Caroline ’s Reviews > Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success > Status Update
Caroline
is on page 134 of 519
"As Donald became the public face of his father's company, he began making more pronouncements of things he would do. Big things, grand things, but mostly, things that would never happen. It was a sharp demarcation from his father's practices over the decades. Fred Trump had announced projects when he owned the land, had the financing lined up, and had a fully formed plan in his hands. Donald felt [CONT'D BELOW]
— Aug 04, 2026 12:37PM
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Caroline ’s Previous Updates
Caroline
is on page 46 of 519
This is so in the weeds that it's lost. The authors provide way too much financial detail on how builder Fred Trump, father of Donald, cheated the system. I respect that they cared about writing a thorough exposé, but readers can absolutely understand Fred's dishonesty without knowing every last number-heavy, fine-print decision. That level of detail is suitable for FHA investigators, not lay readers.
— Jul 24, 2026 01:23PM
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His niece, Mary Trump, who is also a psychologist, explains in her book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man that he is a malignant narcissist. People like him lie constantly or at minimum exaggerate their success, to project the image of how they want to be seen, cope with their shame of not being as great as they desire, to feel superior to others, and to solicit praise that they desperately crave.
Unfortunately, the ability to recognize your own faults, shortcomings, weaknesses and mistakes is a rampant human character trait in individuals that lack any introspection. Trump takes this psychotic lack of self-awareness to uncharted and apocalyptic levels.
Cher 'N Books wrote: "His niece, Mary Trump, who is also a psychologist, explains in her book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man that he is a malignant narci..."Yeah, I read her book and liked it. It goes a long way toward explaining him, and this one is helping round it out a bit. Mary Trump is a psychiatrist, and being an ethical professional, makes clear that she adheres to the Goldwater Rule so stops short of actually diagnosing him. She acknowledges that people call him a narcissist, though, and I got the impression that she suspects he may suffer from narcissistic personality disorder. He does appear to tick many of the boxes.
What wasn't clear in her book (or so far in this one) is the cause. Mary Trump kind of hints at the cause by briefly saying T's parents were cold and emotionally unavailable (and Mom sounds like she was struggling with trauma). That sounds like emotional immaturity, and if that's the case, well, then, they didn't have the CAPACITY to be emotionally available. Kids who grow up with EI parents tend to become EI themselves, and EI and NPD have lots of overlapping traits. :{
Mr. James wrote: "Unfortunately, the ability to recognize your own faults, shortcomings, weaknesses and mistakes is a rampant human character trait in individuals that lack any introspection. Trump takes this psycho..."I agree. Inability to self-reflect is common, and Trump seems like an example of someone who can't even attempt it. :{ A completely foreign concept.
Thanks, Linda. :}Melki, you may be waiting a while. :/ The book is DENSE with information!
Caroline wrote: "Melki, you may be waiting a while. :/ The book is DENSE with information!"I imagine you're shaking your head quite a bit, and wanting to write down every unbelievable fact you find.
Excellent review. I agree; Trump has done so much damage that the focus should be on the victims.
Linda wrote: "Excellent review. I agree; Trump has done so much damage that the focus should be on the victims."Thank you, Linda. Who isn't beyond tired of this man? Let's focus on the problems and the harm caused so we can move toward solutions.
My observation: What's interesting is that it's unclear how Donald got so arrogant. He grew up obscenely wealthy, but his siblings sound like they aren't (or weren't, for the deceased) arrogant and heartless. For Donald's financial dishonesty in his career, one could say son was just mimicking father, but Donald's haughtiness and combative impulses appear to be simply innate. And those things made him irrational, too. A good illustration: When Fred's lawyer friend told him and Donald that it was smartest for their reputations to settle, rather than fight, a certain lawsuit, Fred recognized the wisdom in that advice and was going to take it. Donald, however, couldn't stomach the idea of
settlingfolding, so he decided they would fight even though doing so kept the unsavory lawsuit in the headlines, hurting their reputations. Early on, never admitting fault (or giving the appearance of admitting fault) became one of Donald Trump's most cherished personal values.