Tony Schwartz—the journalist who ghostwrote the book that cemented Donald Trump as a celebrity mogul back in the 80s—told the New Yorker in a new interview that Trump is a "sociopath" with "a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance."Trump's 1987 book The Art of the Deal made the tycoon a mainstream icon, due in large part to Schwartz's punchy, declarative writing voice, meant to mimic Trump's tone. "Tony created Trump," Schwartz's former editor told the New Yorker. "He's Dr. Frankenstein."Schwartz has remained relatively silent thus far into Trump's presidential run, worried that his "motives would be seen as suspect," according to the New Yorker—but by June, he decided he'd stayed quiet long enough."I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is," Schwartz says in the newly published interview. "I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization."Schwartz also goes into details about the meetings with Trump for The Art of the Deal. "It's impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes," he says, later remarking that "if he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it's impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time."The whole interview is up on the New Yorker's site right now and will be printed in the July 25 issue. Give it a read here and marvel at what the American political system has become.Read: Wait, What Would Happen if Donald Trump Actually Became President?
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