Confidence Man audiobook cover - The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America

Confidence Man

The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America

Maggie Haberman

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Categories:
PoliticsBiography & Memoir

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Confidence Man
Core Modus Operandi+
Formative Influences+
Brand Building & Media+
Political Ascent+
The Presidency+
Downfall & Exit+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
How did Donald Trump's early interaction with Richard Ravitch over the Commodore Hotel reflect his lifelong approach to problem-solving?
  • A. He relied on meticulously researched proposals to win over his opponents.
  • B. He positioned himself as a victim and used outlandish threats to get his way.
  • C. He offered financial bribes to secure political favors.
  • D. He immediately compromised to ensure a mutually beneficial deal.
Question 2 of 7
What was the primary lesson Donald Trump absorbed from his mentor, lawyer Roy Cohn?
  • A. To always operate within the strict boundaries of the law to avoid bad press.
  • B. To build consensus and share credit with partners to maintain long-term relationships.
  • C. To adopt a fight-tooth-and-nail, highly transactional 'Mafia don' mentality.
  • D. To avoid public controversy and settle disputes quietly behind closed doors.
Question 3 of 7
What did Trump's recounting of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opening and his handling of the Wollman Rink renovation reveal about his character?
  • A. His deep appreciation for the working-class laborers who built New York.
  • B. His tendency to avoid the spotlight and let others take credit for successful projects.
  • C. His absolute refusal to share credit and his vow to never let anyone make a fool of him.
  • D. His commitment to historical accuracy and preserving the legacy of immigrant engineers.
Question 4 of 7
How did Trump typically react when political advisors or Republican establishment figures tried to 'handle' or tone down his rhetoric during his 2016 campaign?
  • A. He would double down and push even further in the opposite direction.
  • B. He would temporarily comply before secretly undermining their strategies.
  • C. He would fire them immediately and replace them with Democratic strategists.
  • D. He would publicly apologize to maintain his polling numbers among moderate voters.
Question 5 of 7
According to the text, how did Trump manage his staff and cabinet once he reached the White House?
  • A. By fostering a highly collaborative environment where departments frequently shared information.
  • B. By running it like his businesses, keeping people siloed, and stoking chaotic rivalries.
  • C. By delegating all major decision-making to a small, trusted circle of military generals.
  • D. By strictly adhering to traditional political protocols to appease the Republican establishment.
Question 6 of 7
How did Trump's transactional worldview influence his approach to foreign policy and alliances, such as with South Korea?
  • A. He believed the US had a moral obligation to protect democratic nations regardless of cost.
  • B. He viewed alliances purely in terms of one-on-one financial equity, questioning what the US was getting in return.
  • C. He deferred to military experts to maintain long-standing geopolitical strategies.
  • D. He sought to expand US military presence globally to project absolute power.
Question 7 of 7
What was Trump's primary personal reaction to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic?
  • A. He viewed it as a personal affront that unfairly disrupted his reelection campaign.
  • B. He saw it as a unique opportunity to unite the country and guarantee his reelection.
  • C. He immediately embraced the advice of medical experts to minimize economic disruption.
  • D. He blamed it entirely on his political opponents in the Democratic Party.

Confidence Man — Full Chapter Overview

Confidence Man Summary & Overview

Confidence Man (2022) is a full account of Trump’s life in the spotlight. It tracks his career from early New York real estate deals to his tumultuous tenure in the White House. It shows how his aggressive personality was molded early on and only intensified as the stage grew bigger.

Who Should Listen to Confidence Man?

  • Politics junkies
  • People interested in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol
  • Anyone interested in the unique life of Donald J. Trump

About the Author: Maggie Haberman

Maggie Haberman is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who spent years covering the Trump Administration for the New York Times. She’s also worked as a reporter for the New York Post, the New York Daily News, and Politico.

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