This week, an author tweeted his disapproval of Donald Trump’s writing ability. One Trump fan scoffed, replying that he should go read Trump’s star-making 1987 autobiography “The Art of the Deal.”
Commenter, meet author: Tony Schwartz, ghostwriter of “The Art of the Deal.”
Schwartz, a frequent Trump critic, revealed in July 2016 that he shadowed Trump for 18 months to produce “Art of the Deal” and that Trump wrote very little of it. Since then, Schwartz has not been shy about critiquing Trump’s character and mental fitness for the presidency, based on his own in-person observations.
But Schwartz’s unmasking in the “New Yorker” and frequent TV appearances had escaped the notice of Twitter user @KeenReport.
On the morning of July 4, Schwartz tweeted, “Trump’s tweet that he has ‘written’ bestselling books is one more deceit & delusion. He is incapable of reading a book, much less writing one.”
Trump’s tweet that he has “written” bestselling books is one more deceit & delusion. He is incapable of reading a book, much less writing one.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) July 4, 2018
@KeenReport — whose Twitter bio promises “Breaking News and the Latest Conservative Headlines” — replied, “If you had the inclination to know the truth, you would read The Art of The Deal and realize the writing is a dead match for Trump’s speech mannerisms … but you can’t handle the truth. #Trump @realDonaldTrump @RealJamesWoods #potus #maga”
After Twitter pointed out the true truth to @KeenReport, that tweet was deleted, but not before spawning a Reddit thread on /r/facepalm that has attracted more than 2,400 comments.
“My understanding of twitter is that now that he has been called out for using a ghost writer, Trump is obligated to come out with a dis track,” said Redditor @dichloroethane.
“Yes but who’s gonna ghost write it for him?” volleyed Redditor @abnormalsyndrome.
Schwartz has previously expressed regret about helping build the Trump myth. “I put lipstick on a pig,” Schwartz told “The New Yorker” about his work on “Art of the Deal,” saying he felt “a deep sense of remorse” for “presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.”
Schwartz also said he was donating his royalties from “The Art Of The Deal” to the National Immigration Law Center, an organization that helps low-income immigrants assimilate into society.
