After four years of his presidency and four years of his being on the sidelines, it is incredible that people get shocked when Donald Trump makes an outrageous statement. I still hear people complain about extreme statements and scratch my head at their disbelief that anyone in their right mind could support him, let alone work with him. Remember the election – 77 million Americans voted for him.

It is an understatement to say that Donald Trump does not approach the presidency as a career politician would. His methods are that of a real estate developer and a negotiator. The sooner that his critics realize this, the less troubled their lives will be. Instead of merely outright rejecting Trump, they may actually listen and evaluate.

It is also unbelievable that so few have read his book on negotiating, The Art of the Deal, since almost all that he does in office is based in his principles of negotiations. And say what you must about him, if you are honest, you must admit that he is very good at negotiations. Trump’s deal to acquire his Florida home, Mar-a-lago, and his subsequent deal with the city of West Palm Beach to transform his residence into a 5-star resort and country club is clear evidence of this very point. Here are ten relevant, significant points from The Art of the Deal:

1. Think big. (What’s bigger than the presidency of the United States of America.)

2. Protect the downside and the upside will take care of itself. (Prepare for the worst.)

3. Maximize the options. (Have a lot of deals working all at the same time.)

4. Know your market. (Do your own research and trust it.)

5. Use your leverage. (When you are President of the USA, you have power no one else has.)

6. Get the word out. (Trump states: “The point is that if you are a little different, a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you.” This drives Trump detractors crazy.)

7. Fight back! (This was evident in Butler, PA.)

8. Deliver the goods. (No one can accuse Trump of being lazy during the first week of his presidency.)

9. Contain the costs. (It appears that Trump plans to cut US spending during his presidency.)

10. Have fun! (Trump thrives on what he is doing and was having fun until Butler, PA. In spite of the assassination attempt, Trump loves being president.)

One of Trump’s negotiation strategies is to THINK BIG. He asks for the impossible: Let’s make Canada our 51^st state. Let’s buy Greenland. Let’s take back the Panama Canal. Let’s deport 5 million illegal aliens. If nothing else, he gets in the news (Think big. Get the word out.) He starts discussions. Either way, he opens negotiations regarding the issue at hand and waits to see where it goes from there. (Protect the downside….)

These outrageous statements and requests are what Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank fame calls “NOISE” and “SIGNAL.” O’ Leary says that the country should not confuse the NOISE with Trump’s SIGNAL. O’Leary has been doing business with Trump for years. He knows Donald Trump. The NOISE is what drives his opponents crazy (and most of it is their own doing, since Trump doesn’t actually care what their reaction is.) Detractors take him literally and then react wildly on the legacy press and say he’s crazy or he’s braggadocious or he’s all huff and puff and no action. They accuse him of lying or being out of touch with reality. They believe the outrageous statement he is making is his actual goal. This emotional reaction to what Trump says is what he desires to happen in negotiations. Actually, they have fallen into his negotiations trap. In reality, his actual goal lies hidden inside the outrageous statement.

What Trump actually wants by making these outrageous statements is the “SIGNAL.” This is the true goal of the outrageous statement or request.

I understand NOISE and SIGNAL. In audio recording, an engineer wants a pure signal with very little noise, also known as “static.” This makes a good recording. But Trump wants the opposite; he wants a lot of NOISE to begin his negotiations. Trump’s SIGNAL is hidden within the NOISE.

Take, for example, Trump’s feud with Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. In January, 2025 after taking office, in a series of tweets and speeches, Trump made these statements: In order for California to receive federal funds to help victims of the wildfires in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena, California would have to: 1) require voter ID in order to vote in an election, and 2) turn the water on from northern California to send water to the central valley and southern California. This was Trump’s NOISE, and it worked. The press went crazy! (Get the word out.) Democrats in Congress went crazy! (Maximize the options.) Newsom went crazy! (Know your market.) And Trump accomplished what he set out to do – open negotiations – where he could deliver his SIGNAL. Everyone in Washington DC and in California was now talking about relief for California wildfires.

In reality, when Trump landed in Air Force One, who was there to greet him on the tarmac? Governor Newsom. And when Trump spoke briefly to the press, the president said, “We’re going to get them everything they need.” Trump was on his way to negotiating with Newsom, Los Angeles, and the rest of California. What is Trump’s real goal? Trump wants to turn California from a blue state to a red state and rid California of Newsom. This is Trump’s ultimate SIGNAL. But to do that, he would have to deliver small SIGNALS along the way. He was never going to deny federal aid to California wildfire victims. But he had everybody talking!

After touring the burn scar in Palisades and speaking to both victims and L.A. City and L.A. County firefighters, Trump met with city officials, state representatives, Congresspersons, and other community leaders. Fire victims and firefighters were also present at that meeting. During that time, Trump discussed what he came to discuss – the need for California to alter its present strategies for fighting wildfires in the state (Trump’s SIGNAL) because California’s present approach to controlling wildfire does not work.

Trump promised three things: 1) Federal money to assist in the cleanup and rebuilding of Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena. 2) All red tape would be eliminated in expediting the funds needed. 3) Small Business Administration personnel would come to California to assist small business owners to reopen their businesses.

But Trump went further than anyone expected him to do. (Use your leverage.) Trump stood beside every homeowner that was anxious to get back on their property, clear their property, and rebuild their property by doing four things: 1) Trump demanded that homeowners be allowed to return to their property immediately. 2) Trump demanded that homeowners be allowed to start cleanup of their property immediately – as soon as they could arrange for a dumpster and a contractor. Homeowners had already been told on the previous night that cleanup would take eighteen months. 3) Trump demanded that homeowners, as a payment for their pain, suffering, and endurance, be allowed to increase the size of their homes by 10-15%. (Local officials had already stated that homes must be rebuilt to the same original specifications.) 4) Trump demanded that red tape be slashed and permitting be an onsite process – no waiting for permits. Part of his demand was that the Coastal Commission not be a part of the permitting process. Homeowners and firefighters applauded his ideas.

It was suggested to Trump that he assign a person to oversee the federal funds and how they are to be spent much as such was done on 9/11. (California has a habit of funneling funds to other pet projects. 2014’s Prop 1 which was voted on and passed to build reservoirs has not resulted in a single reservoir being built. Karen Bass directed 6 million be spent on homelessness in Los Angeles when she took office. The result: Homelessness increased.) Trump liked the idea.

Of course, city officials balked just like they have always done. California residents affected by the 2018 Woolsey fire are still waiting for funding and permits to rebuild. Trump and Mayor Karen Bass had a “back and forth” about what could be done and why it would take at least a week for cleanup to begin due to hazardous waste liabilities. Trump wanted things to be done immediately. Bass hesitated. Hazardous waste operations usually take weeks.

Since the round table at Station 69, it has come to light that the Chief Kristin Crowley of L.A. Fire Department had made a request two years earlier to dedicate two fully equipped fire crews to clearing brush and maintaining fire lines to bolster what was presently done by a group of teen/young adult volunteers twice a week who were preparing to become firefighters. She also wanted funding for additional firefighters and mechanical personnel to repair the nearly 100 vehicles that were out of service. Her request was denied. Los Angeles did indeed fail her.

My prediction: Unless Bass is recalled and new leadership installed, in four years only a percentage of homes in Palisades will be rebuilt, the Coastal Commission will interfere with rebuilding in Malibu, and Altadena will have a lower percentage of homes rebuilt than Palisades. And it will not be the federal government that is the problem.

You may not like Donald Trump, but a majority of electoral voters do, 77 million popular voters do, and a growing proportion of voters (not just Republicans) in Democratic states do. Consider the three Democrats in his administration who switched parties to endorse Trump. Consider that the owner of the liberal Los Angeles Times admitted that he erroneously backed Harris. Instead of repeating what you hear from the press (the press has lied to you for four years about Biden) or hear from friends or hear from social media, pause and consider that Trump is a president unlike any other president since McKinley. He is a businessman, a builder, and a very efficient negotiator. Try to separate the NOISE of Trump’s outrageous claims during press conferences and speeches from the true SIGNAL. Ask yourself, “What is Trump’s ultimate goal in making an outrageous statement or a bombastic claim? What is he hoping to accomplish? What is his SIGNAL?”

You may start to look at Trump with different eyes, or at least, you may consider that President Trump is not the hollow, vapid TV personality you once thought him to be.