Book Review: People vs. Donald Trump, by Mark Pomerantz

Pomerantz' book on Trump is a virtuoso summary of a complex, egocentric, clever and corrupt man who, to this time has escaped legal judgement. (At this writing this may change with his recent indictment for the first of many ongoing investigations.) Trump's assets are considerable, built by family wealth at the start, augmented by television fame and brash bravado, and based on loans supported by false estimates of value. While Trump has refused to honor many debts to small and medium-sized loaners, and all large American banks have declined to loan money to Trump, no losses to date have been taken by Deutsche Bank, his primary lender.

Trump's behavior in this admittedly unfavorable book is described as that of a ruthless bully - cunning, with absolute (one-way) loyalty required - in short similar to a crime boss and not unlike John Gotti in many ways. But unlike Gotti, Trump is not a common criminal, killer, or drug dealer. He has a legitimate business that augments operations with ongoing and repeated criminal activity through systematic over-valuation of real estate properties to secure more financing along with dramatic undervaluing for purposes of real-estate taxes. His mantra: no victims thus no fraud. Trump is described as an "inveterate liar, firmly established by long practice."

In terms of style, Pomerantz's habit of using only first-names of many people gets old fast and for one I lost the ability to remember the blizzard of who was who ... it's a bad writing technique. But on the whole, it's almost inconceivable that roughly half of the country voted for this man, who tried seriously to steal the election of 2020. Of that half, two-thirds of them are fervently loyal through thick and thin. Historians will ponder how such a man came to the Presidency and nearly repeated in office, never giving up his loss and still in the arena!

 

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