Trump in Exile

by Meridith McGraw

Filled with deep insights and never-before-seen details, Trump in Exile is an explosive, all-access account from behind the scenes at Mar-a-Lago as former president Donald Trump regroups from an election defeat that he refuses to acknowledge and plots his return.

The Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, put a horrific closing note on a norm-shattering presidency, as the twice-impeached Donald Trump rode a wave of denial and resentment out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and crashed back at Mar-a-Lago—seemingly wounded, seemingly done.

But he wasn’t. And what, exactly, was he building in there?

Meridith McGraw vividly chronicles the incredible period of Trump’s exile in South Florida—a postpresidency like no other in American history—and brings us inside the gilded walls of his private club, where an alternate reality in which the 2020 election was stolen became Republican Party orthodoxy. How did the country go from Trump’s political banishment to his renewed dominance over his party, as he effortlessly destroyed the once-formidable Ron DeSantis and now stands on the verge of returning to the White House—all while facing the heavy shadow of multiple federal and state criminal indictments? The Mar-a-Lago period is essential for understanding Trump’s implausible resurgence and the many missed opportunities to stop him.

From a reporter who has covered the Trump era from its beginning, through the White House years, to his 2024 campaign, Meridith McGraw’s Trump in Exile is riveting contemporary history, vital to our understanding of this defining American moment.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "respectful, sobering, balanced" stars !!!

A ribbon of Excellence read for 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group. This will be released August 6, 2024. I am providing an honest review.

First of all I admire the respectfulness and clarity of this book. No mudslinging, sarcasm or scaremongering but a cogent, balanced and fair presentation of the information. This can be very difficult to do when dealing with this subject matter. Kudos !!

This is a clear and interesting summary of the years after Trump was defeated by Biden. We have a coherent, sequential and helpful book to help us understand how Trump once again is leading the Republican party in the upcoming American election.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Trump in Exile”, author Meridith McGraw examines Donald Trump's post-presidency, from his unprecedented exit from Washington, D.C., in January 2021 through his pursuit of the GOP nomination in early 2024. The book explores how Trump has maintained his power within the Republican Party despite setbacks like losing the 2020 election, the aftermath of January 6, 2021, and facing various scandals and criminal indictments.

With extensive experience covering Trump for ABC News and Politico, McGraw provides insightful analysis of Trump's political maneuvers. She examines his fundraising efforts, showing how they often benefit him more than the party, and explores conspiracy theories about his potential reinstatement in 2021 and his unconventional endorsements during the 2022 midterms.

The book also delves into his other post-presidency activities, strategic maneuvers, and plans for the 2024 election, highlighting his relentless pursuit of power. McGraw illustrates how numerous people made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to seek Trump’s approval or endorsement. Trump has perfected the ability to turn the media into a circus and portray himself as the victim in almost every situation.

Overall, I found the book both fascinating and frightening. I had forgotten about many of the events detailed in the book. As usual, Trump zaps all of the oxygen out of the room and leaves you mentally exhausted. However, it is essential that people pay close attention to him. He is a dangerous person and seemingly unfit to be president again! While I’m not a fan of Trump, I believe it is essential that we pay close attention to him so that we can save our democracy. Believe it or not, he will eventually fade from the Republican spotlight, but will our democracy survive? This book certainly gives one a lot to ponder on this critically important topic!!!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for the opportunity to read this ARC!!!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published August 6, 2024.

After Trump’s loss (yes, LOSS) in the 2020 Presidential election and the events of January 6, 2021 Trump left Washington and returned to Mar-a-Lago an embittered and wounded man. Many thought his political career was done.

It wasn’t. So what did he spend his time doing down there?

This book chronicles his time preparing for the 2024 election as he continued to whine about a “stolen” election (that wasn’t stolen), destroyed the political hopes of Ron DeSantis (forever? Quite possibly.), got ready for his upcoming criminal trials and, sadly, stands ready to serve as the Republican party’s nominee for President for the third time. God help us all.

“Before Donald Trump, a cardinal rule of American politics was that a candidate for president of the United States must articulate a positive vision for the future of the country.” Well, no more. He’s just a cancer, the author, a writer for “Politico,” knows it and tries to show readers why, while also showing why you can never count this bastard out. Some of the book is just a reminder of things you likely already knew, but it’s helpful (and depressing) to have it all in one place. Give it to someone who says he or she hasn’t made up his or her mind yet.

[AndrewMillerTheSecond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the time. I picked this up at B&N and hoped for some juicy insider details on the Trump post-presidency, but it reads more like a Wikipediaesque summary of his activities from 2021-2023 (and no disrespect to Wikipedia). The best part is about how Trump came to endorse JD Vance in the 2022 Ohio Republican senate primary—because he was telegenic and a “handsome son of a bitch”. Other than that, it’s thin gruel. The primary is papered over with nothing more than minimal info on how the Trump team decided to attack DeSantis. I assume by 2025ish there will be much better books chronicling Trump’s “exile”, if they aren’t already out there already. This one lands somewhere between 1 and 2 stars… yawn

[Mike Reiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good political book In August - this one has the breezy and detailed prose I was hoping for, but is lacking analysis and depth, like a politico article I guess (the authors day job). It’s also oddly outdated, since it was released this month, largely only focused on 2022.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I read the Audible version narrated by [author:Beth Hicks|11679934].]

This book focuses on the time Trump spent during the Biden presidency, recovering from his loss and moving steadily toward his 2024 run. This includes seeing the side effects of negative popularity from overturning Roe and the January 6 insurrection fade from the political discourse. This phases ends coming out of the 2022 United States elections which lacked a hoped for "red wave". However Trump did see revenge obtained in races where he could unseat the 10 House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump.

Coming out of that, Trumped sniped at his perceived rivals such as Ron "Desanctimonious" and got the GOP to line up behind him. This included his VP pick JD Vance who it appears Trump liked solely because feels Vance has the visual appeal for the role and is "good looking."

There are interesting details about how poorly he handled the secret documents case, handling the documents carelessly and letting the issue get tot he point of an FBI raid needlessly.

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meredith McGraw’s “Trump in Exile” breaks no major juicy bites, but unfurls a compelling and prescient narrative as to how Donald Trump recovered his political standing and emerged as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party. One thing that emerges from McGraw’s book is the importance of contingency: whether after the events of January 6th, the second impeachment trial, or the primary campaign against Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and others, Republicans specifically, and Americans generally, have had the opportunity to turn the page on Trump. That page has remained un-turned, and while alternative universes are plausible where Trump would have been consigned to the dustbin of history, that is not the reality consciously chosen by both GOP party leaders, donors, and rank-and-file voters.

Trump is deadly serious, and has been since January 2021, about returning to the White House. Nothing is more certain than Trump relishes power, and every shred of evidence points to a second term for Trump even more depraved and despairing for the country than Trump’s first term.

[Reverenddave]

This book repeats facts/descriptions with bizarre frequency. I think she noted that Trumps office at Mar-a-Largo was above the ballroom three times in as many pages. Couldve really benefited from another pass through by a content editor.

[Ross Williamson]

03082025: dnf @ 48%. this is excellent but i simply cannot make myself read about trump anymore with everything that is going down rn *buries head in sand*

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of Trump’s time post losing to Biden in 2020. The book finishes a little abruptly as a lot has happened since the publication of this work.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting account of how Trump managed to recapture control of the GOP (if he ever even lost it) in the wake of his loss in 2020 and so many events that you would have thought would end his political career. The bottom line is that it isn’t that complicated: he’s been able to use his massive popularity with the GOP base to keep the party’s elected officials and leadership in line and keep himself alive politically.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich in engrossing new detail of Trump’s post-presidency up to his first indictment; clearly a lot has happened since then, up to his second assassination attempt in 64 days, 51 days before the 2024 election. The question is no longer when or how the Donald Trump story will end, but if it will ever end. He only digs deeper into the national psyche, Lord know what’s next

[Dr. Alan Albarran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading Meridith McGraw's first book, Trump in Exile, within a day of the former President being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records or what will likely become known as the "Stormy Daniels payoff." Within hours Republicans claimed the trial was a sham and that Trump would win on appeal. The drama will continue.

Drama surrounds Trump, always has and probably always will. McGraw takes the reader from January 6, 2021 forward to the "comeback" if you will, to illustrate how Trump remained the center of the Republican Party, overcame key challenges from Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, to face incumbent Joe Biden in a repeat of the 2020 election.

McGraw's reporting is factual and spot on, and for the most part is very objective which is tough to do when writing about a very polarizing figure. Much of her book is on events that received a lot of news coverage, but there are a number of interesting facts and insights she adds to the story, especially how we learn about the changes in the leadership of the Republican Party towards a total pro-Trump entity .

I've read a lot about Trump, first because I am interested in Presidential biographies (as my many reviews will reflect), but also because he is an enigma; a once in a generation figure that will likely be studied 100+ years from now. This book will add to that body of knowledge, and fills an important role in that the gap between the two elections (2020 and upcoming in 2024) a lot happened in politics and the world.

My only question: Did the author ever interview Trump one-on-one at Mir-a-Lago, or is her reporting based on interviews with others and not the former President? I'm guessing no interview took place, or if it did it was not clear in the book. That doesn't really matter, but earlier in the year I read Maggie Haberman's book Confidence Man, and she did interview Trump on several occasions. That book, a biography, is a must read to understand Trump's life story. I will also mention Bob Woodward's The Trump Tapes, is fascinating as it is Trump in his own words from a series of interviews with Woodward over the four years of the Presidency. If you haven't read it, check out the audiobook version.

I want to thank author Meridith McGraw, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new title. I attest my review is original and unbiased.

[David Allen Hines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given Donald Trump's overwhelming victory in the November 2024 election, this book might have been a genius insider account of how he started his comeback. Instead, because of the author's blatant, overwhelming, obvious, snarky anti-Trump bias, I award this work one of my lowest-ever ratings.

It's shame because the author clearly had insider access. She is able to relate clearly and in good writing, the story of how Trump came back from his nadir after the riots of Jan 6th and open disdain from almost everyone, to again take control of the Republican Party and engineer the beginnings of his remarkable and successful comeback that saw not only him decisively regaining the presidency, but also winning the popular vote, which he didn't in either 2016 or 2020 and also leading his party to majorities in Congress and governor races.

The problem with the book is literally on almost every other page, the author's hatred and disdain for Trump comes through, time and time again. Page after page, Trump is put down for the events of January 6th, his point of view is never presented and every other page there is literally a veiled put down of Trump. And if she made any effort to interview him for his point of view, she never says so. As a result, an otherwise insightful insider account of the Trump comeback is pretty much ruined by her obvious bias. Despite the insights she does provide, you wonder if she didn't leave other inside information out just because it might have presented Trump more positively.

It is a real tragedy, because given the magnitude of Trump's November 2024 victory, an unbiased account of how he did it might have proven much more valuable now but because of the author's clear bias, this is not that account no matter how interesting her inside information and reporting is. The book also ends abruptly with the first primaries and might have been better if it had continued through Trump winning all the primaries.

Is this book worth reading if your are interested in Trump? Yes, simply because of some of the inside accounts not available yet elsewhere. But ultimately it is a book you cannot trust because of the bias of the author.

[Devon Galloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trump in Exile recounts Trump's disgraceful exit after January 6 only to return as the GOP's nominee in the 2024 presidential election. The book stops right after Trump's conviction in the New York case, so the book does cover very recent material. But it does not cover the Biden-Trump debate or the flurry of events that happened after it.

If you have been following politics since January 2021, much of the book will not be new to you. But the book does provide some interesting details about key events, such as the classified documents raid, the infamous lunch with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, the creation and botched rollout of Truth Social, and Trump's first interactions with J.D. Vance. Other key moments include Trump's vendettas with Liz Cheney and Ron DeSantis. Since Trump is a chaos agent, one tends to forget all the controversies surrounding his presidency and campaigns. McGraw does a good job retelling the key Trump campaign events from 2021 to 2024. McGraw also does a good job introducing you to the cast of characters surrounding Trump and how they play into his decision making.

Yet, the book's narrative could be better. For example, when McGraw introduces a character in Trump's world, she provides a good introduction about the person. But when that character is brought up again in later chapters, McGraw uses the same introduction, as if the reader was not already familiar with the character. At times, each chapter seemed like it was written like a longform Politico piece without much reference / context with the prior chapters. Some of the writing was also a bit hard to read as McGraw would try to put in too many facts in a simple sentence.

Nevertheless, I would recommend the book for those who want an explanation of why Trump still remains the king of the GOP, despite being written off politically on January 6. In McGraw's acknowledgments, she admits that this was her first book. I think she did an fairly good job, and she has good first work to take pride in.

[Grace Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who works in politics and is constantly consuming political information, Meridith McGraw's Trump in Exile was a very well-written compilation of Trump's years out of office after losing the 2020 election.

By nature, as a secondhand account, there's a lot of piecing together and having to tell the reader what happened, rather than personal or posthumous biographies. But, that being said, McGraw was able to bring the reader into the world of Trump and lay out out the timeline plainly and in an easy-to-digest manner.

I was impressed with her being able balance her integrity in the reporting while still underscoring the active danger the Stop-the-Steal movement poses to our future elections and democracy. The last chapter, in particular, was her strongest.

I enjoyed the book itself and do think that this is a great insight to the world that has been created since Trump's election and loss.

[David Allwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

On 20 January 2021 Donald Trump left the presidency in utter disgrace and was forced into exile. On 20 January 2025 Trump victoriously and shockingly returned to the office of President. So what occurred in the intervening four years in orchestrating one of the most unforeseen and incredible political comebacks? Unfortunately Meredith McGraw’s, ‘Trump in Exile’ which covers most of this period, does not provide any insights. A tedious and superficial read, the book merely re-tells already well-documented accounts of old news. This book offers no new understanding and no real analysis into how Trump achieved such a controversial turnaround. The book feels rushed and basic - providing a more detailed overview up to the 2022 midterms, and then cramming the remainder of the story into a brief epilogue. Unfortunately, the text reads like an extended ‘Politico’ article which didn’t make deadline. However, such significant political history deserves much more time and meticulous effort to provide a far greater understanding.

[Eadie Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book about Trump in exile after he loss the 2020 election to Joe Biden. The Democratic Party fooled us into believing that everything was ok with Joe Biden but we sadly all watched his failing mental ability leading to decisions that led to our failing economy. Prior to covid, Trump had retirement IRA's at an all time high. Inflation was low rewarding us with low prices for gasoline, food and everything we purchased. Under Trump's administration there were no new wars only those left by the prior administration. This book showed the ups and downs of Trump's political career since he lost the 2020 election. It is due to Biden's failures that Trump has become the choice of the Republican party. If you like books about politics than you will love Meridith McGraw's book. It is a honest update of the election so far. We can all watch and see what happens with the election as it is not cut in stone who will win.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fascinating read how a President can turn around the country at a blink of an eye. With no support to grand scale supporters. The book was a quick, fast, read. My question in back of my mind was how he was able to have a come back? The weakness became a strength. I’m not a Trump supporter. But, I will give him praise how he was able to move people back into his court. But, I never liked Trump from the beginning and what he represented.

How he was able to capture his base. His calculation to get the support and win many races for the Republican Party was remarkable. He knew to get support for them( the Cranks, and MAGA). He could win back the White House.

What we face now as United States of America. We are losing our democracy and headed to a fascist country as we speak. Each day becomes worse. Just hope we have activists who become leaders who rise to the occasion.

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super read. The initial pages of the book seemed to read like a "poor Trump" pity party but it really set the stage for the things that happened after. McGraw has a great writing voice -- she doesn't "talk" down to readers, but writes in an engaging manner so you almost feel like she's sitting with you telling you about what happened. She doesn't embellish or engage in gratuitous drama, but tells the story that needs to be told....and read...by everyone. It is one of those books that years from now will be a textbook for political science and criminal justice classes. McGraw takes readers into Mar-a-largo and introduces readers to the people who surround and enable Trump. Not just who they are today, but parts of their histories.

Definitely a must read book.

[Jonathan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Author Meridith McGraw has been marked safe from TDS."

While I certainly acknowledge that there is such a thing as TDS, the author does plenty to remind readers that there are good reasons Big T gets people so riled up.

I read this book hoping for an overview of the last 4 years as I was not following Trump world very closely. And it did a pretty good job of meeting those expectations.

Gives you a thumbnail sketch of Susie Wiles, his campaign manager (and now Chief of Staff). Fills in some details on Trump's beef with DeSantis. Explains the genesis of Vance as VP.

None of it goes too far beyond the headlines, but it's worth it just to have a less shrill, hair-on-fire tone for the narrative. The book ends before any of the assassination attempts.

[Andrew L · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGraw is an effective enough writer and clearly has a good reserve of sources in Trump-world but this book doesn’t present anything new. I learned essentially nothing that hadn’t already been reported already, and there wasn’t some groundbreaking thesis levelled here either. A book victim to its own publication date, I feel.

In the future, this could likely be a useful, easily read history of the period from Jan 6, 2021 to early 2024 (prior to the election). But, considering this book did not yet know the outcome of the ‘24 race and we, at this time, already know essentially everything written here, it just felt like an arduous re-living of an exhausting recent history.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is the information in here new? Maybe not, but it's a sobering, clear, analytical account of what transpired during this snapshot in time. It's especially interesting because Trump's career doesn't make sense, and the devious machinations that brought him back on top of the Republican party should not have worked. The worse he acts, the more popular he is with his supporters, and it has to be seen to be believed. McGraw does such a great job of laying out the facts. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early on in the book, the author writes, "There are no parallels to this moment..." That is certainly true of the varied and gossipy narrative she weaves of Donald Trump's post-presidency at Mar-A-Lago. This is a story of Trump's preparations for his 2024 campaign, the rotating cast of Trump sycophants who "always come back," and Trump's efforts to reunite the flexible Republican Party under himself. It is as ridiculous as it is scary for the republic, and I recommend it as somehow deeply fun and readable.

[Kenneth Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty decent. i think the subject matter does a lot of heavy lifting, bc the book is written rather matter of factly, which may have come off boring if it was another topic. thankfully, as this book covers 2020-2024, there is no shortage of bullshit in trump’s life this covers. it was so interesting reading abt how the gop has truly coalesced around trump. maga in ‘24 is a different beast than maga in ‘16, and it was great to read how it worked

[Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn’t have anything new to say and repeated itself with the same facts and ideas. Maybe it just pales in comparison to A Very Stable Genius and and I Alone Can Fix It, or the events covered in those were more worth analyzing.

I did like the image of trump throwing a plate of food at the wall and ketchup running down. I hope that's what mar-a-lago looks like on the inside.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

very disappointing

Almost everything in this book was known by anyone concerned about Trump and his attack on our institutions. I hoped for more analysis of how Trump turned the Republican party into a sick cult. It really at best is nothing more than a recitation of public information.

[Sugarpuss O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the period from his return to Florida on Air Force One to his eventual renomination as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. I don't know if this should have been a book, but when we are all dead, everything that happened in this post-election period will be conveniently all in one place.

[James McGlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author is a Longhorn, Well-written book finished before the election. Trump chose Vance because he is handsome and Don Jr. promoted him. Trump's new chief of staff is Susan Wiles-very talented and daughter of Pat Summerall-football commentator legend. Good insights into Trump's team and his thought process.

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Donald Trumps life after he lost the election and exiled himself to Mira Lago. Reading about his mental state the people he contacted those he came to kiss his ring.Eye opening revealing a look into Trumps world his family his life. Thanks netgalley for my copy.