The Truth About Trump

Had hoped for the insight promised. Initially over-researched, too many details about Trump's father times, etc. About halfway through, the book changes, becomes repetitive and shallow -- like it was opportunistically rushed to print before it was ready. Nothing about Trump's relationships with his siblings or children and touches on, barely, protectively, his relationships with his wives. All in all, a Part 1 of a magazine article stretched too long and with too little substance. Poor effort ultimately.

Great book that chronicles the growth of the ego that is Trump. It's amazing that some reviews say the book doesn't deliver, I felt it explains the lies, life, deceit, exagerration and tactics of the modern day promoter.
Instead of his recent campaign being a reality show, it seems to be more of a re-run with incidents like the episode with a British female reporter that seems very similar to the Megyn Kelly fiasco.

If you're interested in the history of Donald Trump, read this book. Michael D'Antonio is an excellent reporter and writer. On almost every page, you can see how much research he's done to nail down the facts, which in the case of Donald Trump, is a serious challenge. It's a great and sobering read.

Found this very entertaining even for someone who is not a fan of the man as prez contender. I'm interested in Trump as a PR machine, which the book easily verified. Interesting history of NYC during the 70s, when Times Sq was packed with porn shops and the restaurant on the ground floor at the Chrysler building was boarded up. Imagine that. Trump saw a much brighter future coming. Took the gamble and won, using tax incentives nobody else was leveraging. Grandfather Trump rented out rooms during the 1800's gold rush era in Wash state and the Klondike. Made me want to read more about Trump, in particular, O'Brien's book TrumpNation; too bad TrumpNation is not on Kindle. Overall, a fascinating story expertly crafted by a veteran journalist and hard to put down. Only thing that bugged me: author sounds like a priggish prude when it came to Trump's female relationships. Donald likes beautiful women -- as if that's a bad thing. C'mon!

Beware! This book is identical in every respect to D'Antonio's prior work entitled "Never Enough" with the exception of a new preface to the 2016 edition. It even shares the same ISBN number! While I would have given the original 4 or 5 stars for D'Antonio's comprehensive narration, I feel taken by having purchased the same content under a different title. After some careful sleuthing, the only acknowledgement I see of this duplicity is in small print on the publisher's info page, which states "previously published as "Never Enough"". Disappointing, indeed!

Pretty sobering and hard to refute. It's even-handed but still left me very concerned about the future of the U.S. and world. Trump's views on race, for one, are more apt for the 1950s as D'Antonio shows that his bigotry existed at least since the 1970s.

This book does a good job of providing background information and history that makes Donald Trump who he is. It goes all the way back to his grandfather and describes the economic environment of each generation leading up to Trump. So it's a bit of a history lesson but is necessary and interesting. This book gives you insight on how a Trump presidency would be. The line towards the end of the book sums it up best and is a bit of a prophetic warning, "...they struggles to understand why someone would swoop into their community, promise so much, accomplish so little, and cause so much upset".

Slanted information. Book does not disclose full content or his arguments about Trump. Never gives Trump any credit for his successes. I guess Trump just had dump luck all these years? Wish I could have my money back.

Wow! What a read --- I learned so very much about stuff I never knew, or had heard about … and the wonderful world of Donald Trump. I felt it to be a long book but so interesting, that I found myself not being able to put it down ---more than well written – and a mind opener to the world of Trump and what he might be when/if he becomes president. A very well thought out book – if not maybe a teeny tiny bit prejudiced against Trump. I even just out and out chuckled a few times --- not knowing beforehand, I know now that I like him! I'm sure all the footnotes are so that Trump doesn't due the author!

Nothing hugely surprising, but what more can you learn about a person who has made celebrity into a career. This book offers good compilation of Mr. Trump’s life, topped by a somewhat revealing interview/postscript. Perhaps the more notable revelations in this book are the fleeting glimpses of Mr. Trump's humanity, but sadly these are not part of the product he's selling.

“The showmanship and schmoozing that soothed the Holiday Inn board was a perfect example of the Trump style, which depended on the goodwill that most people, even experienced business people, bring to their encounters will potential partners. As social animals, human beings naturally seek agreement and depend on others to act in good faith. Most of us are inclined toward this attitude, which includes the tendency to fill in the gaps in our understanding with benign assumptions that magicians and con men rely on as they practice their deceptions. Trump had a way of talking—sharing supposed secrets, offering praise, extending sympathies—that created a synthetic form of friendship. Under these conditions people have trouble asking hard questions. If Trump said something like “You and I know what we’re talking about,” they would nod and allow a conversation to continue for fear of seeming rude or stupid. In this way, he got the benefit of the doubt.” – page 162

Like so many other Americans my initial reaction to the notion of Donald Trump running for President of the United States was that the idea was preposterous. While I certainly do embrace a number of the positions he has taken (most especially his stance on immigration) I have never really considered him to be an honest broker or a serious player. He is definitely not the principled conservative that I am looking for. Yet here we are just a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses and Mr. Trump appears to be the undisputed leader among potential Republican voters. Since I have read books on a number of the other candidates in both parties I thought it might be a good idea to do my homework and learn more about “The Donald”. That is when I happened upon Michael D’Antonio’s latest book “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success” at my local public library. It turns out that D’Antonio has pretty much validated my perception of this man. He is definitely NOT the kind of person I want occupying the Oval Office.

Since I have virtually no interest in so-called “celebrity” news and had never seen “The Apprentice” I knew precious little about Donald Trump save for perhaps his occasional appearances on radio talk shows and cable news outlets. I always found him to be something of a blowhard and not particularly believable. Throughout the pages of “Never Enough” the author paints a vivid portrait of Trump as a conniver and opportunist with highly questionable ethics. This pattern of behavior becomes quite apparent as Michael D’Antonio chronicles deal after deal in the Big Apple, Atlantic City and points beyond. What I found to be particularly disturbing is that Donald and his late father Fred have a history of supporting a long list liberal Democratic politicians including former New York City mayor Abe Beame and former New York governor Hugh Carey. He does not appear to have a core set of principles and his rhetoric and behavior suggest to me that if elected Trump would govern in much the same way as Barack Obama has...by executive fiat. We certainly do not need another narcissist in the White House.

I found “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success” to be a highly informative, meticulously documented and extremely well written book. I was able to garner considerable information about Mr. Trump and I would urge both my fellow conservatives and independent voters to think twice before supporting this man. In my view reading “Never Enough” would be a great way to get up-to-speed before casting your critical vote in the coming weeks and months. Highly recommended!

Very disappointing! The book is full of one sided facts about the Trumps and limited history about New York real estate however the author blames Trump for all things gone wrong and seems to resent the fact that he wanted to succeed. I don't recall seeing one mention of any of the Trump family ever doing anything good for anyone. If you like to read "Trump bashing" books, this is the one for you otherwise don't waste your time and money!

Never Enough is Michael D’Antonio’s biography of Donald Trump. It is straightforward and does not try to whitewash him. The author begins by saying that the book is not about Trump the person, but rather about Trump the idea. At the same time he makes clear what he thinks of Trump the person. “In his calculation, honesty comes from the corner of his heart that is willing to fling insults and divide the world into enemies and friends.” His personality is “practically all id all the time.” Trump has come “to represent wealth mixed with vulgarity.” On the other hand he also has “creativity, strength and candor.”

The book traces the Trump family from the arrival in the U.S. of his grandfather (Fredrick Frumpf) from Germany. Fredrick made much of his money by running houses of prostitution in Alaska before coming to live in Brooklyn. His son Fred became rich building modest apartment houses in that borough and had five children, two girls and three boys. Donald was the middle boy. As a boy he was unruly and his father sent him to a military school. From there he went on to Fordham for two years then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Unlike his father, Donald had his eyes set on making in in Manhattan and with the aid of the attorney Roy Cohn he gradually made his way in the Big Apple. Much of the book is concerned with his various deals including various casinos. His marriages to Ivana, Marla Maples and now Melania are also covered as is his TV show and books. His contentious behavior and political connections are also examined. What the book fails to do is adequately explain how he became exceptionally rich. Trump suffered numerous financial setbacks and declared corporate bankruptcy several times. In 1996 the author notes that Forbes magazine estimated his worth as $450 million; in 1997 it had climbed to $1.4 billion and $2.5 billion in 2003. Trump himself says his wealth is much greater, but it is hard to prove.

In sum, the book pictures Trump as viewing life as an unending congest with winners and losers, as someone who believes in his innate ability and superiority and as optimistic. He is seen as a narcissist in the extreme. D’Antonio states that 80% of Americans (and 61% of New Yorkers) do not like him, but in a country of more than 330 million even 20% is a huge number. Finally, the author says that Trump is a living example of American values. The book does not cover Trump's current political campaign for president. It is based on some 10 hours of interviews with Trump and interviews with members of his family and others.

Given Trump’s impact on the American scene, I think it is well worth reading this book which will give you a good understanding of the man, if not the idea.

Quick read and revealing look at major events in Trump's life. Draws heavily on Gwenda Blair for pre 2000 information (Her book is terrific). Mr. D'Antonio has a clear bias against Mr. Trump and confines his narrative to negative events and outcomes, shunning any positive outcomes of Mr Trump's life. Once you understand and accept his bias, it is a useful and revealing read. But Mr. Trump cannot be as bad as he portrays, nor as good as Mr Trump claims. Nothing the book presents would deter a voter inclined to support Trump to change their mind. Such a person might find it encouraging in a way; such as "is the the worst you can report?" Unlike other candidates, Mr Trump appears not to have been responsible for the death of others (Clinton) nor treason against the Constitution (Rubio, Cruz). And it does appear we know most his 'secrets' unlike the others. So on balance this take down fails in its primary mission and Trump supporters who read it will be emboldened. Those who hate him will have lots of fodder for the cocktail parties.

Hoping to find insight into Donald Trump's personality and past, instead I found a diatribe against American success, capitalism, and achievement interspersed with stories about Trump. There is some useful information here---Trump reported for military service when called and was 1Y, he was (in the words of historian Burton Folsom, a "political entrepreneur", but so was everyone else in New York and D'Antonio fails to really show otherwise---but the endless rants against the "robber barons," the "inequality" of the Reagan years gets tiresome. D'Antonio neglects to mention that the Reagan years came well AFTER women had entered the workforce en mass due to liberal failed policies; that Reagan's policies created a net gain of 14 MILLION net new jobs (or about three times what Obama's 8 years gave us; that inflation dropped to zero in one quarter and stayed low; that incorporations soared; and so on.

Within this context, what he does tell us about Trump isn't much, except Trump was a master of the deal. Yep, he pretty much admits that. Trump repeatedly leveraged city money, sellers, unions, and public concerns to build great stuff. D'Antonio seems miffed that Trump didn't spend more money on these projects---typical for an author who is loathe to spend his own cash. When D'Antonio gives us "just the facts, ma'am," he's not bad. Unfortunately, these episodes are few and far between. Trump was a master psychological manipulator, sending his limo to pick up parties coming to negotiate a deal, sending in unsigned paperwork as "proof" a deal was in the offering (betting, correctly, that the city of New York wouldn't notice). D'Antonio seems like the jealous kid who can't find a reason someone else is richer, stronger, better looking, or happier and slings generalized mud, but little of it sticks.

There is literally almost no new info, no interesting tidbits, nothing in this book is juicy. There is nothing "behind the scenes" here....the book is merely a (stale) rehash of Donald's personal life and his business career. If you've watched a documentary or a TV special about him or better yet, read "The Art of the Deal", then you have heard everything that's in this book .... there is literally nothing else here to see. Boring. Don't give this sheister, faux biographer your money! Pick another book.

Simplistic and overly biased. I was looking for a writer who could offer insight into the mind of the man without falling into the common trap of burning his own opinions into the story. This writer struggles with separating opinion from insight. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a complex psychological study of Trump.

The only enjoyment in this book is in the amusement of seeing how the author attempts to twist every event in DT's life to fit his narrative of our times. The authors distain (and likely jealously) of the rich prevented an unbiased account. Rather than a story about DT, it is an expose of the author's philosophy of life--any billionaire would have served. Strikingly, I was left thinking "wow, if this is the worst you can say about DJT, then I am totally impressed with the man!".

Careful… the author offers opinions of Trump & family that are somewhat negatively biased until chapter 6. The author’s true agenda—unbridled communist hate for America—is slowly revealed this chapter forward. The author cleverly disguises his intent by casting several interesting facts about the Trumps & America History in general. Again, the agenda is not revealed until 120+ pages.

Very minor anti-capitalist indicators popped up between pages 120 and 140… Example Page 140: “After reminding would-be buyers that Astors, Whitneys, and Vanderbilts once haunted the neighborhood…” The author carefully selected the word “haunted” to describe capitalists. After page 143 Chapter 7 forget it… subtlety goes out the window. The author’s hate grows exponentially for anything capitalist. In fact, it is clear that the author used the name “Trump” only to sell the book—which had more to do with bashing Americans.

The Author lies and even goes so far as to insinuate words of Trump’s children, which to me is grossly negligent if not libel. And I quote: “What’d you do in the war, Daddy?” “But if the question of wartime service ever comes up, Donald Trump has now provided the perfect answer. I went to military school, kid. That’s like going to war.”

Read this book if you believe:
1) Ronald Reagan was an extravagant egocentric maniac who destroyed what the honorable Jimmy Carter Built.
2) The American Dream is Bernie Sanders.
3) The Republican Voter belongs in hell, literally
4) Heaven is Marxism/ Socialism
5) Owning a business equates to enslaving the poor—If not built with their very blood.

I simply couldn’t read past page 220… Without exaggeration, I spit on this book and walked it out to the dumpster; I didn’t even want it in the house.

You have here the perfect textbook of examples for those who want to become hack writers for tabloids. You too can take basic-public-facts from the Recorders' Office in any county and turn them into scandalous titillating biased stories intended to make your readers gasp and rush to thank you for telling stories you otherwise would never have seen, heard or read except on every TV channel, in every print rag, and on dozens of blogs on the internet. There is not a single word in this book that has not been spewed out, over and over and over again ad nausea, by writers just like Michael D'Antonio. Nothing new here, but alot of examples if you want to become another hack writer for the tabloids. I've heard there's good money in doing that, and God knows jobs are scarce in the USA these days.

I'm always intrigued by writers who slander and denigrate another and then justify the attack by claiming "everything I said was true". You wouldnt know in reading the book jacket or even the introduction that the author despises Trump. Here is a bit of advice I would offer to Karl Rove, Fox News Channel and the republican establishment. The more you guys denigrate this man the more support he gets. Conservatives are fed up with the direction the politicians are taking this country. Many would rather go down with the ship than support another liberal republican. Trump may not be able to beat Clinton but he will certainly not be bashful about calling her the criminal she is.

This author is clever but misses the main point. He is smart but misses the Truth. He wrote a nice insulting piece about our 45th President.
This coward doesn't realize how hard Trump is fighting for America. Trump is a great president and , I predict, will prove himself as one
Of our greatest Presidents ever.
God Bless You Don Trump !!

I read this book because Donald Trump is currently running for President and I wanted to learn more about Donald Trump the man. All I learned is that Donald Trump tends to exaggerate his successes. (E.g.: The first time he said he was a billionaire, he was allegedly worth “only” 100 million.) In addition, in some of his real estate deals, he received favors from politicians in return for campaign contributions he had given them. (Gambling in Casa Blanca?! I’m shocked!)

The author goes out of his way to focus on the minutia of Trump’s business deals, especially the ones that didn’t work out well. In this way, he tries to paint a negative picture. However, he fails to mention that Trump received only $250,000 from his father to get him started and parlayed this into a $10 billion real estate fortune. (I guess if he wants to brag, he’s earned the right to.)

It’s clear that the author did a lot of research for this book. In this light, the negatives he comes up with are a yawn. If the things in this book are the worst things an author can come up with after extensive research, I feel very comfortable with a President Trump.

The author did miss one detail about Donald Trump; my favorite Trump quote. “When you owe the banks a million dollars, you are in a lot of trouble. But when you owe them a billion dollars, THEY are in a lot of trouble.” :)

UPDATE: Dec. 27, 2016

Donald J. Trump is now the President elect. And, as such, he is the first President in history to begin doing the job before his inauguration. He stopped Carrier from sending 1,000 jobs to Mexico and struck a deal with a Japanese businessman to invest $50 billion in America creating 50,000 new jobs. I believe he will go down in history as one of the best Presidents we have ever had.

As for the 31 people who did not find my review helpful; I presume you are not Trump supporters. So, to you 31 I say; Na nana nana naaaa. :)

I found the book very biased toward the writers agenda. It was obvious that he had a negative slant toward Trump. Journalism isn't what it used to be. One example, he had said Trump said 'few people were respectable anymore', and made it into a negative. BUT, if you know the facts on this statement (which was left out) you would know DT was speaking about how much corruption in politics and business there is and he stays as honest and forthright as possible. And...he is right. But, read if you like but it isn't true unbiased work. Very disappointing.

Totally biased crap. I could tell from the first page that D'Antonio is a massive liberal - he states his liberal OPINIONS as facts.
So right away you know you can't trust anything he says, because he has an agenda.
The book is 95% negative, but every once in a while even he can't keep from saying something positive, like this:
"Trump's peers in business reported that he was honorable and consistent . . . with a few exceptions, employees described him as demanding but generous with pay and benefits."
To me, those are huge positive statements, but they are only about three of them in the entire book. Here's another example:
"Almost every celebrity <on the Apprentice> would express gratitude," but he gives no details about that. No, he spends the rest of that very long paragraph giving derogatory quotes from that idiot Penn Jillette.
D'Antonio is the type of person who is concerned about what Trump SAYS but who is not at all concerned about what Hillary DOES. He would explain away Hillary's storing of the highest security info (ABOVE Top Secret, as we found out today), and Obama's constant flouting of the Constitution and his constant scandals, because he is a liberal. He's biased, and therefore his book is trash.
Glad I just borrowed it from the library, but sad I can't throw this garbage in the garbage.
P.S. His writing isn't good either - the book is full of typos and poor grammar. Probably the D'Antonio was rushing to get the book out so his darling Hillary (or maybe crazy Bernie) can have a fighting chance in the 2016 election.

I cannot believe people are reading this book to determine who they are voting for in the Presidential election! Are you kidding me! Be an informed voter.
Go to Trump's Presidential site for National and International policy information if you are informed. Do not read a biography to determine your President.
Wow. In fact do not vote. If you are uniformed politically do not vote.
I found the author biased and factually unable to support his certain claims. Such as: "Trump is racist." The author could site nothing to support this regarding Trump. Also the author put several inaccurate political events in this book. What happened to truth. And impartiality. You write or say someone is a racist in written word or even spoken. You better be able to factually support that. But he doesn't. Really disappointing.
In writing a biography the author needs to keep their own prejudices out. I want to read a biography. Not an opinion piece.
Same with the reviewers. Please keep your political views out of a book review that is not a book about politics.
Author unable to remain unbiased.
Too bad. I had been really looking forward to reading this book. I had heard the author on the radio.
Into the trash. Not donated to my Public Library.
Because so heavily opinionated.

Just reading about the book totally turns me off! If you read books written by Trump himself you get a strong flavor of the man's level of ethics and accomplishment. The horse's mouth is a much better resource for information than a third-party! Trump has so many obvious good deeds and great ideas I am not buying the establishment rhetoric!