The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire

by Gwenda Blair

Donald Trump, the canny deal maker and crowd pleaser, is the third generation of an entrepreneurial family whose turbulent history and extraordinary achievements reflect the transformation of America from a land of scrabbling immigrant survivors to our brand-name era. Donald's German immigrant grandfather Friedrich came to America with one suitcase and limitless faith in his gut instincts. A hotel and saloon keeper who provided miners with shelter and female companionship during the Klondike gold rush, he later opened a storefront real estate operation in Queens, New York. Fred, Friedrich's eldest son, started building houses for neighbors while he was still in high school and was among the first to realize that the New Deal would become America's new gold rush. Using government housing subsidies and loopholes, Fred constructed thousands of new homes in Brooklyn and Queens, made a fortune, and provided start-up capital for his second son, Donald. Donald, determined to pursue a career on a larger, and ultimately all-encompassing, stage, set his sights on Manhattan. It was then in a slump. Sensing the beginning of another golden age, the young developer began positioning himself to take advantage of it. His most important asset during what would turn into the go-go years of the 1980s and the economic bonanza that followed in the 1990s was his insight that, this time, fame itself would be the road to fortune. Donald had already learned from his father how to be a real estate developer. Now, endowed with a talent for extravagant exaggeration, he would become a world-famous developer. Feuds, divorces, sexual boasts, presidential bids, billion-dollar triumphs, billion-dollar disasters -- Donald Trump's roller-coaster life would become one of the most remarkable, and remarkably well-publicized, in the nation. He would be among the most renowned, reviled, and envied figures of his time. Such a route is not new in America. But what distinguishes Donald Trump is his understanding that being famous for being rich could make him even richer. Donald Trump would provide an intriguing, infuriating, and unforgettable model for the biggest gold rush of them all, the new virtual economy in which the appearance of enormous success has come to play such a

Genres: Biography, History, Politics, Nonfiction, Business

592 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

About the author

Gwenda Blair writes for magazines and newspapers and is also an author and radio commentator. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, New York, Esquire, The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine, TV Guide, Smart Money, and a number of other publications.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwenda Blair's approach to the three generations of Trumps similar to that of how Robert Caro dealt with LBJ, fair and even handed. In my opinion she goes a step further by putting each situation told in historical perspective, and explaining the laws, rules, and economics surrounding business decisions made by all three men. The copy I read was published in 2000 and I do not know if there has been an update, so the intervening period isn’t covered. Half of the book is spent on the father and grandfather, and you get a good insight as to their motivations, but for all the cited research, Donald's motivations still seem a mystery to me. This is a book that I would highly recommend for people that want to learn more about the Presidential candidate, regardless of political affiliation of candidate support. Very informative.

[Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll very briefly say that, in order to post this review, I had to claim to have finished the book. THAT said, I read large sections of it, focusing on different generations of the Trump family. I have no hesitation in saying this is a very solid multi-generational biography. The writing is clear, the author is perceptive and it is, in fact, very illuminating.
It must also be pointed out that it was published sixteen years ago, in 2000. The phenomenon of Donald Trump's insurgency is not foreshadowed here. Yes, he is the same man, but society, by the end of this narrative, had not become his flock yet.
If I'd read this in 2000, I'd have come away thinking Donald Trump came from a family of go-getters who knew how to thrive in business by scrutinizing the government's relationship to enterprise.
Trump's father, whose father had been an immigrant from Germany who thrived in an Alaskan boom town, was a keen observer of FDR's housing policies. He got building contracts on army bases and became one of the most important developers from the Great Depression through the seventies. Donald Trump negotiated to obtain many properties in and around Penn Station. His father knew how to stage public events. He had a roguish charm. Trump learned, watching his father, that publicity was often more important than winning in business. Being a Baby Boomer, he wanted to take this talent to the stratosphere.
And here we are, in December, 2016. We know his name. He's certainly got our number.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love him or hate him, I finally found a good, reasonably fair biography of Donald Trump!

Gwenda Blair's 2000-published The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire is a wonderful triple-bio of The Donald, his father, and grandfather, that stretches from Los Angeles to New England; Palm Beach to the Yukon. And it all begins in Germany. Dense at times with real estate deals and high-dollar lending--as to be expected--and positively audacious at others, a handful of moments throughout the book border on downright charming.

2005's Donald Trump: Master Apprentice is taken from the second half of The Trumps, tweaked and slightly expanded, to piggyback the success of TV's "The Apprentice." Packaged for a more casual reader and Donald Trump fan base, Master Apprentice offers little to the more serious and history-minded reader (I only read the last chapter of this one, as the preceding chapters mirror Blair's original work on the subject).

Neither book approaches Trump's American presidency, but the character and behaviors that stand out in these books can easily be observed in and applied to his White House days.

[Lonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Granpa Trump, to papa Fred, to Donald we get a history of how the Trumps arrived and thrived in America. Donald's grandfather started many businesses upon his arrival here and joined the Gold Rush out West. Not as a speculator but as an inn-keeper providing food, shelter, liquor and women to te speculators. It's kind of what Donald does now with the casinos. Fred Trump's rise as a real estate developer is well documented and shows that he did not get to that high level of wealth without government connections and contracts. If you care to learn about Donald's background, this book will serve you well.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive guide and biography of Donald John Drumpf

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Donald Trump - in his early 30s - first proposed the Hyatt Grand Central Hotel, most Manhattan developers asked themselves - who the hell is Donald Trump?

Then quickly, the chatter ended with, “his dad owns thousands of rental units in Queens”.

My fascination with this book has more to do with Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump. Unlike Donald Trump’s flamboyant style, Fred Trump is very much less known. Unlike Donald Trump, whose brand is himself. Fred Trump focus mainly on his products, and doesn’t care to be seen for the sake of being seen, as the author noted several times, such as the following:

... “He was already wealthy, but he wasn’t flashy,” said Rosati’s son, James Jr., years later. “ He never tried to impress anybody with his wealth. He didn’t seem to care if anybody had ever heard of him.”

Fred Trump was born to a German immigrant family. His father, Frederick Trump, roamed around in several fields, ranging from hospitality to barber. Frederick Trump died of the Spanish flu when Fred Trump was in his early teens.

After his father died early, his mom quickly had to scramble. Fred Trump loved construction very early on and began building single family homes very early on in his life. Yet, he had to stop due to the Great Depression. Trump resorted to running a grocery store during the Depression years. His break came as a rush of New Deals policy encouraged builders to build once again, and with another rush of post war GIs returning to the US, eventually he became one of the largest builders in Brooklyn/Queens.

But what interested me was the kind of things Trump built - during his earlier career, he shined by building something inspirational for the middle class families:

... The garage was a source of pride for Fred Trump’s customers, even though most could not afford a car and did not know how to drive… the garages meant that these houses “were the big thing - the modern home.”

The garage was hardly the only up-to-date touch. Instead of old-fashioned dormer windows, the houses had casements with small glass panes. In the bathroom the tub was framed with chrome, and there was a hand-painted landscape on the wall instead of the wallpaper. Some houses had stall showers, a novelty at the time; others had living rooms with shallow false fireplaces and electric logs that lit up when plugged into an outlet. The basements were not rough storage areas, but finished “recreation rooms” that could be rented out to help pay off the mortgage. Many had a bar with a mirror and little foot rail in front. “Bad then,” said homeowner Kelley, “that was real class.”

In his later careers, Trump thrived by his keen ability to economize and mass-produce apartments. This affords his higher profit margin, but also even more upgraded amenities to his residents.

The author also noted that while the older Trump was not flamboyant like the younger Trump, he had a keen sense of knowledge of how to use media:

...Fred Trump had learned how convenient newspapers found short news releases for filling news holes. He generously provided item after item. Brief summaries of his sales reports, his market predictions, his “survey” of what had attracted buyers to his homes, and his opinions about everything from framily values to national defense went to local media, which often reprinted the pronouncements verbatim.

One last thing I want to add is that - the author also contributed Trump’s success to his ability to understand what his customer wants:

... he had noticed that when couples looked at his homes and apartments, women seemed to cast the deciding vote, he would aim his marketing directly at the woman of the house…

[later]... Trump announced plans for a baby-sitting service, added storage areas for baby carriages, and built playgrounds. On Mother’s Day in 1950 he presented every prospective mother in his buildings with a dozen roses. He turned over spaces for public school classrooms and a five-hundred-seat auditorium where adults listened to lectures on child care and atomic energy and a children’s orchestra gave concerts. He scheduled recreational programs for children and adults, put on movies and dances for teenagers, made arrangements for an all-night service station, and provided arts and crafts classes.

[Gerry Beane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This well-written expose of three generations of Trumps prove the old saw that an apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. It seems that Donald Trump's grandfather immigrated to the United States from Germany and began by setting up a restaurant from which he hocked alcohol and prostitutes.

It's so often stated in the news that many people support Donald Trump because of his business acumen, thinking that it will then apply to running government efficiently. But if his history in business is any indication of how he would run government then we have a great deal to fear. The tone of a civilization is generated from the top down. Trumps lack of ethical behavior and dishonesty merely to self aggrandize is one of the things that is most concerning and one of the things that certainly is pointed out in this book.

This book does point out some of his positive characteristics as well, although, in my opinion I don't find them to negate the many negatives that seem to permeate his personality. He does seem to be expert in public relations and has a way of turning failures into victory through public relations. This perhaps could be useful in national propaganda but it relies way too much on dishonesty for me to feel comfortable with this particular approach.

Donald's father on the other hand, built a bit more of a legitimate business but it was based almost entirely on government largess. He found the loopholes in the building codes to use to his advantage. Were the steps legal – in many cases yes. Were they the proper use of government funds? The answer is a very borderline positive. This was reinforced with Donald senior’s use of personal connections and political "donations".

All in all, the book is well written and could be enjoyed by either Trump supporters or those who dislike Donald Trump. The research seems to be detailed and also annotated for those who question some of the facts described.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating read. Incredibly relevant, seeing as Donald Trump is now the president. Published in 2000, the book doesn’t have a political skew (nor anything about the last 17 years), and gives a good, in depth (with references and citations) history of Friedrich, Fred, and Donald Trump. Read it.

[Jennings Peeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gentle handling of DJT and his family history. I read the published-in-2000 edition — The pre-Trump-as-politician version — so I was left with "his presidential style is no surprise…all was foretold, if you looked and thought." 'Nuff said…

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew Roy Cohn was going to be in there somewhere, but Norman Vincent Peale, too?

[Cort Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the definite book on the Trumps - not by a long shot - but this lady can definitely write. It's an absorbing story of three generations of Trumps - generations that played more loosely with the rules as they went a long.

Donald comes off pretty well - smart, hard working, bold, charismatic, unbelievably effective at projecting success - even as his world is crumbling. This ability to bounce back is simply incredible. The bankruptcies are portrayed but they're also a lot that's not here. His more shady dealings, his proclivity to sue, his personal failings, his pathological lying.

One wonders what the heck went wrong. Something clearly went very wrong. This book does not demonstrate what happened.

This, then, is a pretty good starter book on Trump - it's very well written, moves really well - and we shall see more substantive efforts in the future.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where’s the real deals?

The book was interesting, however, it didn’t mention how the Trumps manage to take advantage of major tax’s loopholes that were set in place nor how the Trump’s set up a dumbing company to make more money from the government, and from circumventing taxes from the death of Fred Trump!

[Jack Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Unique Man

If you want to understand President Trump better, do yourself a favor and read this book. It is absorbing and very well written, and evidently very well researched.

[Pterotaktyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, the book seems to be objectively written with a lot of effort going into it.

[Stephen Rynkiewicz]

This biography looks back at the Trump family's immigrant roots and the president's fortunate-son years. The Donald here is pre-Melania, pre-"Apprentice," pre-birther, yet still familiar. A good read if the NY Times reporting on Fred Trump's family largesse intrigued you.