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About

The Art of the Deal, published in 1987, is a memoir and business advice book written by Donald Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz. The book details Trump's business strategies and deal-making experiences and has often been referenced in political and economic discussions since Trump was first elected President in 2016. In the late 2010s, the book was also referenced in various memes and online discourse surrounding his presidency. In 2025, President Trump introduced global reciprocal tariffs on over 100 countries, prompting massive stock market losses. Trump eventually backpedaled on his tariff program, enforcing tariffs up to 10 percent on countries except China. Several investors and internet users criticized Trump for what they believed was a haphazard and pointlessly messy trade strategy. In response to the criticism, House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt remarked, "Many of you in the media clearly missed the The Art of the Deal," prompting a resurgence of memes and jokes about his book.

History

The Art of the Deal was first published in November 1987, presented as a memoir and business advice book by Donald Trump, ghostwritten by Tony Schwartz. It blends Trump's personal history with tips on negotiation, branding and real estate strategy.

The book outlines Trump's "deal-making" philosophy, emphasizing boldness, media manipulation and dogged perseverance.^[1] According to the New York Times,^[2] the book helped cement Trump’s public image as a savvy businessman, however, Schwartz later disavowed the book,^[14] calling it misleading and calling into question Trump's actual business acumen.

Online Presence

Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal has been the subject of memes and jokes for years, particularly in the late 2010s following his 2016 U.S. Presidential Election win.

For example, on May 21st, 2017, X / Twitter^[5] user @jordan_stratton shared a photo of Donald Trump's Glowing Orb alongside a reference to his book. The tweet gathered over 2,000 likes in five years.

On November 28th, 2020, Redditor /u/DmJerkface posted to the subreddit /r/PoliticalHumor^[6] to joke about Trump supposedly paying $3 million for a recount in Wisconsin during the 2020 election, ^[7] only to lose more votes to former President Joe Biden. The post gathered over 75,000 upvotes in four years.

2025 Resurgence

President Donald Trump imposed and subsequently withdrew tariffs on bordering nations Canada and Mexico in early February 2025, backing down without either nation introducing and enforcing new border policies on top of existing ones.^[12] Several internet users then posted jokes about Trump practicing "The Art of the Deal" in negotiations with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

On February 4th, 2025, the X^[8] account @LondonEconomic tweeted a graphic that read, "Canada makes deal with Trump by agreeing to do something they were already doing," garnering over 2.2 million views and 93,000 likes in two months.

On February 22nd, 2025, Redditor /u/jeffsaidjess posted to the subreddit /r/Greentext,^[9] sharing The Art of the Deal book cover alongside text that reads, "Just unconditionally surrender." The meme received over 1,000 upvotes and 50 comments in two months.

On April 9th, 2025, President Trump issued a 90-day pause on most of his newly implemented tariffs following significant market declines. Amid the China vs. U.S. trade war, he escalated tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent and maintained a 10 percent tariff on other global partners.^[3]

This abrupt policy shift led to widespread confusion among businesses and investors, with critics highlighting the unpredictability of Trump's trade strategies.

On April 9th, AP News posted a video to its YouTube^[4] channel showing how White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to media criticism, saying, "Many of you in the media clearly missed 'The Art of the Deal.'"

Several internet users shared memes and jokes about Trump's The Art of the Deal after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered her quote, "Many of you in the media clearly missed The Art of the Deal."

For instance, X^[13] user @krassenstein made a post criticizing Trump and his supporters for calling his backtracking on tariffs part of the "Art of the Deal" on April 9th, 2025, gathering over 50,000 likes in a day.

BREAKING: The White House caves on most tariffs--then calls it “The Art of the Deal.”You can’t make this up. These are the most dangerously incompetent people I’ve ever seen:- Disrupted global supply chains- Sent American companies into a panic- Tanked global markets-… pic.twitter.com/tGveCFntPH

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) April 9, 2025

On April 9th, 2025, X^[10] user Adrian Dittman, once thought to be Elon Musk's alt X account, tweeted a Kramer What's Going On Here meme to joke about Trump's perceived deal-making prowess. The post gathered over 3,900 likes in a day.

Other internet users were more critical, including X^[11] user @thickyrubio, who quoted a post about Leavitt citing The Art of the Deal on April 9th, 2025, with a video of stand-up comedian Shane Gillis putting a gun to his mouth and then turning it on other people. The post gathered over 58,000 likes in a day.

the art of the deal pic.twitter.com/e8SwP86pnP https://t.co/YmaddpKUo4

— j (@thickyrubio) April 9, 2025

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References

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