From the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters behind the 2018 bombshell New York Times exposé of then-President Trump’s finances, an explosive investigation into the history of Donald Trump’s wealth, revealing how one of the country’s biggest business failures lied his way into the White House Soon after announcing his first campaign for the US presidency, Donald J. Trump told a national television audience that life “has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me.” Building on a narrative he had been telling for decades, he spun a hardscrabble fable of how he parlayed a small loan from his father into a multi-billion-dollar business and real estate empire.

This feat, he argued, made him singularly qualified to lead the country. Except: None of it was true. Born to a rich father who made him the beneficiary of his own highly lucrative investments, Trump received the equivalent of more than $500 million today via means that required no business expertise whatsoever.

Drawing on over twenty years’ worth of Trump’s confidential tax information, including the tax returns he tried to conceal, alongside business records and interviews with Trump insiders, New York Times investigative reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig track Trump's financial rise and fall, and rise and fall again. For decades, he squanders his fortunes on money losing businesses, only to be saved yet again by financial serendipity. He tacks his name above the door of every building, while taking out huge loans he’ll never repay.

He obsesses over appearances, while ignoring threats to the bottom line and mounting costly lawsuits against city officials. He tarnishes the value of his name by allowing anyone with a big enough check to use it, and cheats the television producer who not only rescues him from bankruptcy but casts him as a business savant – the public image that will carry him to the White House. A masterpiece of narrative reporting, Lucky Loser is a meticulous examination spanning nearly a century, filled with scoops from Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago, Atlantic City, and the set of The Apprentice .

At a moment when Trump’s tether to success and power is more precarious than ever, here for the first time is the definitive true accounting of Trump and his money – what he had, what he lost, and what he has left – and the final word on the myth of Trump, the self-made billionaire.

In the bustling streets of New York where fortunes are made and lost, one story stands out like a concoction of drama and improbable twists. The tale of Donald Trump, the extraordinary entrepreneur heralded in tabloids and TV screens, is more than just a saga of skyscrapers and business deals. It is a riveting exploration of privilege, persistence, and performance art, wherein Trump's paradoxical combination of inherited affluence and risky gambles result in a narrative rich with lessons on perpetuating an illusion of success amidst substantial failures.

As the son of a real estate mogul, Trump's trajectory was supposed to ascend without a hitch, but the reality was anything but expected.

Trump's story reveals the complexity behind perceived success and inherited wealth. Creativity and bravado often overshadow traditional business acumen in maintaining public image. The power of narrative in shaping public perception transcends factual financial health.

This book delves into the intriguing life of Donald Trump unearthing how his father Fred Trump's fortune played a pivotal role in shaping his destiny. Yet the seemingly promising path was fraught with pitfalls as Donald often engaged in high-risk ventures that yielded mixed results. Harnessing the charisma of a showman more than a businessman Trump's tale serves as a masterclass in public relations and image crafting.

His relentless pursuit of the spotlight ensured that even in moments of financial downfall a veneer of success was skillfully maintained through orchestrated theatrics. Despite the turbulence Trump’s strategic self-promotion and audacious personality effectively deflected attention from financial missteps. This narrative provides a captivating insight into the dichotomy of Trump's world as it uncovers the paradoxical layers of his public visage and private challenges.

By dissecting the defining moments of his career the book sheds light on the junction where reality meets myth painting a comprehensive picture of a life defined as much by loss as triumph. Readers are invited to question the true essence behind facades of power and the fine line separating resilience from reckless confidence.

What truly distinguishes this book is its unraveling of the intricate dance between wealth ambition and perception through Donald Trump's life The pragmatic narrative combines rigorous analysis and anecdotal accounts capturing the essence of Trump's complex persona with clarity and engagement Providing rare insights into an iconic yet controversial figure the book challenges conventional viewpoints offering readers a deeper appreciation of the blurred lines between success and spectacle.