Trump Tower (novel)
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''Trump Tower'' is a work of fiction by
Jeffrey Robinson Jeffrey Robinson (born October 19, 1945) is an American author of 30 books. Early life Born in Long Beach, New York, Robinson is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia (1967). While still at school, he wrote for television and radio, ...
, originally credited to
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, and billed as Trump's "
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
" by the publisher. It was first published in 2011 by
Vanguard Press The Vanguard Press (1926–1988) was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of ...
. Trump had previously attempted to create a television series titled ''Trump Tower'', modeled after ''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'', ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', and '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. He worked with MVP Entertainment, contracted a writer in Los Angeles, and successfully had
Showtime Networks Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks un ...
develop a
television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...
. After receiving a payment for television rights to ''Trump Tower'', he marketed the idea to Lifetime. The book by this title was developed in 2011 listing Trump, but when released in 2012 credited Robinson as sole author. The plot of the book is set within a fictional version of
Trump Tower Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...
, with Trump himself appearing as a character in the work. Detailed sex acts are depicted including
BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
and the
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
of a woman. An employee of the building is described having sex on the set of ''
The Celebrity Apprentice ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...
''. The plot moves from
erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use ...
to murder mystery, and the building manager is initially a suspect before later being cleared.
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
and other celebrities appear in
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s. '' Esquire'' placed the work within the genre of
erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feel ...
. A book review in the ''
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'' compared the storyline to the novel ''
Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
'' (2011). ''Playground Magazine'' wrote that Trump Tower was itself a phallic object in the work. ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' called the book "incredibly sexist". '' Tango Magazine'' said it had high levels of sexual kinkiness. ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' called it "a very very sexist novel". ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...
'' host
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
discussed the book on his show.


Plot synopsis

The novel is set within a fictional version of
Trump Tower Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...
in New York City, New York. A fictionalized version of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
appears as a character in the novel. The Trump character is described in the novel as giving out details of his sex life to others, making hiring and firing decisions, and denigrating the mental status of tenants residing in his building. ''Trump Tower'' portrays the machinations of the love lives engaged in by both residents of the building, in addition to the employees who work inside of the facility. Sex acts are depicted within the novel including those displaying sexual kinkiness and bondage, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism. A worker in the book is depicted in a sex act occurring on the set of ''
The Celebrity Apprentice ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...
'' inside of Trump Tower. Women appear in the book with detailed descriptions based on their perceived level of physical attractiveness. A
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
of a woman is described in detail within the first chapter of the book. After its initial foray into erotica within the first section of the work, the tale subsequently becomes a murder mystery. One of the main protagonists of the book is the building manager of Trump Tower, Pierre Belasco, who attempts to ensure stable operation of the facility. In Belasco's point of view, "Donald Trump only thinks he rules Trump Tower." He attempts to prove this throughout the work. At the conclusion of the work, Trump appears and usurps power from the building manager. The building manager was a suspect in the murder mystery, and by the conclusion of the work he is confirmed to have not been the killer. The novel features
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s from fictional versions of celebrities including
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.


Composition and publication

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
initially attempted to produce a television series titled ''Trump Tower'' which would have been modeled after
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
s ''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'', ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', and '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. MVP Entertainment production company employee Bob Frederick worked with Trump and they contracted with a writer based in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
to write the plot of the potential television series. Trump pitched the idea to television networks in earnest during the period of the 1990s. Trump convinced
Showtime Networks Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks un ...
to create a
television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...
episode, which did not further develop into a full television series. Trump received payment for television rights to the series at this point in time. After this setback, Trump next took his ''Trump Tower'' television show pitch in 2008 to the television network Lifetime. Trump was slated to be the narrator of the Lifetime version of the ''Trump Tower'' television series. The novel initially attributed to Trump, carried the same title and basic plot outline as his previously pitched television series. The novel was first published in 2011 by Vanguard Press, attributed to Donald Trump as author and
Jeffrey Robinson Jeffrey Robinson (born October 19, 1945) is an American author of 30 books. Early life Born in Long Beach, New York, Robinson is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia (1967). While still at school, he wrote for television and radio, ...
as
ghostwriter A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...
. The original cover of the novel stated, "Donald J. Trump with Jeffrey Robinson". The book had the tagline: "The sexiest novel of the decade". It was originally advertised as the "
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...
" of Donald Trump. Marketing materials said the book was within the same vein as ''
Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
'' by Arthur Hailey. When the book was first given its initial
International Standard Book Number The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition a ...
, primary authorship was ascribed to Donald Trump. The novel was cataloged in the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
with Trump as the main author. Another edition attributed to Donald Trump was released the same year in audiobook format by Playaway Digital Audio. The cover designer of the work was Jeff Williams. Book vendors and librarians received marketing materials for the book in 2011 with its original cover featuring Trump as primary author, with Robinson's name appearing below Trump's. The literature purveyors subsequently received a notice that the original version of the work would not be sent out to them; instead they were sent a copy of the 2012 edition. Perseus Books Group, supervisor of Vanguard Press, told ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' when contacted that year, that the first published version of the title from 2011 was unavailable. The novel was subsequently published in 2012 with Jeffrey Robinson credited as sole author. An ebook of the second version was published the same year. A review of the work by Trump was posted to the back of the 2012 edition of the book. Trump stated he was eager to see the novel adapted into a television series. Trump posted to
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in 2012 to promote the work, calling it a "must-read". The 2012 edition of the book was for sale in the Trump Tower gift shop in 2016. It was marketed in a display case in the Trump Store in Trump Tower alongside copies of other books authored by Trump.


Reception

Writing for '' Esquire'', Sarah Rense placed the novel within the genre of
erotic literature Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feel ...
. ''
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
'' concurred, calling it an erotic novel. Jennifer Gould Keil of the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' commented, "''Trump Tower'' is a fun read about the depths of degradation residents go to in order to live in the Midtown building". She compared the plot of the work to the novel ''
Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
'' (2011). She wrote that its writing style was akin to a masculine take on Danielle Steel. Keil concluded the book had potential to be developed into a movie or television show. ''Playground Magazine'' journalist Xaime Martínez wrote that Trump Tower in the novel was a literary device used as a metaphor for a phallic object. ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' reporter Todd Van Luling called the book "incredibly sexist". Van Luling criticized the writing style of the book, pointing out "numerous typographical errors" and "abrupt tonal shifts". Late-night talk show host
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
discussed the novel on his television program ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...
'', and commented upon the phallic role taken on by Trump Tower itself within the fictional work. Colbert commented a more appropriate title for ''Trump Tower'' would have been ''Symbolic Penis''. '' Tango Magazine'' editor Rebecca Jane Stokes wrote that the novel exhibited significant amounts of sexual kinkiness. She echoed the comments of Jennifer Gould Keil and also compared the work's plot to ''Fifty Shades of Grey''. Stokes criticized the work for appealing to a mainly male audience, "The book might present a kinky escape for the male of the species, but if you don't have a penis, this probably isn't the type of sexy story you're looking for." ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' journalist Kaitlin Fontana called the work "a very very sexist novel". Fontana concluded, "Maybe you should skip ''Trump Tower'', unless you're a sadomasochist (and not the fun kind)."


References

{{Portal bar, Books, Business and economics, Literature, United States 2011 American novels American crime novels American erotic novels Books about companies Books about Donald Trump Books by Donald Trump Cultural depictions of Bill Clinton Cultural depictions of Donald Trump Novels set in New York City Novels about rape 2011 debut novels Vanguard Press books Books written by presidents of the United States