Take some time to pick up one of his books. You can see he’s honest and straightforward. You don’t get to be successful of work (making deals based on reputation) being dishonest.
Here’s a quote from Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal”:
“My favorite reaction to the world’s tallest building came from columnist George Will. I’ve always liked Will, in part because he’s not afraid to challenge fashion, “Donald Trump is not being reasonable,” Will wrote. “But, then, man does not live by reason alone, fortunately. Trump, who believes that excess can be a virtue, is as American as Manhattan’s skyline, which expresses the Republic’s erupting energies. He says the superskyscraper is necessary because it is unnecessary. He believes architectural exuberance is good for us [and] he may have a point. Brashness, zest and elan are part of this country’s character.”
I meant to say: you don’t get to be successful in his line of work (basically making deals based on reputation) being dishonest.
My personal opinion -- which admittedly is based on limited exposure to the guy or his public conversations or writings -- is that his attention to detail (which is almost pathological, from what I understand) has probably been the biggest factor in his success.
I read an article about him a few years ago that included an anecdote from a contractor who was constructing a building in Manhattan for Trump. He described having Trump call him on the phone one day when the building was half-done, complaining about the quality of the work.
This is a paraphrase of Trump's complaint: "I stopped by the building this morning, and from the sidewalk across the street I can see that the balcony on the 12th floor is not aligned correctly!"
The contractor went out to the site and looked at it himself from ground level, and it looked perfectly fine. He went up and had it measured, and the thing was off from a perfectly horizontal alignment by something like a tenth of an inch.
No thanks. My money can be better spent on conservative causes then on some flip-flopping, unprincipled liberal egoist scumbag. But I have read some of Trump's quotes from his book, "The America We Deserve" at Google Books.
On pages 206-208 & 218 Trump writes:
"... the goal should be clear: Our people are our greatest asset. We must take care of our own. We must have universal health care. Our objective [should be] to make reforms for the moment and, longer term, to find an equivalent of the single-payer plan..."
On page102:
"The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions. I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun".
Not only is Trump pro-abortion, he supports universal health care and strict gun control. FUDT!