Posted on by Californiacontrarian

The Bastard . . .

“I know what you’re thinking: what a bastard I am. And you’re right. But the vast majority of successful people don’t become bastards, we were bastards long before. That’s why we’ve become successful.”This is a passage from “The Deal of a Lifetime,” a novella by Fredrik Bachman, the Swedish author who wrote A Man Called Ove. (BTW: If you have not read A Man Called Ove, I highly recommend it.)Initially when I read this passage my mind wandered to our President. Could this have been his apropos response to any of the multiple insults thrown at him from the left? Is Donald Trump a bastard? Was he always? Is what you see today, the real Mr. Trump or has he changed since he was elected? To help answer that question I am going to refer to Mr. Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” initially published in 1987.

How many of you have read The Art of the Deal? Yes, of course I have read it, and no, I do not recommend it. For those of us who do not or have not lived in New York City, the local geography, the references to different buildings and parts of the city, as well as the complexity of the local politics all make for tedious reading. However what is fascinating are many of Mr. Trump’s basic  philosophies (chapter 2) which have, indeed, morphed into his basic philosophies in his running the country.

The following are direct quotes from The Art of the Deal:

– “The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is to seem desperate to make it. The best thing you can do is to deal from strength, and leverage is the biggest strength that you have.”

– “If you are a little different or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you.”

– “You cannot con people, at least not for long. If you don’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.”

– “I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration – and a very effective form of promotion.”

And finally:

– “Much as it pays to emphasize the positive, there are times when the only choice is confrontation. In most cases I am very easy to get along with. I am good to people who are good to me. But when people treat me badly or unfairly or try to take advantage of me, my general attitude, all my life, has been to fight back, very hard!”


I do not think that Mr.Trump has essentially changed since he wrote “The Art of the Deal” over thirty years ago, and even though he probably would never be my best friend, I am glad that the bastard is in my President!

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