David cay johnston on donald trump

He was not punished for sales tax cheating, when then-Mayor of New York Ed Koch said he should go to jail for 15 days. And now, finally, Donald is being called to account. This is not going to be some slapdash case. And the things that Bragg is doing are part of what I think is a historic shift that, of course, is going to be resisted by people who think that white-collar crimes and wealthy white people ought to be exempted from the criminal justice system.

But what matters here is conviction. An indictment is only a formal charge, and Mr. Trump is presumed innocent up until the day that a jury finds otherwise. Stay with us. You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else. Watch Full Show Next Story. This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today. Related Topics Guests Links Transcript.

Topics Donald Trump. Transcript This is a rush transcript. Those with the power of oversight on all of his projects looked the other way. Real people were victimized and conned out of life savings. Cases were dismissed, or settlements were quietly made. Trump habitually bullied and threatened everyone who crossed him with lawsuits. It worked. All of his cons and tactics worked for a long time.

I don't think it's going to work this time. I don't think he has any idea how to be a president, nor does he have any interest in doing so - the same way he went into "business" without bothering to learn anything about it. Nor will his ego allow him to heed advice from those who might know how to run a country. He prefers yes-men. But now, he's standing in the center of a brightly lit world stage.

And the curtain is open. It's only a matter of time. Before long - with an administration littered with the chaos generated by accusations, inquiries, evidence of incompetence, lies exposed by incontrovertible evidence - even his own david cay johnston on donald trump leaders will have to do the right thing to save themselves, if not the country.

David Cay Johnston seems to be the perfect author for this book, considering his journalistic, academic and professional skills. My only complaint is the quality of the sound on the discs I have the audio disc version. Quite a bit of distortion, as though someone was not paying attention to the levels in the recording studio. I'm playing the disc on the Tahoe's deluxe Bose entertainment system.

Part of the problem may be the narrator's style--which often goes from a normal speaking voice, to a loud volume, down to a whisper. Regardless, for something with such great content, this is not only distracting, but detracts from the overall quality. This is a well written and documented account of Trump's professional life and venture into politics by an experienced and credible investigative reporter.

Generally speaking, one has to come away from reading this thinking how poorly served we have been by the news media, especially the TV journalists, who have treated Trump as a cash cow for ratings while ignoring so many red warning lights in his past that the American public deserves to understand. Several of the important takeaways for me are: 1.

Trump has written and spoken extensively about revenge as a motivating business policy for him. He writes in "Think Big," his 12th book, that "he always gets even" and provides examples. With his demonstrated thin skin, this approach is a dangerous philosophy for a president as Richard Nixon's actions demonstrated. Trump has a long history of associations with unsavory characters, including criminals and mobsters.

Johnston documents these strange associations, including known felons that provided helicopter services to his New Jersey casinos. Trump wrote a letter to the judge requesting leniency. Many other examples are in the book. Trump has been involved in over law suits, many for fraudulent and misleading practices in his businesses. He licenses his name to developers, but presents projects as if he is the developer.

In some cases the licensing agreement has required the arrangement to remain secret, insuring that investors are basically deceived. Although Trump has asserted multiple times he never "settles" suits, Johnston cites myriad cases Trump has settled. Unfortunately, the settlements have often been sealed. Although Trump has also asserted he has "the world's greatest memory" on the campaign trail, Johnston cites deposition and sworn testimony galore where Trump can't recall major issues in business dealings.

Trump has both manipulated and bullied the press throughout his career. He threatens and has actually sued journalists for saying things such as he is not really a billionaire, a case he lost, but which cost the journalist thousands. He has used phony names to call journalists and tout himself, though he has been caught several times doing this.

His intimidation tactics, such as banning the Washington Post and Politico from all his campaign events, raise huge concerns about how transparent he would be as president and in fact how he regards the First Amendment. Johnston lays out evidence that Trump is showing us who he is and it is no different from what he has always been.

This is a man who cherishes money and personal recognition above all else and will do whatever is necessary to achieve his ends. Johnston's concluding advice is excellent: "Whatever your views, become deeply informed So spend time learning and then do your duty as a citizen. See more reviews. Top reviews from other countries.

David cay johnston on donald trump

Translate all reviews to English. Journalist D C Johnson has tracked Trump for decades. This short, highly readable book is the result. Much of its contents, apart from the epilogue, was written prior to "The Donald's" candidacy and the Clintons abject failure in preventing him becoming POTUS. The book is a summation of many previous articles written by the author and traces the origins of the Trump family fortune back to the brothels of the Yukon in the Gold Rush through to dubious property deals in New York and rumbustious casino ventures in New Jersey with more than a mere passing acquaintance with organised crime cartels on the way.

Johnson informs us that Trump's "doctrine" in all conduct is "get even. Trumps obsession with money, the trappings of wealth, predatory sexual behaviour and associations with a multitude of mobsters, conmen, fraudsters and swindlers is what we learn of in these crisply written pages. In a terse epilogue the author writes: "The forty-fifth president is a man who does not engage in deep study and reasoned debate, but is a narcissist who spews bigotry and lacks understanding of world affairs, military doctrine, or the daily workings of the West Wing.

So he has now installed his daughter-in-law at the Republican National Committee, which is close to broke in terms of how much money parties should have —. You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else. Watch Full Show. This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today. Related Topics Guests Links Transcript. Topics Donald Trump.

Transcript This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. That does it for our show. Happy birthday, Nermeen Shaikh! Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow. Some of the work s that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. Lynch reviewed the book for The Financial Times and wrote that "Johnston has done voters a service with this unblinking portrait.

He makes a compelling case that Trump has the attributes of both "dictator" and "deceiver" and would be a disaster in the Oval Office. Yet, ultimately this is a dispiriting read. If Johnston's rendering of Trump is at all accurate, it is not just the New York businessman who deserves rebuke. So too does an entire American political system that has put him within reach of the White House despite his manifest flaws.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. The Making of Donald Trump Cover of the first edition.