 | |
| Authors | Donald Trump Charles Leerhsen |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Business |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | August 14, 1990 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 236 |
| ISBN | 978-0-394-57597-1 |
| Preceded by | Trump: The Art of the Deal (1987) |
| Followed by | Trump: The Art of the Comeback (1997) |
Trump: Surviving at the Top is a 1990 book credited toDonald Trump and Charles Leerhsen, and published byRandom House. In 1991,Warner Books purchased thepaperback rights to the book and re-released it asThe Art of Survival.
The image used for the book's cover was originally taken by photographerMichael O'Brien for aFortune magazine article. The photograph was later displayed at theNational Portrait Gallery prior to Trump's 2017first presidential inauguration.[1][2]
In 2019, Leerhsen stated that he was in fact the book'sghostwriter, writingTrump: Surviving at the Top from 1988 to 1990.[3]
The book serves as a continuation and response toTrump: The Art of the Deal. In the introduction to the book, Trump wrote "Looking back on it, I see that writingThe Art of the Deal was one of the most satisfying and fulfilling experiences of my life."[4] Trump also commented on the debt that he faced after writingThe Art of the Deal,[5] as well as the problematic relationship of his then-wifeIvana Trump,[6] claiming that his relationship withMarla Maples was "not the cause of the trouble between Ivana and me".[7]
Trump wrote the book with Charles Leerhsen, who also worked as a senior writer forNewsweek at the time. Trump had considered naming the bookEverybody Hates a Winner, stating that he sensed "a lot of jealousy and hostility from many people I do business with or see socially."[8] As the book was being written, Trump was unsure if he would include details regarding his troubled marriage to Ivana Trump.[9]
Peter Osnos, the book's editor, said in June 1990 that the book was being updated repeatedly.[9] Editing of the book was completed on July 16, 1990. The book had initially been scheduled for release in October 1990, but was instead released in August 1990, because of the declining condition of Trump's finances and his separation from Ivana Trump.[6] Because of the success ofThe Art of the Deal,Random House published and distributed approximately 500,000 copies ofSurviving at the Top.[10] After the book's release, Trump stated that it was "a transitional book," and that his next book "will be the real story, describing my comeback and the success of it all."[10]
Warner Books paid Random House nearly $1 million for thepaperback rights. Warner Books released the paperback version in July 1991, with a new title:The Art of Survival.Laurence Kirshbaum, the then-president of Warner Books, said, "We really thought 'The Art of Survival' was a more apt representation of what has happened in Trump's career recently." A new introduction was written by Trump for the paperback version.[11]
In May 2019, Leerhsen stated that the period where he ghostwroteSurviving at the Top was Trump's " "King Midas" period. I never said this to him; if I had, he probably would have thought I was suggesting he enter the muffler business." Leerhsen further criticized the public image which bothSurviving at the Top and Trump's previous bookThe Art of the Deal gave him as highly successful businessman, noting that that "from 1985 to 1994, Donald Trump incurred the biggest business losses of any single taxpayer in American history. What was it like for him to lose more than $1 billion in a decade? Was he perpetually ashen-faced with fear? Or smirking at the thought of outwitting theIRS “for sport,” as he said in a Wednesday morning tweet?mI happen to know, because from late 1988 to 1990, I was his ghostwriter, working on a book that would be called “Surviving at the Top.” Right in the middle of this period, I can tell you that the answer is that he was neither" and that "banks seemed to accept the version of him depicted in his first book, 'The Art of the Deal,' which we now know from his previous ghostwriter,Tony Schwartz, was entirely invented. They believed it over what they saw on his balance sheets or heard coming out of his mouth, and they never said no to his requests for more money. Often they came up with things he could say yes to before he could think of them himself. As a result, a failing real estate developer who had little idea of what he was doing and less interest in doing it once he’d held the all-important press conference wound up owning three New Jersey hotel-casinos, the Plaza Hotel, the Eastern Airlines Shuttle and a 281-foot yacht.[3]
The cover art was taken by photographerMichael O'Brien for the September 11, 1989 issue of the business magazineFortune. The background sky was meant as an allusion to the paintings ofRené Magritte, and the red apple was purchased from a fruit stand in Brooklyn. O'Brien felt the magazine's printing of the image was too small and that his "good shot had gone to waste," leading it to be repurposed for the cover of this book.[12]
In 2011, photographerWilliam D. Wittliff donated a print of the portrait as part of series on O'Brien's work to theNational Portrait Gallery. The print was displayed prior to Trump's 2017first presidential inauguration.[13][14][15]
John Rothchild, writing for theLos Angeles Times, noted the different writing styles between Trump's first two books due to the change in Trump's ghostwriter. Rothchild also commented that Trump featured more pictures of himself with celebrities than his actual buildings.[16] Meanwhile, Gary Bells ofFortune commented that Trump "taking the blame for mistakes is just not his style."[7]Michael Lewis, writing forThe New York Times, criticizedSurviving at the Top, believing that the book "is a portrait of an ego gone haywire".[17]
The book spent seven weeks on theNew York Times Best Seller list, including two weeks at the number one spot. Trump's previous book,The Art of the Deal, had spent 48 weeks on the list.[10] In October 1990, Trump stated that Random House expected to sell between 200,000 and 250,000 copies of the book, out of the 500,000 copies.[10]
In January 2017,Michael Kranish ofThe Washington Post contrasted Trump's advice inSurviving at the Top to his later book,Think Like a Billionaire, and commented "to read Trump’s books is to find a man of contradiction."[18]
