Love him or hate him, Trump's influence is undeniable. A man of great media savvy, entrepreneurial spirit, and political clout, Trump's career has been plagued by legal troubles and mounting controversy. Johnston tells the full story of how a boy from a quiet section of Queens, NY would become an entirely new, and complex, breed of public figure. Drawing on decades of interviews, financial records, court documents, and public statements, Johnston gives us the most in-depth look yet at the man who would be president. "The culmination of nearly thirty years of reporting on Donald Trump, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston takes a revealingly close look at the mogul's rise to power and prominence. Covering the long arc of Trump's career--which today includes stakes in more than 500 business ventures--Johnston tells the full story of how a boy from a quiet section of Queens, NY would become an entirely new, and complex, breed of public figure. Trump is a man of great media savvy, entrepreneurial spirit, and political clout. Yet his career has been plagued by legal troubles and mounting controversy. From the origins of his family's real estate fortune to his own too-big-to-fail business empire, from his education and early career to his whirlwind presidential bid, The Making of Donald Trump provides the fullest picture yet of Trump's extraordinary ascendency. Love him or hate him, Trump's massive influence is undeniable, and figures as diverse as Woody Guthrie (who wrote a scathing song about Trump's father) and Red Scare prosecutor Roy Cohn, mob bosses and high rollers, as well as the average American voter, have all been pulled into his orbit. Drawing on decades of interviews, financial records, court documents, and public statements, Johnston--who has covered Trump more closely than any other journalist working today--gives us the most in-depth look yet at the man who would be president."--Dust jacket.

Family history -- Family values -- Personal values -- A sickly child -- Making friends -- Trump's most important deals -- "A great lawsuit" -- Showing mercy -- Polish brigade -- Feelings and net worth -- Government rescues Trump -- Golf and taxes -- Income taxes -- Empty boxes -- "Better than Harvard" -- Trump charities -- Imaginary friends -- Imaginary lovers -- Myth maintenance -- Collecting honors -- Who's that? -- Down Mexico way -- Trump beaches a whale -- Biggest loser -- Epilogue.