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Did Tony Schwartz and Donald Trump disagree about the portrayal of Trump's personality or business tactics?
Executive summary
Tony Schwartz — credited as co‑author/ghostwriter of The Art of the Deal — repeatedly says he regrets helping make Donald Trump’s public brand and portrays Trump as “pathologically impulsive,” self‑centered, a frequent liar and lacking conscience; Schwartz has openly criticized Trump’s intellect and tactics and warned about the consequences of his rise [1] [2]. Trump, for his part, has publicly disputed Schwartz’s characterizations and even claimed he wrote the book himself, calling Schwartz disloyal [3] [2].
1. The core disagreement: who created the public Trump and how truthful is the portrait?
Tony Schwartz says he wrote the book that made Trump’s public persona larger and more appealing than Trump actually was, and now regrets that contribution; he has described Trump as “pathologically impulsive and self‑centered,” accused him of lying as “second nature,” and called his own role a mistake [1] [2]. Trump challenges that narrative by asserting ownership of The Art of the Deal and dismissing Schwartz’s later critiques as publicity‑seeking or disloyalty [3] [2]. This frames a clear dispute: Schwartz claims he crafted a flattering portrayal he now rejects (and warns about), while Trump disputes Schwartz’s account and motives.
2. How Schwartz describes Trump’s personality and tactics
Schwartz’s public statements portray Trump as impulsive, with a short attention span and superficial knowledge, and as someone who lies habitually; Schwartz also framed Trump as transactional and lacking conscience — the kind of person whose public image he feels he helped manufacture [1] [2] [4]. Schwartz has said he shadowed Trump for months while writing the book and sees the later political rise as partly an unintended consequence of the polished image in that book [4].
3. Trump’s pushback and competing account of authorship
Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed back: he has insisted he wrote The Art of the Deal and described Schwartz’s criticisms as opportunistic. When Schwartz criticized Trump during the 2016 campaign and afterward, Trump called him disloyal and claimed credit for the book’s success, implying Schwartz owes him [3] [2]. That counterclaim addresses authorship and motive rather than directly accepting Schwartz’s psychological portrait.
4. Broader journalistic corroboration and differences among reports
Profiles and interviews corroborate Schwartz’s remorse and harsh characterization: Schwartz told major outlets he regrets contributing to Trump’s rise and labeled a hypothetical Trump presidency “terrifying” [2] [3]. Documentary interviews (PBS FRONTLINE) and encyclopedia entries (Wikipedia) summarize his long‑standing critical stance and specific descriptions of Trump’s traits [4] [1]. News reports also note recent comments by Schwartz assessing Trump’s current mental acuity, illustrating continued public disagreement [5] [6].
5. Motives, implicit agendas, and how that shapes statements
Schwartz openly frames his later remarks as contrition for helping elevate Trump and as warnings to the public; this motive—remorse and political alarm—shapes the intensity of his language [2] [4]. Trump’s counterstatements emphasize loyalty and credit for success, a defensive motive that seeks to undercut Schwartz’s credibility and reclaim the narrative about authorship and image [3] [2]. Both sides have clear incentives: Schwartz to persuade and warn, Trump to protect reputation and brand.
6. What the available reporting does not settle
Available sources document Schwartz’s role in writing the book and his critical assessments, and they document Trump’s denials and rebuttals [1] [3] [2]. They do not provide independent forensic proof in these excerpts about exactly which phrases or claims in The Art of the Deal were written by Schwartz versus Trump, nor do they settle subjective judgments about Trump’s mental state beyond commentators’ observations (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for readers
There is a substantive, well‑documented disagreement: Tony Schwartz asserts he created a persuasive, flattering portrait of Trump that he now condemns as misleading and dangerous, and he describes Trump in harsh psychological and ethical terms [1] [2]. Trump has pushed back aggressively, disputing Schwartz’s claims about authorship and motives [3]. Readers should weigh Schwartz’s detailed firsthand account and admitted role in crafting the book against Trump’s public denials and note each party’s clear incentives in shaping the story [4] [3].