Deal

Abstract

The second chapter, “Deal,” examines Donald Trump’s unique manner of making deals, focusing ultimately on his efforts to broker a nuclear deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in the summer of 2018. For Trump, deal-making is always about wielding power in the ever-present moment, operating as the quintessential episodic man who pays no heed to long-term consequences. The chapter delineates five principles of Trumpian deal-making: (i) fill a need, (ii) bend the rules, (iii) put on a show, (iv) exert maximum pressure, and (v) always win. The chapter traces the origins of the first three principles back to the deal-making displayed by Trump’s grandfather, Friedrich Trump, when he immigrated to the United States, and by his father, Fred Trump, as a builder and real estate mogul in Queens during the middle years of the 20th century. The latter two principles derive from Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal, as well as his life.