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Rough Beast: Who Donald Trump Really Is, What He’ll Do if Re-Elected, and Why Democracy Must Prevail
Who is the real Donald Trump? A serial liar with long ties to both organized crime and the Kremlin. A corrupt demagogue whom most historians consider the worst U.S. president of all time. And, most urgently, a vengeful wannabe dictator whose re-election would end American democracy. In this short and necessary volume, Dirty Rubles author Greg Olear presents the facts about who he is, what he plans to do, and why the country cannot survive a second Trump term. Donald Trump is a Rough Beast. America is slouching towards dictatorship.
PRAISE FOR ROUGH BEAST
“As readable as it is horrifying, Greg Olear’s Rough Beast bathes the reader in unassailable facts about the presumptive Republican nominee…Here they are, in one convenient, breezy the countless crimes committed, duly reported, prosecuted, and then frequently forgotten over the past four decades; the bad actors and miserable sycophants in the man's orbit; and the Apocalypse-can't-come-fast-enough, Jesus-hates-you right-wingers hitching their wagons to his dark star…This is real. This is not a drill. Avoid reading this very necessary book at freedom’s peril.”
—Rachel Slade, author of Into the Raging Sea and Making It In America
____
“Rough Beast lays out in detail who, and what, the US would be bringing back into office, and the picture should frighten anyone who isn't going to directly benefit from theocratic autocracy.”
—Brynn Tannehill, author of American How the GOP is Subverting Democracy
____
"If Donald Trump wins a second term in office, it won't be at all like his first—it will be much, much worse. As Greg Olear shows with bracing clarity in Rough Beast, Trump is a criminal who is desperate for power and revenge. Trump is running for dictator and the 2024 election might be the nation's last.”
—Jennifer Mercieca, author of Demagogue for The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump
____
“Greg Olear’s voice—informed, erudite, outraged, lyrical and concise—is the necessary antidote to Steve Bannon’s ‘flood the zone with sh*t’ MAGA chaos communications strategy. Buy, read, and share this book wherever the madness of Trump’s first term has left memory holes.”
—Nina Burleigh, author of Virus and The Trump Part of the Deal
____
“Olear makes compelling case after case about why voting against Trump is the only good option we have. But the details Olear curates are not some boring lecture about Putin’s mark or the horrors of the pandemic—Rough Beast is a truly enjoyable read, despite the darkness of its subject…It’s a fast read and a must-read, a great and important work that makes sense of it all.”
—Lisa Graves, executive director of True North Research & host of “Grave Injustice”
____
“Just the facts ma’am. That’s what you’ll get in Greg Olear’s exceptional follow up to Dirty Rubles. A comprehensive guide and breakdown to the past present and future of the GOP and the Trump administration, Rough Beast serves as a as an explainer and a warning…Written in an easy conversational style, it never feels as dense as it is, but by the time you’re finished reading it, you will also be an expert in everything from GOP money laundering to Supreme Court captur
PRAISE FOR ROUGH BEAST
“As readable as it is horrifying, Greg Olear’s Rough Beast bathes the reader in unassailable facts about the presumptive Republican nominee…Here they are, in one convenient, breezy the countless crimes committed, duly reported, prosecuted, and then frequently forgotten over the past four decades; the bad actors and miserable sycophants in the man's orbit; and the Apocalypse-can't-come-fast-enough, Jesus-hates-you right-wingers hitching their wagons to his dark star…This is real. This is not a drill. Avoid reading this very necessary book at freedom’s peril.”
—Rachel Slade, author of Into the Raging Sea and Making It In America
____
“Rough Beast lays out in detail who, and what, the US would be bringing back into office, and the picture should frighten anyone who isn't going to directly benefit from theocratic autocracy.”
—Brynn Tannehill, author of American How the GOP is Subverting Democracy
____
"If Donald Trump wins a second term in office, it won't be at all like his first—it will be much, much worse. As Greg Olear shows with bracing clarity in Rough Beast, Trump is a criminal who is desperate for power and revenge. Trump is running for dictator and the 2024 election might be the nation's last.”
—Jennifer Mercieca, author of Demagogue for The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump
____
“Greg Olear’s voice—informed, erudite, outraged, lyrical and concise—is the necessary antidote to Steve Bannon’s ‘flood the zone with sh*t’ MAGA chaos communications strategy. Buy, read, and share this book wherever the madness of Trump’s first term has left memory holes.”
—Nina Burleigh, author of Virus and The Trump Part of the Deal
____
“Olear makes compelling case after case about why voting against Trump is the only good option we have. But the details Olear curates are not some boring lecture about Putin’s mark or the horrors of the pandemic—Rough Beast is a truly enjoyable read, despite the darkness of its subject…It’s a fast read and a must-read, a great and important work that makes sense of it all.”
—Lisa Graves, executive director of True North Research & host of “Grave Injustice”
____
“Just the facts ma’am. That’s what you’ll get in Greg Olear’s exceptional follow up to Dirty Rubles. A comprehensive guide and breakdown to the past present and future of the GOP and the Trump administration, Rough Beast serves as a as an explainer and a warning…Written in an easy conversational style, it never feels as dense as it is, but by the time you’re finished reading it, you will also be an expert in everything from GOP money laundering to Supreme Court captur
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2024
13 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Greg Olear
19 books96 followersNew book Dirty Rubles: An Introduction to Trump/Russia is a primer on the greatest political scandal in US history.
"If ignorance is your bliss, Dirty Rubles isn't for you. Greg Olear deliciously tears down that barrier Trump has erected between the truth and the American people.
—Cheri Jacobus, USA Today columnist, political pundit and Trump target
“While Donald Trump represented the greatest threat to the United States since the Civil War, the US Media abdicated its duty to tell the American people the truth. Luckily, skilled writers and patriots like Greg Olear stepped into the fray, keeping readers rapt as he helped condense complex conspiracy into lucid narrative. Dirty Rubles is a long-form version of that lucidity, a cogent book that will catch people up to speed as they realize the story of the century was kept from them. To help America get back on track, read this book and share its insights with family and friends.”
—Eric Garland, strategic analyst, author of Future Inc: How Businesses Can Anticipate and Profit from What’s NEXT and How to Predict the Future and Win.
Author of the novels Fathermucker and Totally Killer.
Founding editor, The Weeklings.
"If ignorance is your bliss, Dirty Rubles isn't for you. Greg Olear deliciously tears down that barrier Trump has erected between the truth and the American people.
—Cheri Jacobus, USA Today columnist, political pundit and Trump target
“While Donald Trump represented the greatest threat to the United States since the Civil War, the US Media abdicated its duty to tell the American people the truth. Luckily, skilled writers and patriots like Greg Olear stepped into the fray, keeping readers rapt as he helped condense complex conspiracy into lucid narrative. Dirty Rubles is a long-form version of that lucidity, a cogent book that will catch people up to speed as they realize the story of the century was kept from them. To help America get back on track, read this book and share its insights with family and friends.”
—Eric Garland, strategic analyst, author of Future Inc: How Businesses Can Anticipate and Profit from What’s NEXT and How to Predict the Future and Win.
Author of the novels Fathermucker and Totally Killer.
Founding editor, The Weeklings.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 24, 2024
If somehow, you've been under a rock for the past eight years, and have managed to ignore the news, not just in the world of politics, but in the world in general, OR if you think you know everything there is to know about what's at stake in the 2024 presidential election, OR if politics is just not for you, OR if you KNOW you're not voting for Joe Biden because you think he's old / dementia-ridden / has horrible Israeli policies / is too liberal / is a puppet of the radical Left / stole the 2020 election / and/or somehow is also a mastermind criminal that is trying to throw Trump in jail, then this book is for you.
It is VERY helpful to have a refresher on what it has meant and what it will mean to have Donald Trump as president. There are many books on the 2024 election, and many of them are very well-done, while a lot of them are pure fiction. This book is succinct, and filled with nothing but facts, and very well-researched future history, looking at both the state of the country, and history to determine that if Donald Trump is re-elected, it would be unlikely that the US would celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026 in any way, shape, or form as we did the 200th, in 1976. Think more North Korean-style military parades and less fireworks, US flags and picnics.
EVERYTHING in the US would change very, very fast. Rough Beast lays it out as it would be likely to happen. This isn't one of those, "the country is going to hell in a handbasket" books where that thesis is made with nothing to support it except opinion. This is a solid work of a dire situation. If you read no other book about what the 2024 election will mean for the country if Donald Trump wins re-election, read this one. I can't recommend it highly enough!
It is VERY helpful to have a refresher on what it has meant and what it will mean to have Donald Trump as president. There are many books on the 2024 election, and many of them are very well-done, while a lot of them are pure fiction. This book is succinct, and filled with nothing but facts, and very well-researched future history, looking at both the state of the country, and history to determine that if Donald Trump is re-elected, it would be unlikely that the US would celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026 in any way, shape, or form as we did the 200th, in 1976. Think more North Korean-style military parades and less fireworks, US flags and picnics.
EVERYTHING in the US would change very, very fast. Rough Beast lays it out as it would be likely to happen. This isn't one of those, "the country is going to hell in a handbasket" books where that thesis is made with nothing to support it except opinion. This is a solid work of a dire situation. If you read no other book about what the 2024 election will mean for the country if Donald Trump wins re-election, read this one. I can't recommend it highly enough!
May 25, 2024
A great primer on the nature of just how compromised and, quite frankly, evil, Donald Trump is. The book is well laid out for your friends who think otherwise...except you have to get them to read it first. Mr. Olear's analyses are, as always, spot on and his painstaking attention to detail is second-to-none. Seriously, if you're in the echo chamber and need things to share piecemeal with your Trump-loving (or "both sides are the same") friends and family, I highly recommend this book.
(I don't recommend listening to the interview on his own podcast though, where he seems to drip disdain and dismissiveness for anyone who is younger than Gen X.)
(I don't recommend listening to the interview on his own podcast though, where he seems to drip disdain and dismissiveness for anyone who is younger than Gen X.)
July 7, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my new blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished Rough Beasts: Who Donald Trump Really Is, What He’ll Do If Re-elected And Why Democracy Must Prevail, by Greg Olear.
The author accurately summed up the situation when he wrote, “A second Trump administration would bring about the end of American democracy, full stop. Academics who study authoritarian movements, scholars of fascism, foreign correspondents and government employees who work in other countries and know first-hand what corrupt autocracies look like—I’ve interviewed quite a few of these experts on my podcast over the last three years—are in consensus on this.”
There were excellent discussions on Trump’s lying, his life of crime, his abuse of the pardon power, his handling of COVID, his actions as the insurrectionist in chief and most importantly, what would would happen if he returns to the presidency.
I give this book an A+, which means it is inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was tempted to only give it an A, since it should have been longer, but then decided the content was enough to overcome that. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A+ equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on June 24, 2024.
Mr. Book just finished Rough Beasts: Who Donald Trump Really Is, What He’ll Do If Re-elected And Why Democracy Must Prevail, by Greg Olear.
The author accurately summed up the situation when he wrote, “A second Trump administration would bring about the end of American democracy, full stop. Academics who study authoritarian movements, scholars of fascism, foreign correspondents and government employees who work in other countries and know first-hand what corrupt autocracies look like—I’ve interviewed quite a few of these experts on my podcast over the last three years—are in consensus on this.”
There were excellent discussions on Trump’s lying, his life of crime, his abuse of the pardon power, his handling of COVID, his actions as the insurrectionist in chief and most importantly, what would would happen if he returns to the presidency.
I give this book an A+, which means it is inducted into the Hall of Fame. I was tempted to only give it an A, since it should have been longer, but then decided the content was enough to overcome that. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A+ equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on June 24, 2024.
September 5, 2024
First and foremost, I am one of Mr. Olear's biggest fans. Secondly, it never hurts to revisit works on a presidential candidate in an election year. Third and not least, good to remind oneself of whom not to vote for.
November 17, 2024
Certainly does a good job of letting us know what we are in store for with a second Trump Presidency.
Too fawning over Biden and refers to private equity ghoul Mitt Romney as an honorable man which, lol.
Too fawning over Biden and refers to private equity ghoul Mitt Romney as an honorable man which, lol.
July 23, 2024
Love Greg Olear. This is great as an audiobook listen...
August 16, 2024
You thought you knew exactly how awful Trump is? Check this out! Much worse than you can imagine, and just the facts, ma'am!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews