NPR sells itself as a voice of civility, an oasis away from the haters and the shouters. But many NPR stations run the show “Marketplace” from American Public Media. On Wednesday night, host Kai Ryssdal interviewed author Zac Bissonette, author of the book Good Advice From Bad People.
Ryssdal raised eyebrows with this declaration: “Alright, we will start with a guy for whom I personally believe there is a special place in Hell reserved. His name is Donald Trump.”
Ryssdal continued with a Trump quote: “And he says ‘You have to be confident as you face the world each day, but you can’t be too cocky. Anyone who thinks they’re going to win them all is going to wind up a huge loser.” I believe this man still thinks he’s going to be president, for crying out loud.”
Bissonette replied: “That line from Donald Trump comes from his book Trump: Surviving at the Top, which he got the contract for right at the height of his Art of the Deal power, and by the time the book came out in 1991, Donald Trump’s empire was in serious trouble, born of his own sort of narcissism and overconfidence.”
"It just struck me about a year ago, how easy it is to become an inspirational icon or a self-help expert and that kind of thing," says Bissonnette. "And how often, the people who we look to for wisdom are terrible at following their own advice
He added: “Most of the CEOs that I found were cultivating personality-driven brands right at the apex of their careers, right before it all goes to hell...In our desperate need for motivational figures, we make almost no effort to vet them.”
