Trump

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Deals, the Downfall, the Reinvention

By: Wayne Barrett

Narrated by: LJ Ganser

Length: 23 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The essential book to understanding Donald Trump as a businessman and leader - and how the biggest deal of his life went down. Now, Barrett's classic book is back in print for the first time in years and with an introduction about Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Donald Trump claims that his success as a "self-made" businessman and real estate developer proves that he will make an effective president, but this devastating investigative account by legendary reporter Wayne Barrett proves otherwise. Back in print for the first time in years, Barrett's seminal book reveals how Trump put together the biggest deal of his life - Trump Tower - through manipulation and deceit; how he worked with questionable characters from the mafia and city politics; and how it all nearly came crashing down. Here is a vivid and inglorious portrait of the man who wants now to be the most powerful man in the world.

In Trump: The Greatest Show on Earth - The Deals, the Downfall, the Reinvention, Barrett unravels the myth and reveals the truth behind the mogul's wheelings and dealings. After decades covering him, few reporters know Trump as Barrett does. Instead of the canny businessman that Trump claims in his own books, Barrett explores how Trump exploited his father's banking and political connections to finance and grease his first major deals. Barrett's investigative biography takes us from the days of Donald's lonely youth to his brash entry into the real estate market, and to the back room deals behind his New York, Atlantic City, and Florida projects.

Most compellingly Barrett paints an intimate portrait of Trump himself, a man driven by bravado, obsessive self-regard, and an anxious ruthlessness to subdue his rivals and seduce anyone with the power to aid his empire. We see him head to head with an opponent as powerful as Pete Rozelle, ingratiating himself with the brooding governor on the Hudson, and fueling the Drexel engine driven by Michael Milken with hundreds of millions in fees - paid, ironically, by gaming companies to fend off Trump takeovers. We explore his complicated emotional and business relationship with his first wife, Ivana, and the use he planned to make of his mistress - and later, his second wife - Marla Maples as a "southern strategy" in his then-contemplated presidential campaign. With interviews with scores of adversaries and former colleagues, we are given a privileged look at Trump the businessman in action - reckless as often as he is brilliant, reliant on threats as much as on charm, and ultimately a cautionary tale: is this the man we want to lead the world?

©1992, 2016 Wayne Barrett (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Ignore this book

Too much time in peripherals and few accomplishments, yet not enough time for go over his numerous failings.

The con artist, swamp creature is revealed here.

Necessary Read

If you would like to understand Trump's behavior, and anticipate more, this book is a primer for that. He is expert at avoiding consequences.

The best telling I have heard: colorful, punchy

I listened to Trump Revealed and I like this a lot better. Trump Revealed was, I think, cobbled together (if expertly) around 2016 under something of a time press, with the election pending. This book, by contrast, is like an excellent sauce, where the cook has been able to ponder the ingredients over a long time, and mix them just right, to bring out better and more subtle flavors. This author knew Trump and wrote about him for years before this book was released. Admittedly, this book dates from the early 1990s, but allowing for the lack of recent content, it portrays the Trump we are experiencing, masterfully. Right off the bat, I noticed something I prize most in any work: descriptions of complex financial deals with clear, to-the-point and yet creative, colorful phrases.

Where is the “Re-invention”?

This is a very informative book, apparently based on hours of interviews, deposition reviews, tax filings, oversight hearings, regulatory hearings and other official records. My only complaint is that the title includes, “Re-invention” but there was/were no chapter(s)regarding the re-invention. Please explain.

Horribly boring

This is one of the most boring stories I have ever listened to. I can't get interested in it. I don't think I will finish it and wasted my money.