The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game

by Ronald Kessler

The unvarnished and unbiased inside story of President Donald Trump and his White House by New York Times bestselling author Ronald Kessler   Based on exclusive interviews with the president and his staff, The Trump White Changing the Rules of the Game tells the real story of what Donald Trump is like, who influences him, how he makes decisions, what he says about the people around him, and how he operates when the television lights go off, while portraying the inside story of the successes that have already brought solid results as well as the stumbles that have turned off even longtime supporters and undercut his agenda.The Trump White House   •  Trump aides Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have been responsible for Trump’s most disastrous decisions. Trump is aware that his daughter and son-in-law are problems and has hinted to them that they should go back to New York. Seeing Jared on TV, Trump said, “Look at Jared, he looks like a little boy, like a child.”  •  First Lady Melania Trump has a tremendous impact on policy and strategy. She sits in on meetings and is widely admired by aides for her judgment.  •  Kellyanne Conway is the No. 1 White House leaker.  •  Trump’s Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles proposed withdrawing protection from some Trump family members and aides to save money. Horrified White House staffers shot down the idea.  •  Trump has told friends that billionaires are constantly asking him to fix them up with longtime Communications Director Hope Hicks, a former model, but he says he refuses.  •  Trump calls certain reporters directly, feeding them stories attributed to “a senior White House official,” creating the impression that the White House leaks even more than it already does. Never before has an American president had so much impact on the country and the world in so short a time as Donald Trump. Yet no president has stirred so much controversy, dominating media coverage and conversation both pro and con.   Months after Trump took office, consumer confidence hit a seventeen-year high, unemployment plummeted to the lowest level in seventeen years, and the stock market zoomed to repeated record highs.   At the same time, ISIS was nearly defeated, Arab countries banded together to stop financing terrorists and promoting radical Islamic ideology, and Trump’s decision to send missiles into Syria because of its use of chemical weapons and his strident warnings to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made it clear to adversaries that they take on the United States at their peril.   Yet for all the media coverage, Trump remains a cipher. Ronald Kessler has known Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for two decades and understands him better than any other journalist. The book includes an exclusive interview with Trump, the only interview he says he has given or will give for a book as president. Crammed with media-grabbing revelations. The Trump White House is the unvarnished and unbiased inside story that answers the Who is Donald Trump?

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, United States, History

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2018

About the author

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of 21 non-fiction books about the Trump White House, Secret Service, FBI, and CIA.

Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.

Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."

Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.

"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.

Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.

Reviews

[Darryl Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between 1970 and 1985, Ronald Kessler was an investigative reporter for The Washington Post with a very impressive array of awards and accreditations. During his time at the Post, he worked alongside Woodward and Bernstein when they were investigating the Watergate scandal. After he left, he began writing, among other things, nonfiction books – 21 in all – seven of which reached the hardcover New York Times Best Seller list. Among those books is "The Trump White House", published in 2018. As with his other books, this one is insightful, with what appears to be quite accurate information on the goings on during the Trump White House years. As a long-time friend or acquaintance of Donald Trump, he had unique access to the man himself and to people and places within the White House that other journalists would find difficult to obtain. That, of course, leads to allegations of bias but The Trump White House does not paste over Trump’s flaws and highlights quite a number of less than impressive incidents involving the former president. As Kessler points out, liberal journalists in America outnumber conservative ones five to one, so bias in the other direction is rife. He is old enough to remember when journalists wrote balanced articles and this comes through in his writings. Despite the flaws and gaffes, a lot of revelations are made which show Donald Trump in a better light than the mainstream media would have the public believe. They have tended to report negative traits in screaming headlines while anything good was either not reported or buried deep in newspapers or towards the end of lengthy articles. "The Trump White House" is a fascinating, insightful, fairly well-balanced look at the forty-fifth president of the United States.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kessler's not an in-depth professional historian, or even close to it, but this is definitely his worst book and thin soup indeed.

If Trump is so beneficient to Mar-a-Lago staff, even minorities, then why is he an open racist elsewhere? Kessler never explains this.

His complaints that Obama was an anti-business president who was clueless about business operations and laid onerous burdens down sounds like it was lifted straight from a GOP or winger think tank brief. Reality is that Obama bailed out banksters, that Congress' Dodd-Frank was relatively light in regulations, that the Obama stimulus package was biz friendly, and that Obamacare was too.

I eventually wound up doing some skimming and grokking. I couldn't stand to read through the whole thing.

[Simon Blint · Rating 1 out of 5]

Laughably one-sided pro-Trump propaganda. Compares Trump to Copernicus, says when he plays golf he “wins for the American people,” and savagely attacks Obama and Hillary Clinton. It’s what you’d imagine a book about Trump would be if written by Trump himself.

[Suzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why am I surprised that this is a Trump triumph? Kessler's last book was so ugly about Hillary. Trump's fans will love this and quote it as truth. Glad I checked it out of the library and didn't buy it. If I could give minus stars, I would. No facts.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several of Ronald Kessler's books and have always enjoyed them. For the most part, the same is true of this book when he is just relaying information about Trump. Early in the book, Kessler explains that he is friendly with the subject. When the author stuck to that topic, all seemed fine. Towards the end, he threw a few curves about both Hilary Clinton and President Obama. I felt they were cheap shots, after all, they were not the subject of the book.

[Preacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Separates the lies from the facts,is neutral not negative or positive its objective and FULL of information for anyone interested in the Trump family and White House.

[Owlseyes]

And the 1st Leaker prize goes to??http://www.newsweek.com/kellyanne-con...

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author purports to write this missive as an attempt to introduce the reader to the "true Donald Trump." However, it becomes instantly obvious that he is smitten with the idea of being at guest at Mar-a-Lago where he admits he has been going for two decades. Having that bias makes him a less than credible judge of Trump's character. For instance, he has no real explanation for Trump's tendency to use "alternate facts" or basic lies to justify his actions and positions on matters of great importance. The author's discussion of the Russian investigation is now very out of date, despite a 2018 publication date. Same with his discussion of tax cuts - no mention of the huge increase to our national debt that has resulted from this, despite condemning President Obama for increasing the national debt in his attempt to get the country out of a financial disaster in 2008. He also discusses draining the swamp, which is also no longer a valid position as so many of Trump's administration has been forced to resign for using their office for personal gain and committing numerous ethical violations. He never addressed why this president, unlike other before him had never released his tax returns, so we really don't know if he truly wants to "make America great again," or if what I believe, he wants instead to "make Trump great again." I found this book to be more an attempt to flatter Trump than reveal any "truth" though I admit there are instances where he inadvertently described things in a way that he must have thought was flattering, but really was not. I read this book knowing it was a pro-Trump book, but I expected at least some level of journalistic ideals, but found very little to say that it good about this book.

[Gene Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hardly unbiased account of the White House. Author fawns over participating in Mar-a-Lago events and intimate relationships with key players with a few gossipy tidbits added to throw readers off the scent.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extreme sycophant’s view of our current President. But still more informative than ‘Fire and Fury’.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dated but seemed to be pretty fair. Expected a hit piece.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

According to the author "Trump is just what the doctor ordered"!! Not my cup of tea!!!!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light easy to read book from a Trump insider if you can call him that. Kessler a former journalist from the Washington Post is a long time friend of Trump but still the book was pretty fair on what's going on in the Trump White House. I also like the stories that go way back before Trump became president. Some of the things I already know like Jared and Ivanka's influence in the White House and how they are not popular with the Trump base. The rest like Bannon's relationship with Trump and his staff were revealing to me. Trump's attitude with his staff is well known and that people in his business enjoy him as their boss yet it might not be the same for some people in DC who are at odds with his plans and are not used to his candor. The author defends the FBI actions during the "Russia investigations" and how Trump could have maneuvered the situation better. Kessler having written books on the FBI adds some input on how the agency works which was nice and informative. Kessler also brings out the predominantly negative coverage of Trump in the mainstream media and comparing it to Democratic politicians like their saintly coverage of Obama.
I have to say in this chapter called "Scam Artists" needed references and citations although I don't doubt the author's claims here knowing well how the media portrays Trump but it could have been better if there were citations available for readers to go and find these articles themselves. I am also wondering how the author having mentioned that Trump watches CNN, NBC, CBS voraciously missed out mentioning Fox News?
Either way I thought this book was a trip, easy reading and refreshing because of how the media today portrays Trump after decades of smooching with the guy portraying him as an American icon.

["Cyril' (David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author seems to give a balanced perspective of the former President. In my opinion, he is slightly too positive, but addresses many of President Trumps faults. But it is refreshing to finally read a book that doesn't have one of the two common themes: 1. Trump is more evil than Satan himself (or more stupid/vain than anyone), or 2. Trump is the Messiah, (Lou Dobbs actually said he was the greatest president this country has ever had!!!)(This is about the fifth or sixth book about Trump I have recently read, and only the second that comes close to being balanced.)

My one wish would be that when he stated, on a couple of occassions, that Trumps claim of having been bugged during the campaign was erroneous, he explained a little more of what if ANYTHING had happened, and how the claim was supposedly justified.

[Marsha Breazeale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book clearly is bi-partisan. Ronald Kessler doesn't shy away from revealing Trump's failures, the goings-on in the White House that might not be totally acceptable to many. He also doesn't shy away from revealing Trump's successes, and especially the successes toward restoring America's safety, security, and prosperity. I especially liked the dozens of small stories about Trump's relationships and interactions with ordinary (not rich!) people around him, and his genuine love and respect for all those in our military, as well as our police force and firefighter communities. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to get past the loud noise on CNN, msnbc, Morning Joe and the like. Like the commercial used to say, not just milk but truth also "does a body good".

[Tonya Sh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a fascinating read.

I understand that this is still not even the tip of the tip of an iceberg, but gives you a little peak behind the scenes of the White House, and Trump's decision making. How much we are distracted by mass media from what is really going on. How little we actually know about the President, his daily motivations and inspirations. The book definitely makes him more relatable as a person.

But on top of that, it is fascinating to find out about the daily running of White House, secret service, etc.

The language is easy to understand even for political dummies like me.

[Jeremiah Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really interested in reading this book as I have enjoyed many of Kessler’s other books. However it took every opportunity to bash policies of former President Obama while praising every move Former President Trump made. I enjoy reading perspectives from both sides of the aisle but this book read as everything Obama did was bad and everything Trump did was good. If you are going to write about the Trump White House it is am fine to promote his accomplishments but that can be done without bashing the other side. Very disappointed in this book

[Judd Berthiaume · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've read any of the other campaign books you won't learn a lot new here. There are a few tales from outside of Trump's Presidency that are interesting and "different," but the book often reads as a one-after-another defense of various charges brought against Trump. From someone who is satisfied, and even thrilled with Trump's Presidency in a lot of ways, there are other books around the campaign that are more balanced and believable.

[Diane Earhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one knows the inside scoop like a member of the Secret Service. Everyone should read this book, whether pro- or anti-Trump. The President is not all that he seems. One interesting tidbit is that I assumed Mr. Trump was the reason his marriage to Marla Maples ended, but that's not true. Everyone that thinks Melania Trump is a ditzhead and that Mar-a-Lago is a playground just for taxpayers to fund will also have their eyes opened.

[Opa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look at the inside of the Trump White House. Every never-trumper should read it. The book is extremely well written. It flows easily and quickly. Many of his topics were new to me. This is the first Kessler book that I've read, but based upon this, I'm going to read some of his others.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every moment of this book. Of course it's not unbiased. How can it be? You're either pro Trump or you're not. The other is going to be biased towards or biased against, and that's just that. But thus book is more unbiased than the book "Understanding Trump." This book pointed out character flaws and didn't skirt over them. I also enjoyed the roasting of that cow Hillary.

[Bert Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book but I completely disagree with him WRT Hillary Clinton.
She committed willful espionage to advance her own financial gains. She trampled on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Federal Records Act to hid her criminal activities. She wanted no electronic trail and thus she took her email offline. She put these emails on an unauthorized, unsecure, email server.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating behind the scenes look at the new White House and how it runs. The author is friends with the president but isn't afraid to be critical. Spills dirt on major layers like Ivanka and Jared; Manafort; and Kellyanne Conway. Even never-Trumpers will like this book.

[Freddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kessler had more access to Trump than other journalists. He does borrow liberally from his previous book on the secret service. There’s more substance here than Omarosa’s Unhinged, which is more of a memoir with fewer details about the administration that one could encounter in various sources.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book. I believe Kessler gave an honest perspective on the Trump White House, the good and the bad. I believe there are things about Trump I would hate, and things I would love. Kessler presented exactly that

[Rick Zinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read Kesslers FBI and CIA books and if they had a bias I don’t remember them and I recall enjoying the books.

This book is too biased Pro Trump to be taken seriously. It is pure 100%, uncut, straight out of the oven pro Trump propaganda.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative.

[steven b. kalafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The REAL Trump Book!

Finally a genuine portrait of President Trump! Not a “clip and paste” job by the so-called “insiders. This award winning got it right! Thank you

[jerome r houdek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ron Kessler has written another great book!

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is total garbage.