Author Tony Schwartz, who co-wrote Donald Trump’s best-selling book “The Art of the Deal,” believes the president is now being driven by just one instinct: self-preservation.

On Thursday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Beat,” Schwartz told host Ari Melber that he feels that Trump appears to be increasingly “lost” amid multiple controversies ― from the Iran war to the ongoing fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files.

“I honestly don’t think he has the marbles to do anything,” Schwartz said.

The writer argued that Trump is “without any instincts other than self-preservation in the immediate moment, and that self-preservation in the immediate moment means he sets himself up for lots of terrible things going forward.”

Schwartz, who has spent years criticizing Trump, also suggested that the president’s relationship with reality is increasingly detached.

“Reality has no meaning to him,” Schwartz said. “Reality is what he makes it in that moment. And in some measure, he believes it. The problem for him right now is most people don’t.”

Watch here:

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.