The Art of the Deal by Donald J Trump

Parker Klein ✌️
3 min readMay 25, 2023

Chapter 1: Dealing - A Week in the Life

I don’t do it for the money. I do it to do it.

If it can’t be fun, what’s the point?

If you’re right, you’ve got to take a stand, or people will walk all over you.

Sometimes — not often, but sometimes — less is more.

Listen to your gut no matter how good something sounds on paper.

You’re generally better off sticking with what you know.

Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.

Hire the best from the best.

Chapter 2: Trump Cards - The Elements of the Deal

If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big

If you plan for the worst — if you can live with the worst — the good will always take care of itself

The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it

Don’t make deals without leverage

The key to success in real estate isn’t location, it’s getting a good deal

If you are different, outrageous, or do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you

People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular

Chapter 3: Growing Up

“The most important thing in life is to love what you’re doing, because that’s the only way you’ll ever be really good at it.” — Fred Trump

Chapter 4: The Cincinnati Kid - Prudence Pays

It’s not how many hours you put in, it’s what you get done while you’re working

It never pays to be in too much of a hurry

Chapter 5: The Move to Manhattan

Politicians don’t care of things cost. It’s not their money

In the face of a sales drop, most companies cut back on their advertising budgets. But in fact, you need advertising the most when people aren’t buying

Chapter 6: Grand Hotel - Reviving 42nd Street

If you’re going to make a deal of any significance, you have to go to the top

Chapter 7: Trump Tower - The Tiffany Location

Sometimes making a deal comes down to timing

Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all. Controversy sells

Chapter 8: Gaming - The Building on the Boardwalk

Hire the best people from your competitors, pay them more than they were earning, and give them bonuses and incentives based on their performance

Chapter 9: Wynn Fall - The Battle for Hilton

There are times when you have to be aggressive, but there are also times when your best strategy is to lie back

Chapter 10: Low Rent, High Stakes - The Showdown on Central Park South

You don’t act on impulse unless you’ve considered the downside

Chapter 11: Long Shot - The Spring and Fall of the USFL

In any partnership, you’re only as strong as your weakest link

Chapter 13: Comeback - A West Side Story

The more awareness and excitement I could create early on, the easier it was going to be to attract buyers down the line

Free advice is worth what you pay for it

Keeping your options open is the only way to protect yourself

#SharedFromTwos ✌️

Use code “BALLER”

--

--

Parker Klein ✌️

Former @Google @Qualcomm @PizzaNova. Building Twos: write, remember & share *things* (www.TwosApp.com?code=baller)