Donald Trump: Master Apprentice

Master Apprentice provides an eye opening view for Trump first timers in to the life "The Donald". Trump appears more a master "salesman" than "apprentice" in his legendary efforts for power, prestige and notoriety in Manhattan real estate. A good read. Jeremy Hill JB Capital Management

Becoming a successful real estate developer in New York, one of America's most difficult cities, requires laser focus and ruthless tactics. So that's what Donald Trump and, to a lesser degree his father, Fred, brought to the job as they rose to power and fame. Journalist Gwenda Blair does a masterful, thoroughly reported job of describing the various forces, conflicts of interest, power plays, politics, personalities and near-criminal behavior that resulted in three FBI investigations (but no indictments) of Trump's various real estate deals. Blair provides insights about the family relationships and friendships that shaped Trump's personality and business deals. This is a careful study of the underside of the real estate development business and what it really takes to get big projects done in complex political and financial environments. Would most corporate managers find this book useful? Certainly. We think it provides fuel for thought and a new perspective on being relentless and persistent, as well as being pretty clear about the downside of lying and of having what Donald Trump calls a "killer instinct."

Probably one of the better books out there on him. But, as the title sez "Master Apprentice"... How fitting a name. I would imagine his kids are going to have a tough time living in the shadows of this guy when he's dead. They'd be wise to start their own company and do it from scratch.

Everybody and his brother wants to ride along on Donald Trump's current wave of popularity. During the past year, we've seen books appear by Apprentice-candidate Amy Henry, first Apprentice winner Bill Rancic, board-room colleagues Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross, and naturally, several business / autobios by Trump himself. Now in early 2005, we have two new Trump biographies: this title, and "No Such Thing as Over-Exposure," by Robert Slater. But this one isn't entirely new. It's based on a longer book that Gwenda Blair released in 2000. "The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire" was a much thicker volume, divided into three equal sections: the first for grandpa Friedrich Trump's immigrant story, the second for father Fred Trump's rise in New York real estate, and the last for son Donald's takeover. Several glossy pages of photos were included so that we could see the family grow and change along the way. In "Master Apprentice," Blair used her previous work as a foundation. She stripped the Friedrich and Fred sections away, condensing more than 200 pages into an interwoven 6-page introductory backstory. She eliminated the photos. She kept the same chapter titles and structures for Donald's section and added a final 16-page chapter that covers the last five years, chronicling the Atlantic City bankruptcy and the tremendous fame surrounding "The Apprentice" TV show. The last four pages turn the reader's attention to Don Jr. and predict his own beginning success. While much of the original text remains the same, Blair should be given credit for retooling and refining some of the initial writing and adding new details where they are pertinent. The final outcome doesn't look or read like a slapdash piece, and it's not a carbon copy of "The Trumps." Blair's work stands apart from the other books mentioned because of the substantive detail she's gleaned about every Trump deal ever made. (It's appropriate that many negotiations hinge on the Atlantic City properties, because the facts read like a never-ending Monopoly game gone tremendously awry.) Her research is exhaustive and her bibliography, extensive. She spoke to hundreds of individuals, though seemingly, not to Donald Trump himself. The result isn't a glowing account of its main subject but is about as neutral as it can be. The reader is left to decide whether Donald will ultimately ride off into the sunset with a white hat or a black one covering that signature coiffure. Given his drive to be the best and to have only the best, we know at least that the horse would be the fastest, the Stetson would be the largest, and they would both cost more than the average American's annual salary. Read this book (or its predecessor) first. It will provide perspective for the rest of the titles in the Trump / Apprentice canon.