'Economic wrath': Trump’s 'Art of the Deal' bona fides dogged by 'chaos'

Back in 1987 — 29 years before he won the 2016 presidential race — Donald Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal," soared to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List. And 38 years after its publication, "The Art of the Deal" continues to sell.

Trump, in 1987, bragged about being a dealmaker in the real estate world — and these days, he brags about his dealmaking in politics. But according to Axios reporters Dave Lawler and Zachary Basu, Trump's "global dealmaking blitz" of 2025 "is facing new obstacles, with early optimism eclipsed by broken ceasefires, pissed-off allies and thinning patience at home and abroad."

In an article published on April 1, Lawler and Basu explain, "Ten weeks isn't a long time in foreign policy. But it was Trump who promised instant results — and Trump whose 'Art of the Deal' credentials are at risk if chaos consumes his early presidency."

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One longtime U.S. ally Trump is alienating is Canada. Trump favors a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States, and Canada is retaliating with a 25 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Adding to the tensions is Trump repeatedly saying that Canada needs to become "the 51st state."

"Nothing has redefined America's relationship with the world like Trump's plans for sweeping tariffs, which will come to a head on Wednesday, (April 2) — or what he calls 'Liberation Day,'" Lawler and Basu report. "Leaders all over the world are seeking last-minute deals to avoid tariffs, while lamenting that Trump hasn't actually made clear what they could do to placate him. So instead, they're vowing retaliation — setting the stage for a massive global trade war that could plunge the U.S. and other countries into a recession."

Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney is being blunt, lamenting, "The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over."

Lawler and Basu note that Trump's "ambitions for big international deals are hitting early hurdles," and the reporters cite Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran as examples.

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"On tariffs," the Axios reporters observe, "it's unclear if Trump is actually using them as leverage to cut deals — as Wall Street once assumed — or if he wants the levies in place long-term. Blue chip companies have announced billions of dollars of investments in the U.S. to try to preempt the tariffs and get on Trump's good side — Exhibit A for why Republicans remain optimistic about his trade strategy. But countries uncertain of how to protect themselves from Trump's economic wrath are starting to look elsewhere."

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Read the full Axios article at this link.