Fb2 The Lost Tycoon ePub

Normally I would not read a book about Trump, but given his Republican nomination for president, I'm really glad I did. First, it makes for compelling reading. Although it is written in a bit of a breathless style (especially at the beginning), that style fits with the Donald's hyper, look-at-me-NOW, materialistic, tabloid life--which he cultivates. I didn’t want to put it down.
Second, this book gives a really valuable look at the Real Donald (it’s ironic that his Twitter tag is #RealDonaldTrump). It was written before Trump was a political figure, so the author had no political agenda. That's lack of political agenda gives it more credibility about the real DT who is revealed in this book.

Most humans have a public persona that is different than who we really are. Think of how messy Trump's public persona is, well beneath that facade really ain't pretty. There are sooo many juicy (and ultimately tragic) examples of Donald being an ugly human being. If you read this book, and still think he should be president, I have a very very overpriced real estate seminar to sell you. This book makes clear that Trump is too unstable to be president (Lost Tycoon recounts at least a couple times the Donald was feeling suicidal--an obviously very dangerous quality for a president.)

The Lost Tycoon is an exhaustive depiction of Trump's scams, cons and lies. Here are just a few take aways:

- [ ] Trump used illegal labor from Poland to tear down the old building on the site where Trump Towers would be built. The laborers slept on the construction site, and many were never paid. (And they destroyed the Art Deco statues and grill work in order to meet the construction deadlines. Trump apparently ordered this destruction, despite promising to preserve the statues, etc.)

- [ ] Trump Plaza, in Atlantic City, met its state minority contractor quota by listing Mike Tyson as a minority contractor.

- [ ] Trump used Damin Aviation to ferry himself and others back and forth to Atlantic City. Joe Weichselbaum headed it up until he was indicted on illegal drug smuggling (Hurt wonders if there was any truth to the rumor that Weichselbaum procured cocaine for Trump's casino high rollers). Then the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) forced Weichselbaum out. Weichselbaum pled guilty and was sent to prison. A year later, Weichselbaum's girlfriend paid $2.35 million for two apartments in Trump Towers, claiming the money was her own. When Weichselbaum was paroled, he moved into the apartments (now a duplex) and told the parole board he was going to be Trump's helicopter consultant.

- [ ] In 1989, three of Trump's top Atlantic City executives were killed in a helicopter crash following a meeting with Trump. Upon hearing of their deaths, Trump told a colleague that he couldn't resist milking the deaths for publicity. He then falsely claimed he was supposed to be on that flight.

- [ ] Ivana worked hard at Trump's hotels and casinos, despite his constant attempts to belittle her work (during their famous divorce, he once claimed she stayed home and did the laundry).

- [ ] The book reports on Ivana's divorce-deposition testimony where she claimed that Trump violently raped her and tore out chunks of her hair because he believed her plastic surgeon had harmed him by performing a poor scalp reduction surgery. He was in great pain, and he blamed Ivana. Ivana disclaims the rape in a letter inserted in the beginning of the book. In it she claims that her use of the term "rape" only meant that Trump was "not loving" to her.

Story after story about Trump's temperament fill this book. Trump seems to have lurched from one temper tantrum to the next, from one lie to the next, from one con to the next. He claimed his wife and children were important to him, but business and money seem to always have been his true love. As set out in this book, there are two constants with regard to Trump's personality: if the truth doesn't suit Trump, he changes it, and he will not tolerate criticism of any kind. This is an important, highly charged expose of Trump's past. Unfortunately, it only covers Trump's life up until the early 1990's. Nonetheless, this is a book that should be read by voters in this election year.

(Although I read a Kindle Unlimited version of this book, as of the date of this review, this version has been pulled by Amazon. Accordingly, this review is being placed under the out-of-print version of the book.)

Buy this book to learn about Trump before it's too late

A good read, just way ahead of its time

Good Deal. Came on time. Strong Book. True Trump. Everything as promised.

A good insight into Trump's early career..

Hurt clearly outlines in blistering detail Donald's world view in '93 when the book was written. Fast forward 24 years to 2017. Nothing has changed although many had predicted or hoped Donald would become more presidential, more respectful, more considerate, more human. He is still very much the same, using everyone and everything to satisfy his insatiable need to be recognized, to be controversial, to be THE news. Sad, very sad. Bernie Sanders said it correctly: Donald is a pathological liar. At some point the Trump followers may come to recognize how duped they were. When they do will they express buyer's remorse? Read the book and compare it with what you see on the news every day. Harry Hunt might even think of writing a follow-up, perhaps calling it Lost Baboon.