User Reviews

First off, the other reviewers complaining about the "bias" in this documentary are being overly sensitive. While there are definitely opinions about his character offered by the people being interviewed at certain points (I don't think it's particularly unreasonable to have an opinion about Trump not acknowledging the construction workers who actually did all of the labor, or worse, not paying them on time), the vast majority of what's presented are facts. These facts are well-documented both from news publications and from interviews with people who've known him for decades (both friends and detractors). For good measure, there are even excerpts from historical interviews with the man himself (although, thankfully, he was not interviewed for the making of this documentary). It's neither a character assassination nor is it anything that will fuel his cult of personality (which is perhaps what has offended his supporters so much); I could hardly imagine a more neutral assessment of Trump's life leading up to his election. However, I do feel like it doesn't quite go into enough depth. The first 3 episodes have a really nice narrative put together, but something about the final episode doesn't feel complete to me. I think maybe they should have gone the extra mile and covered all the circumstances of him actually running in 2016 and securing the presidency. Additionally, although not as necessary, it would have been interesting to have a bit about his life before he was 27. Some interviews with people who knew him as a teenager/young adult would have maybe revealed some more as to how he ended up being the person he is. Either way, unless you're the most fervent Trump supporter who only wants to hear superlative after superlative about your Dear Leader, An American Dream will keep you entertained from start to finish and helps to put everything into context for those of us who aren't old enough to remember his persona from the 70s/80s/90s.

I think this uncovers a lot here, haven't been giving Trump enough credit for his shrewdness and tactical approach to becoming President - don't get me wrong, he is still and will always be a scumbag but it makes more sense now. I think it's a pretty fair assessment of his career.

Let me just say, this is NOT a feel good Trump series. Definitely a hit piece, be prepared. What I loved about this series is the same thing I Loved about the book The Art of the Deal. They both prove that Donald J Trump is and always has been exactly the same man. Has always thought the same way, spoke the same way, dressed the same way, had the same hand motions (fist pump in the air), same optimism and same vision. He takes after his mom in the way he speaks and he shares her unwavering faith that all will be great. Therefore, those who aren't fans today might try learning by reading the books. A note about the music: I didn't notice any music at all until Ep 4. Man, is it depressing doom music. And it goes on & on, like the Death Doom third "Ding-Dong" in Christmas Vacation, only over and over and over again. Really obvious and way over done.

Trump: An American Dream is a documentary mini-series that attempts a serious look at Donald J. Trump, but ultimately does little more than rehash what has been known about him for close to 40 years of being in the public conscience.

He's shown to have a massive ego.

He's shown to be petty.

He's shown to be a womanizer.

He's shown to be dismissive of factual criticism, and will ad hominem instead of face the facts.

He's shown to have a firm belief in himself.

None of what this docu-series focuses on is anything new. And yet, there are a couple things which were mentioned in passing, but could have provided more an in-depth look at the man and been a much more interesting character study.

The first is the relationship he had with his father. Yes, Fred Trump built buildings too, but not to show off wealth or even buy his way into the upper crust of the New York City social scene. He built apartments that, for an increasingly expensive city to live in, were much more affordable. I was left wondering if Donald Trump actually had this drive to outdo his father, or perhaps a better question, go where his father didn't want to? I think if that question were to be answered, we'd all have a much better understanding of the man Donald Trump.

The second thing that was brought up briefly, but not pursued further, was even his closest and perhaps most trusted friends said they weren't sure what his beliefs actually are, if in fact he has any at all. For someone who has cast himself as a political outsider and found an appeal to a wide range of people, to latch onto someone that might not believe in anything is very fascinating to me. Except this was not pursued at all, only hinted at, in this docu-series.

Overall, it's just another thing that exists that will confirm whatever bias one has about Donald Trump. However, it could have been so much more.

When I saw this title on Netflix, my first thought was "Oh god, Donald Trump paid someone to make a propaganda documentary about himself". There were no reviews on IMDB yet, so I just decided I would give the first episode a chance.

I found it to be actually very interesting and watched the whole thing over 2 afternoons. It isn't biased towards him. It tells the story and just shows what a true sociopath he really is, and how he is a master of using hyperbole at all times to inflate his image and whatever he may be attempting to do.

Donald Trump understands the game and how do use the media to his advantage, even when everything appears to be falling apart. He is possibly the greatest con artist that the world as ever seen.

Whether you like him or not, it's entertaining to watch, and it definitely says some things that the president would not approve of. Judging from some of the stories, I'm amazed that anyone actually has the balls to say anything negative about him on a documentary, knowing he enjoys threatening to sue anyone that has an opinion that doesn't show him in a positive light. Maybe this documentary will be the end of Netflix. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this documentary is suddenly no longer available in a week or 2.

Although I really liked the historical perspective given on Trump, the producers tipped their hand as to how they wanted to portray him by only including people who have a negative view of him. Too bad they could not just report the facts or include people who have a positive view of him...which there are millions. In the end though I think the viewer can only admire the persona of the guy as a truly American original. The good and the bad of who we are as a people!

Trump is good at what he does. He is not afraid to do the things that most of us would never dream of. He wanted to invest in New York real estate in the mid 1970's but he needed massive tax cuts to afford his property. What does he do? Hires the lawyer for the head of the five NY crime families. Suddenly - he gets the city to cut him tax breaks for seemingly any investment. That act began his momentum that would go through many highs and lows but end up as the 45th President of the United States. Love him or hate him - he is not stupid but he will most likely rip you off.

This is not a documentary. Its just twisted propaganda from the demented democrats. This is why life long Democrats, like myself, have left this deranged party that cant even tell the difference between female & male anymore.

As a Hispanic American i am proud to say that the rise of DJT is quite possibly the greatest thing that has happened in American History in a long long time. The Great Awakening!

It is a perfect view of one of the most brilliant and yet broken people in America. Each episode is well rounded and contains thoughtful elements to help lead to a better understanding of Mr. Trump. Everyone in the US, heck, everyone in the world, needs to see this series. It is a reflection of us all as a people. That well packaged 'Snake Oil' can be sold as 'Cream of Caviar'. That we have lost our ability to critically think to favor what is easy and comfortable to believe. We have done too much of this in the past. Turn the mind to the facts. Watch the show. Whether you are a die hard Trump fan or a staunch opponent, it will not be comfortable to watch. That is not "Fake News".

Even though this documentary is full of deranged left wing propaganda against Trump, it still shows how amazing and powerful Trump truly is. And his use of the power of positive thinking to achieve his goals really shines in this film. He knows what he wants and he is not afraid to go for it and wont let anyone, especially reporters and politicians, stand in his way! Trump is clearly what every American should strive to be: successful, confident and unapologetic!

The Netflix documentary "Trump: An American Dream" is either a totally false hit job or a terrifying piece of truth. Whether fact or fiction, it's amazingly entertaining. The story it tells is of Donald Trump as an egomaniac sociopath Driven by Daddy issues. But also, while mainly negative, it also shows the story of Donald Trump as one in which he continually takes on challenges he's not ready for (and which many people doubt he can achieve) and yet succeeds by pushing through on pure will, combined with a simple philosophy of "if they punch you, punch back harder."

I was wondering if it's be a full scope of donald trump of just more left rhetoric. it starts off unbiased to rope you in but quickly become a savage documentary to demonize trump.

Trump always wanted to run for presidency in case his real estate business failed. And of course it did! If you are interested in American contemporary history, I'd highly recommend this docu series. I'm a sucker for archival documentaries so yes I loved watching this. The beginning is a little slow paced, but the pace picks up soon and although you won't get to know anything majorly scandalous about Trump, it's still a good watch. For storytellers - Watching docu series is a good practice to learn sorting and sequencing for your films because when you are playing with so much footage, you really need to spend time and patience to sort it out. And trust me that's an art. l would have played around with the sequence a little to end the documentary on a wicked note. The ending seemed a little hasty. But other than that this is a decent documentary to watch. Available on Netflix.

With the astonishing rate of produced documentaries by Netflix, which were almost all - one by one - pure gems. I obviously had high expectations for this one. We all know the Donald from the gossip magazines and tv shows. Even for someone like me who was born in Europe, Trump was a familiar name. Sadly enough this docu-serie was simply not living up to that quality that was coming out in all of those months.

The summary was actually really promising: Friends, associates and critics reveal the truly American story of Donald Trump, the brash businessman who defied the odds to become U.S. president. So I gave it a go and watched the whole thing in one day.

Was this finally an in depth insight in the - at times - very bizar personality of this man? Are we learning more about Donald's childhood? I hate to disappoint, but that's exactly the key word to describe this documentary. One BIG disappointment. First of all if I wanted to know all the gossip that all the newspapers wrote about him right from the 70's; I would have gone on the internet or the local library and searched all the articles that were published in all of this years. I don't need 4 episodes filled with an hour of chatting about all the things we already knew about him. There was just no straight line in this documentary. What are they trying to teach me here? That this guy is one of the most bizarre persons that ever walked this planet? Sure I think we already knew this.

In short: If you are hoping to understand more about the person Trump is, how he seems to get in to the heads of people and why he ever could have become president. Don't watch this documentary. It just doesn't know what it wants to tell you, so it tells you all and nothing at the same time. Such a shame!

Anyone familiar with this topic BEFORE 2011 won't consider it a 'hit piece'. It'll be a historical record. I followed him since the early 80's. At the time, I'd never seen anyone who continually referred to himself in third person. Plus, if I'd spoken of others the way he did, my parents would have... um... disciplined me until I demonstrated actual social skills.

As a film critic, I have to bring to my viewers, reviews, which cover almost every genre, rest your suggestions are always invited. Today, we are going to have an insight into fifty decades of Donald J. Trump's life through the British documentary 'Trump: An American Dream.' Before I start, I would like to say that you would enjoy this review if you at least have some interest in Donald's life or you are a keen watcher or reader of documentaries. Season1 Episode 1: "Manhattan" The show begins with focussing on young Donald who seeks to succeed in his father's real estate business. Trump, was a lesser-known brand in New York those days, so Donald wishes to buy and renovate 'The Commodore Hotel', which was the biggest hotel in New York. He successfully made the deal with a forty years tax abatement. He opened this hotel as 'The Grand Hyatt' just after two years. It is Donald's first major project. Along with his professional life, we get an insight into his personal life too, when he marries 'Ivana' and have a family with him. Ivana was a dynamic model as well as deeply involved in Donald's businesses. Now, Donald plans to bring a grand sky scrapper, 'Trump Tower' in New York. He demanded tax abatement for it too but Mayor 'Ed Koch' refused. Trump instructs his lawyer, 'Ray Cohn' to sue the city. On July 5th, 1984, the State's Court of Appeals delivered its verdict in Donald's favour. Episode 2: "The Gambler" After successfully building his empire in New York City, now he wishes to enter the casinos business in the 'Atlantic City'. On 14th May 1984, he opens his first casino, 'Trump Plaza' and further soon he builds the second one, 'Trump Castle'. Between 1983 and 1987 Donald Trump brought an airline, a yacht, a football team, the Mar-a-Lago mansion, and a private jet. He also publishes a book, 'The Art of the Deal' which becomes the no.1 seller. Also, his relationship with Ivana turns out to be quite a bitter day by day and his focus now shifts towards 'Marla Maples' who is also a very successful model. Everything in his business is also not fine. In March 1988, he pays $408 million for 'The Plaza Hotel, New York'. His political presence seems to take birth during these years. Mike Dunbar petitions him to run for President but he declines. In April 1988, he buys the third much grand casino, The Taj Mahal. Episode 3: "Citizen Trump" In this episode, we see how his professional, as well as personal life, turns into a turmoil. One by one his casinos were under a huge debt which he was unable to pay. He divorces Ivana and marries Marla. Forbes said that his casinos were based on borrowed money. He decides to sell shares in his own company. Stock market floatation raises over $1.2 billion bringing him good luck. But in the end, he divorces Marla after three and a half years of marriage. Episode 4: "Politics" In 2000, he was wondering to run for the President of the United States of America from the Reform party but backs out. Similarly, he doesn't run in 2012. He marries a supermodel 'Malania Knavs.' He makes a reality show 'The Apprentice' and its ratings were huge. He publishes another book 'The Art of the comeback.' Rest we see how he ran successfully on Republican Party's ticked in 2016 and rose to the ultimate seat of power. Personally speaking, I don't find him to be very good either in professional or in personal terms. He uses money, force, and power all the time. Well, the report of his political career is yet to come.

The documentary is very well made with some rare clips of his life. I give it a rating of seven out of ten stars.

I am not a Trump fan and the title is misleading. I thought this was going to be celebrating Trump but was pleasantly surprised. It is an objective look at Trump's life. I learnt some new things about Trump and his life. The image he portrays is far from the truth. Interesting how he was in big debts and was more a television personality than the calculating businessman he wants you to believe.

Netflix has also made great progress in its documentaries. They are now made with more flair and good graphics. For example the old Trump photos they showed were brought to life and enhanced well.

The documentary is good and informative, mostly you can see more of the controversial figure which is Trump. Nevertheless you get a feeling of an incomplete while watching it, in my opinion it should be more complete and in someways appellative. Even so it gets a positive rating of 7 because it shows interviews of some people who were involved in Trump's life and in general is good.

This Documentary just confirmed a lot of the rumors and things that I heard in the early 90's about this guy. The sad part is how people still voted for a "Con-Artist" and a "Scammer" .

One thing i will give Trump, he does know when to "pull the trigger" his timing is great but then again that's how great "Con-Artists" work.

Hope this nightmare is over soon. What a joke smh.

Anyone who's followed him over the years will know that he's always been the same. He figured out the way the world of finance worked and was given a toehold in the construction industry by his Dad. He learned how to be ruthless and learned how to deal with the sharks in the world of property development, finding out very quickly that a promise in that business is as reliable as a frayed rope.

You have to cut him some slack in his early days for the way he chased the chicks and played the tycoon, most of the guys I knew when I was that age would have been even worse because they were all piss tanks... the Donald didn't and doesn't drink.

And so this doc follows him through his flights and his crashes.

What the majority of people don't seem to realize is that these experiences made him more qualified than any lawyer or academic to run the country because he knows that you have to back up threats with consequences. He's been screwed over by the best of them in both the development and the entertainment business and has been flayed alive by the press...

Yet, he's survived it all and risen to The President's job. That's some kind of achievement, whether you like it or not and whether you like HIM or not.

Most people too,, don't realize that you can't be nice as a politician and be successful.

You have to be decisive, and sometimes ruthless, because there's always someone on the opposite side of the issue who wants it done their way and thinks their way is better. If you show any sort of indecision you'll get trampled by the herd

He has to hide these qualities and make sure he doesn't come across as an ill-tempered individual. You have to work on a reputation as a battler who likes to get things done and let them know there'll be trouble if you piss him off.

He's mostly driven by a winners and losers mentality and I don't think there's much room in his mind for things like Social Conscience.

I think it's fair to say that he can't stand idiots..... and politics is ground zero for them.

My take on him is that if you are a hardworking and responsible citizen then you'll be able to benefit from his policies.

As for his morals and his women chasing, well there's been many worse than him in public life and let he who is without sin from the great unwashed ... cast the first stone.

Quite a good series, if a little shallow but it's worth a watch if you want to understand the man's motivations a bit more.

Donald Trump is an extremely flawed man, there is no argument there. However, liberals over played their hand in this hit piece. They want us to believe they couldn't find one person that said nice things about him? Then you have the ultra liberal Barbara Res saying "she" built the tower? Oh really, was it bought and paid for by you? Were you the only worker out there? You were hired to do a job. A job that you wouldn't have if Trump didn't use his funds, his connections, etc. Should Trump acknowledge her and construction companies? Yes. She overplayed her hand and revealed an ugly side of herself while ironically trying to say something ugly about Trump. Reminded me of when Obama said people didn't build their companies. My Dad and mom busted their butts and built a highly successful company that all of us kids worked long hours helping. Don't recall ever seeing Obama at our dinner table after a long day of work. Barbara's bio says Engineer, Attorney, Mediator, Author Construction Manager, Former Trump EVP. She worked for him for years but says he's a monster and she's now using his name in her bio to charge $7,000 and up for speaking fees. I guess she could say Trump built her. Oh the irony.

Can it be more clear? So exciting and fascinating story, good luck America!

I'm not sure if this apparent attempt at a hit piece is supposed to make me not like him, but instead it makes me like him more. Anyone that doesn't understand how he became president doesn't understand success, winning, and killer instinct work!