Donald Trump wrote The Art of the Deal
| Donald Trump wrote The Art of the Deal | |
|---|---|
| MISLEADING | |
| "Donald Trump personally wrote his 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal." | |
| Domain | Entertainment & Celebrity |
| Tactic | Imposture Propaganda Technique |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1987 |
| Origin | Trump's own statements and the book's marketing |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-01 |
| Further reading: books on Entertainment & Celebrity | |
The claim that Donald Trump wrote The Art of the Deal credits him with work largely done by his co-author, journalist Tony Schwartz, who says he wrote the book.
The claim
Trump has called The Art of the Deal his book and has described himself as its writer.
What the evidence shows
- Co-author's account. Tony Schwartz, credited as co-author, told The New Yorker in 2016 that he wrote the book after shadowing Trump, and that he deeply regretted portraying him favorably
- Publisher's account. Howard Kaminsky, who ran Random House at the time, told the same magazine that Trump did not write the book
- Shared credit. The cover credits "Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz," and Trump supplied interviews and material. He has disputed Schwartz's account
Why it matters
The book built Trump's reputation as a master negotiator. Who wrote it bears on how much of that image is his own.
See also
Sources
- Jane Mayer, "Donald Trump's Ghostwriter Tells All," The New Yorker, July 25, 2016.
- Donald J. Trump with Tony Schwartz, Trump: The Art of the Deal (Random House, 1987).