The Real Trump Deal: An Eye-Opening Look at How He Really Negotiates

Making deals is “part of [President Trump]’s DNA,” argues Latz, founder of the training company Latz Negotiation, in this well-informed but questionably timed study. Latz, who has studied and taught negotiation skills for over 20 years, begins with Trump’s business deals, from the Apprentice contract to multiple hotel and casino negotiations and purchases. Throughout, Latz includes helpful end-of-chapter assessments of Trump’s success in various cases, which differ widely. Certainly, Latz acknowledges, Trump exudes self-confidence—or is that arrogance? Latz invites readers to be the judge. In addition to the now-famous “alternative” facts, Latz describes how Trump employs “truthful hyperbole,” and how his bluffing impacts his credibility. The book is at its most intriguing when covering the key differences between business and presidential negotiations, offering as two familiar examples of the latter the U.S.-Mexico border negotiations and the Affordable Care Act repeal, and asking whether Trump successfully altered his usual business strategies in these cases. Although Latz has clearly done his homework, his book loses some of its persuasiveness for arriving before the president’s term is over and the lasting effects of his negotiations as chief executive are known. (Aug.)