Applied Anthropology -- The Trump Program

Chapter 2 TRUMP CARDS: The Elements of the Deal

Original published on LinkedIin,  March 21, 2016

 “My style of deal- making is quite simple and straight forward. I aim very high, and then just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after. Sometimes I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases I still end up with what I want.” (1987: p. 45)

These are the opening lines of chapter 2 of Donald Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal. A clearer statement of a man’s guiding philosophy cannot, I feel, be found. Today (March, 2016), it seems strange that anyone would be surprised by Trump’s success so far in his campaign for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. 

Trump states, “I think deal-making is an ability you are born with. It is in the genes. I don’t say that egotistically. It is not about being brilliant. It does take a certain intelligence, but mostly it’s about instincts.”  (p. 45)

So what are the elements of a deal that one should be intuitively tuned into?

• THINK BIG - “I like thinking big.” (46)
• PROTECT THE DOWN SIDE AND THE UPSIDE WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF -- “I believe in the power of negative thinking.” (p. 48)
• MAXIMIZE YOUR OPTIONS – “I protect myself by being flexible.” (p. 50)
• KNOW YOUR MARKET – “Some people have a sense of the market and some people don’t. (p. 51)
• USE YOUR LEVERAGE – “The best thing you can do is deal from strength, and leverage is the biggest strength you have.” (p. 53)
• ENHANCE YOUR LOCATION – “Location … has a lot to do with fashion. You can take a mediocre location and turn it into something considerably better just by attracting the right people.” (p. 54-55)
• GET THE WORD OUT – “You can have the most wonderful product in the world, but if people don’t know about it, it is not going to be worth much.” (p. 56)
• FIGHT BACK – “Much as it pays to emphasis the positive, there are times when the only choice is to be confrontational.” (p. 58)
• DELIVER THE GOODS – “You can’t con people, at least not for long. … If you can’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.” (p. 60)
• CONTAIN THE COST – “I believe in spending what you have to. But I also believe in not spending more than you should.” (p. 61)
• HAVE FUN – “Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way keeping score. The real excitement is playing the game.” (p. 63)

 This is the basic outline of the Trump strategy. It has been around for almost 30 years. It should come as no surprise to anyone. As one who has conquered the real estate game, and the celebrity reality TV business, why not turn to the political market and test yourself. Isn’t becoming the Presidency of the USA the biggest prize of all? Trump’s success to date follows the 11 rules he laid out in The Art of the Deal.

 To understand why he is running as a Republican has little to do with political philosophy, it has to do with Principle 6. Look at the Republican Party/brand and what it has promised and what it has failed to deliver.  Tax cuts for the wealthy, corporation ownership over people and human rights, wars of aggression, a failing financial system, higher public debt, deteriorating nation infrastructure, squandered international leadership, etc. throughout the 21st century.

 These are the lesson from the Tea Party movement in 2010. The Republican brand is not an attractive piece of property. Now look at what the Trump candidacy has done for this second rate brand.  

 Hitler laid out his vision in Mein Kampf long before he came to power but the ruling establishments around the world either never read it or thought they could use him for their own purposes. But see what the Establishment of the time gave us, WWII.

I know there are those who draw parallels between Trump and Hitler, but that is not my goal here. My goal here is to point out that to understand the candidate you should read what he has said and how that has guided his success over time.

Source:  TRUMP: The Art of the Deal, 1987,  New York, Ballantine Books by Donald Trump with Tony Schwartz