David Cay Johnston – The Making of Donald Trump: Book Review & Audio Summary

Book Info

• Book name: The Making of Donald Trump
• Author: David Cay Johnston
• Genre: History & Politics, Biographies & Memoirs
• Pages: 416
• Published Year: 2016
• Publisher: Melville House
• Language: English

Audio Summary

Synopsis

In The Making of Donald Trump, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist David Cay Johnston pulls back the curtain on one of America’s most controversial figures. Written before Trump’s presidency, this deeply researched biography examines the business practices, media manipulation tactics, and relationship patterns that shaped Trump’s rise to power. Johnston, who covered Trump for decades, reveals how the real estate mogul crafted a carefully curated public image of wealth and success while often operating quite differently behind the scenes. Through meticulous investigation and firsthand encounters, Johnston presents a portrait that challenges the carefully constructed narrative Trump has fed to the American public for years.

Key Takeaways

• Trump has masterfully manipulated media narratives for decades, often feeding journalists pre-packaged stories and even posing as his own publicist to plant favorable coverage
• He uses litigation and threats of lawsuits as intimidation tactics to silence critics and journalists, even when he knows he can’t win the case
• Trump’s public image of vast wealth and business acumen is carefully constructed, with significant gaps between his projected persona and documented reality
• His approach to facts is fluid—when confronted with uncomfortable truths, he deflects, denies, or questions the legitimacy of the inquiry itself
• Understanding Trump’s business history provides crucial context for evaluating his approach to leadership and decision-making

My Summary

A Journalist’s Decades-Long Investigation

I’ll be honest—when I picked up David Cay Johnston’s The Making of Donald Trump, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Published in 2016, right in the heat of the presidential campaign, this book arrived at a moment when America was deeply divided about Trump. What makes Johnston’s work stand out isn’t partisan rage or political cheerleading. Instead, it’s the product of decades of investigative journalism by a Pulitzer Prize winner who has been covering Trump since the 1980s.

Johnston brings the credibility of someone who has done the legwork. He’s not relying on secondhand sources or social media gossip. He’s interviewed Trump personally, reviewed court documents, examined business records, and talked to people in Trump’s orbit. This is old-school investigative journalism at its finest, and it shows on every page.

What struck me most while reading this book was how it functions as a case study in image construction. Regardless of your political leanings, Johnston’s examination of how Trump built and maintained his public persona offers fascinating insights into media manipulation, personal branding, and the power of narrative control in American culture.

The Art of Media Manipulation

One of the most compelling sections of Johnston’s book examines Trump’s sophisticated understanding of how the media works—and more importantly, how to exploit its weaknesses. This isn’t just about being media-savvy; it’s about actively shaping the narrative through calculated deception.

Johnston explains how Trump recognized early on that many journalists work under crushing deadlines that don’t allow for thorough fact-checking. So he developed a strategy: feed them ready-to-print stories, complete with compelling images and quotable material. The journalists get their content quickly, and Trump gets his preferred narrative out to the public. It’s a symbiotic relationship, but one where Trump holds most of the cards.

The examples Johnston provides are genuinely startling. In the 1970s, when Trump faced a lawsuit over discriminatory housing practices, he settled the case. But when he spoke to the press, he spun the story to emphasize that he hadn’t admitted any guilt. The settlement became, in Trump’s telling, a minor inconvenience rather than a serious legal matter addressing racial discrimination.

Even more bizarre are the instances where Trump allegedly posed as his own spokesperson. Johnston documents how Trump would call journalists pretending to be “John Barron” or “John Miller,” fictional executives in his organization, to plant favorable stories about himself. In one call to People Magazine, “John Miller” explained that Trump was too busy to give an interview because so many beautiful celebrities—Madonna, Kim Basinger—were competing for his attention.

Reading about these tactics, I couldn’t help but think about how much the media landscape has changed, yet how many of these same strategies still work today. In our current era of social media and 24-hour news cycles, the pressure on journalists has only intensified. Trump’s understanding of this dynamic helped him dominate news coverage during the 2016 campaign, often by simply being outrageous enough to guarantee coverage.

Intimidation Through Litigation

Johnston dedicates significant attention to Trump’s use of lawsuits and legal threats as tools of intimidation. This section of the book really opened my eyes to how the legal system can be weaponized not necessarily to win cases, but to exhaust and discourage critics.

The case of Timothy O’Brien is particularly instructive. O’Brien wrote a book called Trump Nation in which he estimated Trump’s net worth at somewhere between $150 and $250 million—far less than the billions Trump claimed. Trump sued O’Brien for defamation, and the case dragged on for years before ultimately being dismissed.

Here’s what’s chilling: Trump later admitted that making O’Brien’s life miserable was the real goal. The lawsuit didn’t need to succeed in court to succeed in its actual purpose—discouraging other journalists from questioning Trump’s claims about his wealth.

This strategy has broader implications beyond Trump himself. When powerful individuals can use litigation to silence critics, it creates a chilling effect on investigative journalism. Smaller publications and individual journalists often lack the resources to defend themselves against prolonged legal battles, even when they’re confident in their reporting. The threat alone is often enough to kill a story.

Johnston’s exploration of this tactic is particularly relevant today, as we see ongoing debates about press freedom, defamation law, and the role of journalism in holding powerful people accountable. The question becomes: how do we protect legitimate journalism while also preventing actual defamation? Trump’s approach exploits the ambiguity in this space.

The Wealth Illusion

Perhaps the most central element of Trump’s public image is his supposed vast wealth. He’s built his entire brand around being a billionaire, a modern Midas who turns everything he touches into gold. But Johnston’s investigation suggests the reality is far more complicated.

What fascinated me about this section was how much Trump’s business success depends on the perception of success. In real estate and branding, image isn’t just important—it’s everything. If people believe you’re successful, banks are more willing to lend, partners are more eager to collaborate, and customers are more inclined to buy.

Trump understood this intuitively and built his entire operation around projecting an image of unlimited wealth and business genius. The Trump name became synonymous with luxury and success, which allowed him to license that name to various products and properties. In this model, the perception of wealth actually generates wealth.

But Johnston’s reporting, based on documents Trump himself provided to O’Brien, suggests the actual numbers might be far less impressive than the public image. This isn’t necessarily to say Trump isn’t wealthy—he clearly has significant resources—but the gap between the projected image and the documented reality appears substantial.

This raises interesting questions about authenticity and success in American culture. We’re often told that “fake it till you make it” is a legitimate business strategy. Trump seems to have taken this approach to its logical extreme. At what point does projecting success become deception? And does it matter if the projection itself generates real results?

A Flexible Relationship with Facts

One of the most troubling patterns Johnston identifies is Trump’s approach to factual accuracy. This isn’t just about occasional exaggeration or putting a positive spin on things—behaviors common among politicians and businesspeople. Johnston documents a pattern of making up information when the real facts are inconvenient or unknown.

The anecdote about gambling rules is particularly revealing. When Johnston first met Trump in the 1980s to discuss his Atlantic City casino business, it became apparent that Trump didn’t really understand gambling. To test this, Johnston made up fake rules about the game of craps. Trump accepted these fabricated rules without question, even incorporating them into his understanding of the business he was running.

This example illustrates a broader pattern: when confronted with gaps in his knowledge, Trump often fills them with invented “facts” rather than admitting uncertainty or seeking accurate information. For someone whose image depends on appearing to have all the answers, admitting “I don’t know” isn’t an option.

Johnston also documents Trump’s deflection techniques when confronted with documented facts that contradict his preferred narrative. During a Today Show appearance, when asked about his 1991 court testimony admitting he had posed as “John Barron,” Trump first claimed he’d never heard of such a thing. When pressed with evidence, he deflected by questioning why a journalist would ask about something from 25 years ago, suggesting the question itself was beneath dignity.

This approach to facts has become even more relevant in recent years as we’ve grappled with concepts like “alternative facts” and “fake news.” Trump’s tactics, as documented by Johnston, provide a case study in how someone can maintain a preferred narrative even in the face of contradictory evidence—by attacking the legitimacy of the evidence, the questioner, or the question itself.

Applying These Insights to Modern Media Literacy

Reading Johnston’s book in today’s context, I found myself thinking less about Trump specifically and more about the broader lessons for media literacy and critical thinking. The tactics Johnston documents aren’t unique to Trump—they’re strategies that various public figures, corporations, and organizations use to shape public perception.

First, we need to recognize that public images are often carefully constructed. The person we see in media appearances may be quite different from the person behind closed doors. This doesn’t mean everyone is deliberately deceptive, but it does mean we should approach public personas with healthy skepticism.

Second, we should be aware of how deadline pressures and resource constraints affect journalism. When we consume news, it’s worth considering whether reporters had time to verify claims or whether they’re simply passing along information from sources with their own agendas. Supporting quality investigative journalism—the kind Johnston practices—is crucial for maintaining an informed democracy.

Third, we need to develop better defenses against deflection and misdirection. When someone responds to a factual question by attacking the questioner or changing the subject, that’s a red flag. Learning to recognize these tactics helps us cut through rhetoric to get at underlying truths.

Finally, we should be cautious about legal intimidation tactics. When powerful individuals or organizations threaten lawsuits to silence critics, we should ask whether they’re defending legitimate interests or simply trying to suppress uncomfortable information.

Strengths and Limitations of Johnston’s Approach

Johnston’s greatest strength is his credibility as an investigative journalist. He’s not a partisan operative or a political rival—he’s a reporter with decades of experience and a Pulitzer Prize for his work on tax policy. His research is meticulous, drawing on court documents, interviews, and public records. When he makes a claim, he backs it up with evidence.

The book also benefits from Johnston’s personal interactions with Trump over the years. He’s not writing from a distance; he’s had direct conversations and observed Trump’s behavior firsthand. These personal encounters add depth and texture to the narrative.

However, the book does have limitations. Some readers might find Johnston’s perspective too critical, though he would likely argue he’s simply reporting what the evidence shows. The book was also written before Trump’s presidency, so it doesn’t address his time in office, which would provide additional data points for evaluating his leadership approach.

Additionally, while Johnston is thorough in documenting Trump’s problematic behaviors, the book offers less insight into why Trump’s message resonated with so many voters. Understanding Trump’s appeal requires looking beyond his personal history to broader cultural and economic factors that Johnston touches on only briefly.

Comparing Johnston’s Work to Other Trump Biographies

Since Trump’s rise to political prominence, numerous books have attempted to explain him. What distinguishes Johnston’s work is its foundation in decades of investigative journalism rather than insider access during the campaign or presidency.

Books like Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury or Bob Woodward’s Fear offer insider perspectives on Trump’s presidency, but they cover a much shorter timeframe. Johnston’s longer view allows him to identify patterns that might not be apparent from a shorter observation period.

Compared to more sympathetic treatments of Trump, Johnston’s book is decidedly critical. But unlike purely polemical works, it grounds its criticism in documented evidence rather than speculation or partisan attacks. This makes it more valuable for readers genuinely trying to understand Trump’s methods and history.

The Bigger Picture: Image, Reality, and American Politics

Stepping back from the specifics of Trump’s biography, Johnston’s book raises larger questions about American culture and politics. We live in an era where image often matters more than substance, where perception can create reality, and where media savvy can substitute for traditional qualifications.

Trump’s success—both in business and politics—demonstrates that these dynamics are real and powerful. His ability to dominate media coverage, shape narratives, and maintain supporter loyalty despite numerous controversies shows how effective these tactics can be.

But Johnston’s investigation also highlights the risks of this approach. When image becomes detached from reality, when facts become negotiable, and when intimidation silences legitimate criticism, we lose the ability to make informed decisions about who we trust with power.

The question isn’t just about Trump—it’s about what kind of culture and political system we want. Do we value authenticity and accuracy, or do we reward whoever is most skilled at manipulation? Do we support journalism that holds powerful people accountable, or do we allow legal and financial pressure to silence uncomfortable truths?

Questions Worth Considering

As I finished Johnston’s book, I found myself wrestling with several questions that I think are worth considering, regardless of your political perspective:

How do we balance healthy skepticism about public figures with the need to trust some sources of information? If we assume everyone is manipulating us, we descend into cynicism. But if we accept everything at face value, we become easy marks for deception.

What responsibility do media organizations have when covering figures who are skilled at manipulation? Should they refuse to amplify certain stories, even if they’re newsworthy? Or does that constitute a different form of bias?

How do we protect press freedom while also preventing the weaponization of litigation? The ability to sue for defamation is important, but so is the ability of journalists to investigate powerful people without fear of financial ruin.

Why This Book Still Matters

Although The Making of Donald Trump was published in 2016, its relevance hasn’t diminished. If anything, the patterns Johnston identified have become more apparent and more consequential over time. Understanding these patterns helps us make sense of not just Trump, but the broader media and political landscape.

For readers interested in media literacy, investigative journalism, or American politics, Johnston’s book offers valuable insights grounded in rigorous research. It’s not always comfortable reading—some of the tactics documented are genuinely disturbing—but it’s important reading for anyone trying to understand how image, power, and media intersect in contemporary America.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book if you’ve read it, or on the broader themes it addresses. How do you think we should approach public figures whose carefully constructed images may differ significantly from reality? What role should investigative journalism play in our democracy? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss—Books4soul is all about creating a community where we can explore these important questions together.