The failed art of the deal

The overhyped myth of Trump’s negotiating style

Fundamental to this calamitous presidency is not just the vulgarity or toddler tantrums, nor his rally-pleasing hatred of fact-professions. It is Donald Trump’s essential inability to grasp what the word “negotiation” means, outside of his old worlds: real estate and reality shows. Anyone could have warned him — and many did — that making deals with legislative or international counterparts — and certainly adults — would be very different, in many ways diametrically-so.

Time and again, Donald Trump tries the same pattern: break something the other party wants, threaten copious pain, then watch them scramble 90% toward what you want. It worked for Trump against Merv Griffin and dozens of real estate development ‘partners’ and shivved contractors. It worked when he got his (very clever!) 1980s tax break deal with New York City. It reliably worked on his television show, The Apprentice.

And it hasn’t worked even one time since Trump entered the White House. Not once. Sabotaging DACA and 2 million innocent young Americans didn’t get him his Wall. Nor did he have any success extorting Mexico to pay for it. Trying to sabotage the ACA (Obamacare) only made people realize they like it. So far, his ongoing tariff war has accomplished zilch. Every month he takes something away…