The man who co-authored Trump: The Art of the Deal (and in doing so helped boost Donald Trump’s public profile) clearly feels terrible about it and wants to make it up to the world.
To that end, ghostwriter Tony Schwartz has been busily giving away his royalties from the book, which have swelled alongside Trump’s political ascent. On Tuesday, Schwartz made his latest donation: $55,000 to the National Immigration Law Center, an organization that aids low-income immigrants.
“I’m giving to NILC approximately $55,000, which represent the most recent royalties from The Art of the Deal,” Schwartz said at a press conference announcing the donation. “Those are the highest royalties the book has earned since the very very early period and I don’t intend to keep another dollar of those royalties.”
During the conference, Schwartz commended NILC as a place powered by “people who believe in bridges, not in walls.” The statement was an apparent shot at Trump, who has made building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a central part of his campaign.
“Our hope for the future rests in our capacity to move from the perspective of 'me,' which Donald Trump so embodies, to one of 'we.'”
This is the second time Schwartz has donated his book royalties to the organization, and he pledged it won’t be the last.
“Most of us come from families ... that immigrated to this country at some point in pursuit of their version of the American dream,” he explained. “My own family has roots in Russia and in Germany. I deeply believe that our hope for the future rests in our capacity to move from the perspective of ‘me,’ which Donald Trump so embodies, to one of ‘we.’”
Schwartz said he hoped his donation would underscore “the importance of mutual understanding, care and respect for one another, regardless of race, religion or national origin.”
Earlier this summer, Schwartz said he would have never written the book had he known Trump might one day run for president, telling the New Yorker he has a “deep sense of remorse” for raising Trump’s public profile.