When Donald Trump became the Republican presidential nominee again, there were probably a lot of people like me looking for his autobiography, The Art of the Deal. To my surprise, it was an old book co-authored by author Tony Schwartz and Trump in 1988, and when I googled it, I found that it had been published in translation in South Korea in 2016. I don’t think even I knew that the book would be in the spotlight again in 2024, and depending on the outcome of the US presidential election on November 5, it could be a historic book, so I thought I should be diligent about writing it for my own future.

The Art of the Deal is a first-person account of Trump’s daily life, his real estate development business, and his journals that give us a glimpse into his personality and thoughts. Given that it’s written by a professional writer, it’s a bit glossed over, but it’s just as interesting as reading his old diaries. Whether it’s the story of how he bought and rebuilt the old Commodore Hotel in New York and made a killing, the story of Trump Tower, or the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the construction of an ice skating rink in New York, it’s an interesting look into his life as a businessman.

The word gentle came to mind as I watched his character – tough on the strong and merciful to the weak – and realized that his verbal bombast was actually a carefully calculated way to make a deal with a strong opponent, which also explained his past comments and the dog-and-pony show in Ohio that became a hot topic during the recent presidential debate. It occurred to me that perhaps he’s risking everything he has – and even his life – in his presidential campaign for the deal of a lifetime, a deal that he believes will give him not just money and fame, but the opportunity to once again show the world what makes America great.