Book Summary Preview : TrumpNation

The Big Idea

Donald Trump is everywhere.  No matter where you are and what you do, you’re bound to have heard of him. 

Much has been said about the man behind the empire, but what really stands out is that although Donald Trump was a millionaire’s son, he was no slacker.  He was not content to live a life of leisure off of his father’s money, a choice he could have easily made.   Instead, he chose to improve upon his status through sheer wit, hard work, and acumen for business that borders on the mythological. 

Few people know that the billionaire has suffered setback after setback, and was once on the brink of bankruptcy.  But this book shares all, stepping stones and building blocks alike, in the life of Donald Trump, making him more human… and therefore all the more remarkable.

■ Smooth Operator          

On the jacket flap of Donald's new book, Think Like a Billionaire, reads: "It's not good enough to want it. You've got to know how to get it."

And boy, has the Donald ever got it. 

Donald Trump: The Fragrance is one of his new product lines, a venture he has embarked on with Estée Lauder. Recently launched at Macy’s flagship store, it’s supposed to be a way for the average man to “be” Donald Trump, if only by smelling like him. 

Macy's also carries his new line of men's suits, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, is making its debut. Each suit in this product line has Donald's personal seal of approval, applied only once it is sure that everything is made according to his specifications.

Then you have the Trump Tower, The Apprentice, and best selling books, just the icing on the cake of what is now one of the biggest financial empires in history.

But what about the man who created this empire?  Donald Trump is truly a man of merit.  One of the most amazing things about Donald is his self-confidence.  He has complete belief in himself and his capabilities.  He once said, "If you don't win, you can't get away with it.  And I win, I win, I always win.  In the end, I always win, whether it's in golf, whether it's in tennis, whether it's in life, I just always win.  And I tell people I always win, because I do."

Donald does almost everything - building, borrowing money, buying, collapsing, and selling; loves publicity, schemes privately, brags, pitches, cashes in, loses, loses some more, and then bounces back. 

For about two decades, Donald has been giving people advice in his books and through interviews on various topics: about the art of the deal, surviving at the top, making a comeback, how to get rich, and how to think like a billionaire, among other things.  But for all his generosity with his knowledge, people know that this shrewd businessman will never reveal all his trade tricks and secrets.

■ TrumpTV          

”You’re fired.”  These are words that usually strike fear into the hearts of man, and who better to speak them than a strict billionaire boss?   The Apprentice boosted Donald Trump’s status from financial icon to household name.

The reality TV phenomenon of the 21st century began with Survivor, the brainchild of Mark Burnett.  Wildly successful though that pioneer series was, Burnett struck gold when he produced The Apprentice.  Burnett recalled, "I came here with nothing, with maybe a hundred bucks in my pocket and had to get a job.  And these wealthy people who had made their money themselves, I worked for.  It did show me what could be achieved in America, what's possible if you have some vision to take big risks.  And I always wanted to do a show that was about entrepreneurialism.  It led on, quite frankly, to The Apprentice, where a bunch of people, I wasn't sure how many at the time, would vie to be the apprentice of a master of industry.  I knew clearly there was only one master who was colorful enough, charismatic enough, who is really a billionaire, was Trump."

Burnett confided, "All of the networks wondered if anyone outside New York really cared about Trump and would it work, but I had a track record and I stuck by my guns.  I believed in the format and I don't think they understood how well Trump would telegraph across the screen - and how his take-no-prisoners approach appealed to people all over the world.  So they bought it."  True enough, the first season of The Apprenticekicked off.

Donald believes that The Apprentice is very much true with regard to high-stakes business.  He says, "I believe that the pressure that you see, that the anxiety, the pain, the joy, the victory, I think it's all true to very high stakes business.  And I mean business at the highest level."

One of the last four aspiring apprentices, Warnock, even said, "I think the appeal of the show is that everyone has struggled in the workplace and everybody can relate to that.  It's the ultimate reality show because it's not the same thing where people are eating worms.  I'd never do that.  But everybody's had a job and dealt with a boss."

It is The Apprentice's incessant shark baiting that made it what it is.  It was deliciously voyeuristic and utterly schizophrenic.

During The Apprentice's debut season, Donald Trump bagged a measly $50,000 per show.  The show was a hit, and he made sure to re-negotiate with the network, which eventually gave him substantially more than $1.25 million per episode under his new contract. 

What makes the show so addicting is perhaps the fact that you get to “see” what the business persona of Donald is all about: Zoom in for the jackpot.  Be outrageous in your demands.  The lessons that he tries to pass on? Keep a straight face.  See what happens.  Make a buck as fast as possible.  Pretend you knew exactly what would happen all along. . .

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