The excerpt from Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" highlights the pervasive corruption associated with Donald Trump's various business ventures, ranging from real estate in New York to his hotels and golf courses. Each enterprise is described as tainted, suggesting a pattern of unscrupulous dealings that would typically disqualify a candidate from political contention. Despite this, Trump's candidacy embraced this image of corruption as part of his appeal, portraying himself as a tough businessman willing to take risks.
This acceptance of corruption as a component of his platform is intriguing, as it implies that voters were attracted to his willingness to challenge norms and operate outside traditional political ethics. The narrative indicates that rather than face persecution for these questionable deals, Trump managed to normalize them, effectively convincing supporters that his business acumen and tough approach were valuable traits for a leader. It reveals a complex interplay between business and politics in Trump's rise to prominence.