The Art of the Deal: How Greed Hijacked Mutual Prosperity – and Why We Must Take It Back

Exposing the Myth of Greed: Why Moral Engagement, Not Ruthless Tactics, Drives True Prosperity For All

By Sue Barrett

We stand at a tipping point. Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal, co-authored with Tony Schwartz and first published in 1987, is more than a book – it’s a cultural artefact that encapsulates a philosophy of unapologetic self-interest, a playbook for winning at all costs. Hailed by some as a legitimate guide to business success, it offers tactics like “truthful hyperbole,” hardball negotiation, and leveraging every advantage – strategies that undeniably delivered results for Trump in his climb to wealth and prominence. Yet beneath its brash veneer lies a troubling reality: it’s moral disengagement on steroids, amplifying a worldview that normalises ethical shortcuts and celebrates personal gain over collective good. As we face mounting inequality, environmental collapse, and societal fracture, this book sums up where we are – and where we must not remain.

A Mirror of Systemic Greed – and a Co-Author’s Regret

As someone who has spent decades in business, advocating for ethical, human-centred, and sustainable practices, I see The Art of the Deal as a prime example of how not to do business. Economist Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate who has long critiqued the excesses of modern capitalism, would likely see it as a symptom of systemic greed. In works like The Price of Inequality, Stiglitz argues that the post-1980s deregulation and profit-maximisation ethos – coinciding with the book’s rise – tilted the economic playing field towards a tiny elite. Trump’s tactics, from exploiting loopholes to stiffing creditors, reflect this era’s “greed is good” mantra, famously voiced by Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. But Trump didn’t just embody it – he evangelised it, turning questionable moves into a heroic narrative.

Tony Schwartz, the book’s co-author, has since expressed deep regret for his role, calling it a mistake that gave Trump’s ethos a polished platform. In a 2016 New Yorker interview, Schwartz lamented, “I put lipstick on a pig,” admitting he amplified a persona that masked ethical rot with charisma. Schwartz has consistently voiced his concern that the book contributed to an image of Trump that doesn’t align with his true character saying “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.”

His remorse underscores the book’s dark legacy: a seductive distortion of reality that’s shaped more than just business.

I’ve met people like Trump in my time in business, and while they are in the minority, they are dangerous. They thrive on exploitation, manipulation, and short-term wins, often leaving devastation in their wake. But here’s the truth – most people want to do good business, build healthy relationships, and succeed without resorting to deceit. They hate having to do people over and prefer to work within ethical, sustainable, and human-centred frameworks. And guess what? That approach works. Running businesses with integrity, looking beyond short-term gains, and prioritising long-term value creation has time and again proven to be the most successful way to operate. Doing away with short-termism leads to better outcomes – not just for business owners, but for employees, communities, and the economy as a whole.

Tragically, The Art of the Deal approach has been popularised without substantiating it – it doesn’t work, and it doesn’t create real, long-term growth. Instead, it manipulates the system to funnel money into the pockets of a few. It has fuelled the rise of billionaires and oligarchs who abandon morals and ethics to win. Consider the numbers: Oxfam reports that the world’s richest 1% have captured nearly twice as much wealth as the bottom 50% combined since 2020. Corporate profit maximisation and shareholder return have become sacrosanct, often at the expense of workers, communities, and the planet. Trump’s Atlantic City casino ventures, hyped in the book, later left a trail of bankruptcies and unpaid contractors – yet he walked away richer.

Moral Disengagement Amplified – and Weaponised Globally

Bandura’s concept of moral disengagement – rationalising harm to preserve self-interest – finds a loudspeaker in The Art of the Deal. Trump doesn’t just bend rules; he brags about it. Overstating property values to secure loans? Smart business. Walking away from commitments? Tough luck for the other guy. Schwartz’s regret highlights how the book polished this win-at-all-costs mentality into something aspirational.

Today, as Trump’s administration (as of February 22, 2025) governs (if we can in fact call it that), it’s inflicting The Art of the Deal on the American people – and, by default, the world. His ham-fisted negotiation tactics, rooted in bullying and bluster, have turned diplomacy into a zero-sum game. Trade wars, threats to allies, and strong-arming weaker nations reflect the book’s playbook writ large: leverage power, exaggerate strength, and damn the consequences. From pressuring NATO partners to tariff standoffs with China, Trump’s approach risks global stability, prioritising American dominance over cooperation. The rest of the world feels the ripple effects – economic uncertainty, eroded alliances, and a race to the bottom.

The Crossroads: Greed vs. Collective Prosperity

We’re at a breaking point. The “greed is good” culture, epitomised by Trump’s playbook, has delivered staggering wealth to a few while leaving the many behind. Climate change accelerates as corporations chase quarterly gains. Wages stagnate despite soaring productivity. Trust in institutions erodes as oligarchs bend rules to their favour. The Art of the Deal may be a legitimate guide if success means personal enrichment over ethics and at the expense of everyone else, but it’s a relic of a failing paradigm. Its selective storytelling – highlighting wins, ignoring wreckage – mirrors a society that celebrates billionaires while ignoring the exploited.

Contrast this with what we need: sustainable, human-centred prosperity. Economists like Mariana Mazzucato advocate for “mission-oriented” economies, where innovation serves the common good – think green energy or universal healthcare, not just bigger yachts. Business thinkers like Michael Porter argue for “shared value,” where companies thrive by solving societal problems, not creating them. Imagine a world where success isn’t measured by stock prices alone but by living wages, clean air, and equitable opportunity.

This isn’t utopian; it’s practical. Countries like Denmark with strong social contracts, consistently rank high in both prosperity and happiness.

A Call to Resist and Fight Back

The Art of the Deal is less a manual for universal success and more a mirror of Trump’s worldview – and by extension, the worst impulses of our time. Whether it inspires or exploits depends on who’s holding the book, but its legacy is clear: a generation of leaders who’ve internalised its lessons, building empires on shaky moral ground. Now, with Trump’s administration wielding these tactics on a global stage, we can’t afford complacency. The rise of billionaires and oligarchs, unchecked by conscience, threatens not just fairness but survival. We must resist this bullying, reject this dreadful state of affairs, and fight back against a philosophy that poisons both policy and planet.

This crossroads demands a pivot. We must spurn the seduction of swagger and embrace a new deal – one that delivers prosperity to all, not just the greedy few.

It starts with redefining success: not clawing to the top, but lifting others up.

The choice is stark. One path doubles down on Trump’s gospel of self, inflicted now on a global scale; the other forges a collective future. History will judge us by our resistance – and our resolve to build something better.

Onward we press

This article was originally published on Sue Barrett

 

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