I would say this is a conundrum for Trump’s glassy-eyed loyalists, but they’ve shown a propensity for justifying his every move, even if it’s in direct opposition to their long held beliefs about who he is and what he’s built his very name upon.

Tony Schwartz is the ghostwriter responsible for Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal.” It was a best-seller that Trump cultists likely feel is sacred text, since his being a “great businessman” is what they believe to be his main qualification for the presidency.

We’ll just sit on the fact that he’s had as many or more business failures as successes.

On Thursday, Schwartz appeared on CNN’s “New Day” and discussed his experiences with Trump, as well as Trump’s man-crush on Vladimir Putin.

“I mean, just the fact that last night he said so many complimentary things about Vladimir Putin ought to be a sign to his supporters that this is a man who wants to be a dictator,” Schwartz said. “He wants to be able, like Putin, to declare the equivalent of martial law. We can’t have that person be president.”

Schwartz has previously spoken out about his remorse for what he considers his culpability in building up a false persona of Trump as a savvy, rational businessman. He wrote a piece for the New Yorker in July, expressing his thoughts on who Trump really is. In that op-ed, he wrote:

“I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is,” Schwartz said. “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”

Of course, Trump reacted to Schwartz’s interview with CNN with the calm reason that the world has come to expect from him.

He launched into a late night Twitter tirade.

Dummy writer @tonyschwartz, who wanted to do a second book with me for years (I said no), is now a hostile basket case who feels jilted! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2016

I havn't seen @tonyschwartz in many years, he hardly knows me. Never liked his style. Super lib, Crooked H supporter. Irrelevant dope! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2016

Yet, you let him write a book for you and put your name to it. He has played a big part in creating the illusion of Trump.

So, the book that so many Branch Trumpidians point to as proof of what a “great businessman” Trump is was written by a man who Trump now says he hardly knows and that he never liked his style. How can they trust the book, under those circumstances, or trust the man who would put his name on that book and make it the basis for his rise?