Political Wire

Trump Sent Ghostwriter a ‘Cease and Desist’ Letter

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Tony Schwartz, the ghost writer of Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal, told NBC News that he received a “cease and desist” letter after speaking out against Trump:

Said Schwartz: “Yes, it is true. I got almost immediately that cease and desist letter delivered to me by FedEx.  And, you know, it’s nuts and completely indicative of who he is.  There is no basis in anything legal.”

He added: “This notion that I didn’t write the book is so preposterous. You know, I am not — I am not certain that Donald Trump read every word, but I’m sure certain that I wrote every word. And he made a few red marks on the manuscript and sent it back to me, and the rest was history. The idea that he would dispute that is part of why I felt I had to come forward. The notion that if he could lie about that he could lie about anything.”

Trump’s Ghostwriter Speaks Out

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Tony Schwartz, who was the ghost writer for Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal, talks to the New Yorker:

“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.” He went on, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”

If he were writing The Art of the Deal today, Schwartz said, it would be a very different book with a very different title. Asked what he would call it, he answered, The Sociopath.

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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