Presidents write memoirs. They are fascinating. Most are ghostwritten with respect to the actual chapter/paragraph/sentence structure, but the former president goes over significant events in his presidency and discusses who said what and when, and how decisions were made. They sell big. Ask Obama – the one author who doesn’t need a ghostwriter. And Obama has only published the first half.

Trump published a coffee table book-like-product full of pictures (very little actual reading needed). Now, apparently, Trump plans on releasing a book of letters written to him. Lots of reading but he didn’t have to read it or – God forbid – write it. It does contain some of his letters he wrote to others but you understand.

First, you know the letters to him will be glowing. Everyone on earth knows that if you want something from Trump you tell him that you doubt there is a stronger man on earth, you wish you’d have had a chance with so many women and that history is looking at him to save the world. Every autocrat on Earth wrote somethng like that to Trump. He would probably give me the million I need to keep saying the above daily when needed. He likes people who clip articles, I write fast enough I could do my own and say it was in the New York Times. Done properly, it could also finish him as a candidate but that’s a story for another day. Thought interesting…

Second, Trump is publishing these letters without getting the permission of the people that wrote the letters. This comes naturally to Trump, who published the pictures taken of him as president even though he never took the pictures, and traditionally, the photographer publishes the book and gets the money from their work. This picture, by Pete Souza will end up in the Smithsonian, provided we still have one, not a “Ministry of Patriotism”

But Trump takes what Trump wants. Except now he’s up against some big names and not a White House photographer that he can stomp all over. From Rawstory:

He may face potential lawsuits in doing so. It is unclear whether Trump has the legal right to publish the letters without the sender’s permission, and former Tonight Show host Leno has told Newsweek he did not grant Trump permission to share any letters from him,” the report states before adding, “The principle that the writers of the letters, not the recipients, retain the copyright has been “well-established in copyright law” for hundreds of years according to Jane C. Ginsburg, professor of literary and artistic property Law at Columbia University School of Law in New York.”

You would think that the publisher would know this important fact. Maybe they didn’t care. Trump wants money upfront to “pre-order” and the publisher might say that Trump said he had permission from everyone, just assuming he did.

Add another lawsuit to the fire.
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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, SUBSTACK: MUCH LEFT ADO

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13 COMMENTS

  1. We still have to see him everywhere. Here, other social media sites, on t.v. I’m literally sick of him. I gag when I hear his voice. Having said that – I want him indicted and convicted, and incarcerated. Being past POTUS – I don’t expect it.People make the base seem sooooo BIG – it’s not. I don’t expect his books to sell except for a memorabilia issue.

    18
    • Believe me. I hear you. I would rather write about the Ag bill’s impact on the trout farms in the West. But the numbers show what they show. People are mostly interested in him being punished for what he did and continues to do.

      But your feelings are 100% understandable.

      12
      • Around this time I love watching Nicolle’s show, Deadline: White House…..but nowadays I just turn the channel when tfpresidunce is the focus.

    • Like Jr’s book, the RNC will buy enough copies to make it a “best seller” and then hand them out as door prizes when he’s finally in prison (hey, one can dream right?).

  2. Does it include the ‘love letters’ from that egg shaped despot with the bowl cut hair style from North Korea? How about a thank you note from the Saudis for cleaning up all the body parts of a Washington post journalist and getting Israel’s nuclear secrets? Or, does it include all the pillow talk with the child killer from Moscow? Did he get one from the KKK or the neo-nazis thanking him for keeping the jews and ni**ers in their place? Call me curious because I read a lot of books. If it has pictures, are there any of Russian ladies of the night squatting over his face? Curiosity has me in its grip.

    15
  3. It probably is not a coincidence that the book publishing company is connected to Don Jr. So, it’s going to be a yuuuuge bestseller. Or, a major screw up. I’ll take option 2.

  4. Fun facts……. Dumb Jr. is the co-founder of the publisher “Winning Team Publishing”.

    ….you can get a personally autographed copy for the low, low price of only $399!!!

  5. The important fact: ‘“Well-established in copyright law for hundreds of years.”

    He can’t publish these letters, he doesn’t own the copyright.

    He forgets that he loses against those who sue him now.

  6. I wondered about it when you wrote that the publisher would know about copyright laws, but then I came to the comment that “Winning Team Publishing” is another Trump family creation – asked and answered. Now I wonder if Jay Leno has already contacted a lawyer…😁😁😁😁

  7. With Baby Donnie being involved in the publishing firm, you really expect him to know ANYTHING about copyright (or anything else past shooting endangered species in between sourcing cocaine supplies)?

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