SALENA ZITO: The art of getting to know Trump.

Obama’s books defined his public image in a large part because the political class gushed and plowed their way through his words for insights into the candidate; who was he? Was there evidence in his words that pointed to the central promise of his campaign? Could he of all people reconcile a divided country?

It literally was the most vetted book in American politics.

Donald Trump’s “The Art of the Deal”? Not so much. Which is a shame because any reporter who read the book before embarking on covering this presidential candidate, eventual nominee and now president-elect would have a much deeper understanding of who he is, how he operates and how he’ll behave going forward.

Written nearly 30 years ago (along with Tony Schwartz) it is just as revealing as Obama’s was, in terms of insights into the way this man thinks, his experiences and how he approaches business.

It serves as a blue-print for how he ran his campaign.

Read the whole thing.