consider it unrealistic.
IronLionZion
(45,523 posts)Trump was not nearly as well known back then and no one was considering him for political office. He was mainly known in NYC for real estate development.
hindsight is 20/20
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)to polish what he had to have known was a racist turd should feel culpable, Tony is culpable.
nolabear
(41,991 posts)It's a fascinating article and rings entirely true.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.
Jay Gould - US financier & railroad businessman (1836 - 1892)
underpants
(182,876 posts)annabanana
(52,791 posts)Donald we have seen all these months. He may even believe tht he wrote the damn thing by now. Sociopath personified.
tavernier
(12,399 posts)The damage is done. Trump will point out that he himself did most of the writing, and this guy just rode his generous shirt tails for the money.
Brainstormy
(2,381 posts)I'm flabbergasted. I've been a ghostwriter for 15 years. My clients, virtual nobodies in comparison to Trump, would sue the shit out of me for even saying that I wrote their book. The "with" by-line helps, but it doesn't allow for this kind of tell all.
PatSeg
(47,583 posts)Trump gets non-disclosure agreements from everyone and he is a litigation addict. He sues people at the drop of hat.
nolabear
(41,991 posts)Or he really is guilty and is willing to pay.
tanyev
(42,608 posts)I just finished reading The Sociopath Next Door and was constantly reminded of Trump as I read it. If I have more time this afternoon, I'll amplify on that.
nruthie
(466 posts)Unfortunately the very people who need to read it won't; mainly because they can't read. Only sissies read inthe world of Trump.
greymattermom
(5,754 posts)read the New Yorker, right? Trump loves the poorly educated.
PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)This written portrait of Donald Trump is scary beyond words.
Everyone needs to read this. I'm going to read it again! Everyone needs to read it, the entire WORLD needs to read this. Holy fuck.
This is going out on my social media, my e-mail, everywhere I can share it.
fuck fuck fuck...
mopinko
(70,205 posts)they did a couple deals for the yam. she tells an identical story. so, yeah, he must be stopped.
trof
(54,256 posts)Devastating.
Evergreen Emerald
(13,069 posts)What the hell is wrong with America?
IronLionZion
(45,523 posts)Dude is still plugging his book 30 years later in his campaign rallies
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Shrike47
(6,913 posts)63splitwindow
(2,657 posts)" 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 said. Trump only takes two positions. Either youre a scummy loser, liar, whatever, or youre the greatest. Schwartz noted that Trumps short attention span has left him with a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance. "
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512260714
NewJeffCT
(56,828 posts)most Trump supporters wouldn't be caught dead reading "inta-lexshul" stuff like The New Yorker.
Politicub
(12,165 posts)Hopefully this will push a few fence sitters off the rail.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,213 posts)voters to support HRC. Especially independents in swing states.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Paul Ryan thinks that's OK
red dog 1
(27,845 posts)Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)chris hayes just let a guy who claimed to have been a dem til this year spew the most obvious right wing garbage about deporting 12, yes 12 million Mexicans, who drain the education and health systems.
he didn't bother to ask him where he got those bogus statistics, or challenge him with the FACT that they pay in more than they get back
very sad performance, chris....afraid he was going to beat you up?
IronLionZion
(45,523 posts)but many of them are paying in to it
3catwoman3
(24,037 posts)...that this guy can't have been much of a true Democrat if he is able to vote for Trump.