I picked up from our local second-hand bookshop a copy of a hatchet job done on Donald Trump written in 1991 which goes by the name Trumped: the inside story of Donald Trump – his cunning rise and spectacular fall, a book written much too soon given his subsequent success. I cannot say I read every word, but as hatchet jobs go, what I came away with was a sense of someone who knew what he was on about, knew how to go about getting what he wanted, knew how to cut his losses when things did not work out, but was someone always in command of any situation, even as here, where he went in over his head in a series of deals on building casinos in New Jersey. But if you want a sense of who he is, the chapter headings are all quotes from Trump, and they reveal someone of substance even though they were not at all intended to be taken that way:

“Some people have a sense of the market and some people don’t. I like to think I have that instinct.

“People think I’m a gambler. I’ve never gambled in my life.”

“We were selling fantasy.”

“Despite what some people may think, I’m not looking to be a bad guy when it isn’t absolutely necessary.”

“Well, it’s all a game.”

“I want great promotion because it’s great promotion.”

“What I never anticipated was that we could win – and end up losing anyway.”

“Life is very fragile. Anything can change, without warning, and that’s why I try not to take any of what’s happening too seriously.”

“Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.”

“What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

“Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all.”

“In my life, there are two things I’ve found I’m very good at: overcoming obstacles and motivating good people to do their best work.”

“I’m loyal to people who’ve done good work for me.”

“Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”

For all his outward appearance, he is nobody’s fool and gets things done. Meanwhile:

TRUMP STADIUM RALLY IN ALABAMA…
Southern spectacle part of strategy…
THOUSANDS TURN OUT…
Senator Jeff Sessions Joins Donald Trump on Stage in Alabama – IN TRUMP HAT!

And in other news that might also be relevant, from Drudge:

Dow Plunges 531 Points in Global Selloff: Signs of slowdown in Chinese economy pressure stocks, commodities
World’s Richest People Lose $182 Billion as Market Rout Deepens…
WEEKEND OF WORRY: APPLE UGLY…
Signs of panic-like selling…
China blamed for free-fall…
Oil biggest losing streak in 30 years…
CURRENCY COLLAPSE…
CLAIM: Dow 5,000? Yes, it could happen…

We do live in interesting times.