The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story

by Joy-Ann Reid

Read by the author

Is Donald Trump running the “longest con” in U.S. history?

What will be left of America when he leaves office?

Candidate Trump sold Americans a vision that was seemingly at odds with their country’s founding principles. Now in office, he’s put up a “for sale” sign—on the prestige of the presidency, on America’s global stature, and on our national identity. At what cost have these deals come? The Man Who Sold America delivers an urgent accounting of our national crisis from one of our foremost political commentators.

Three years ago, Donald Trump pitched millions of voters on the idea that their country was broken, and that the rest of the world was playing us “for suckers.” All we needed to fix this was Donald Trump, who rebranded prejudice as patriotism, presented diversity as our weakness, and promised that money really could make the world go ’round.

Trump made the sale to enough Americans in three key swing states to win the Electoral College. As president, Trump’s raft of self-dealing, scandal, and corruption has overwhelmed the national conversation. And with prosecutors bearing down on Trump and his family business, the web of criminality is circling closer to the Oval Office. All this while Trump seemingly makes his administration a pawn for the ultimate villain: an autocratic former KGB officer in Russia who found in the untutored and eager forty-fifth president the perfect “apprentice.”

How did we get here? What is the hidden impact of Trump, beyond the headlines? Joy-Ann Reid’s essential book examines why he succeeded, and whether America can undo the damage he has done. Through interviews with American and international thought leaders and in-depth analysis, Reid situates the Trump era within the context of modern history, examining the profound social changes that led us to this point.

A deeply pertinent analysis, The Man Who Sold America reveals the causes and consequences of the Trump presidency and contends with the future that awaits us.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Economics, American History, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published June 25, 2019

About the author

Joy-Ann Reid is a national correspondent for MSNBC, and was previously the host of "The Reid Report," a daily program that offered Reid's distinctive analysis and insight on the day's news. Before that, Reid was the Managing Editor of theGrio.com, a daily online news and opinion platform devoted to delivering stories and perspectives that reflect and affect African-American audiences. Reid joined theGrio.com with experience as a freelance columnist for the Miami Herald and as editor of the political blog The Reid Report. She is a former talk radio producer and host for Radio One, and previously served as an online news editor for the NBC affiliate WTVJ in Miramar, FL.

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Reid served as the Florida deputy communications director for the 527 "America Coming Together" initiative, and was a press aide in the final stretch of President Barack Obama's Florida campaign in 2008. Reid's columns and articles have appeared in the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Times and Salon.com. She is currently producing a documentary, "The Fight Years," which takes a look at the sport of boxing during the 1950s and 1960s in Miami.

Reid graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with a concentration in film, and is a 2003 Knight Center for Specialized Journalism fellow. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband and family.

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...solving racial divisions ... cannot be the job of nonwhite Americans alone."
"The challenge today is doing so against the determined opposition of the person with the ultimate bully pulpit: the president of the United States."
"Even Trump's attempts at world peace showed his tendency towards autocratic behavior, and his soft spot for dictators."

The Man Who Sold America reaffirmed my belief that (a) Joy-Ann Reid is a talented writer, (b) tRump is a white nationalist scumbucket, (c) in addition to providing history this book illustrates how white folks can help overcome racism either by not acting like a bigot, or supporting those who do, and (d) while this book is full of useful information, and I encourage people to read it, I still believe Medgar & Myrlie is the Joy-Ann Reid book everyone should read first.

Unlike the Medgar & Myrlie book this book is less like a biography and more like a newscast where Reid quickly reviews everything that happened rather than exploring a few main events in great detail. It reads like something Douglas Edwards might have written and then read in one of his newscasts back when I was a kid.

More than anything else this book provides a useful interpretation of America's history and future. Perhaps, after democracy has been restored to the USA, Joy-Ann Reid will update this book. At that point, I will highly recommend this book. (Assuming I haven't died in a Russian-style Gulag before then.)

I may never forgive MSNBC for firing Joy-Ann Reid. I've considered moving to a different network, but for the likes of me there doesn't seem to be another network available. As a compromise I watch Amanpour and Company on PBS whenever it's time for The ReidOut.

Of course, there's one additional thing this book affirmed for me: my faith in Kamala Harris. It's my hope that Kamala Harris is currently writing a memoir because I very much want to read a memoir written by her. I'm certain such a memoir would boost my spirits and give me Obama-like hope that we can all survive and overcome our current circumstances.

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Joy-Ann Reid on MSNBC. She’s smart, interesting and fearless in her analysis of contemporary American politics. I can’t say that I learned much I didn’t know from The Man Who Sold America, but I really appreciated Reid’s perspective and how she pulled the last few years together. The audio version has the added bonus of her great voice.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remedial primer for what we had in 2016. I love Joy Reid and her succinct writing. She doesn't pull punches and she does prove her points. The book primarily covers the 2016 election and his term in office. It was written prior to the 2020 election, so it doesn't address things like COVID or the 2020 election. It talks about what happened in Trump's term up to 2020. It covered a considerable amount of history that I didn't know or understand. The Mueller report for instance. Amazing how none of that is even relevant these days. Anyways, a look back so that I can see forward in these strange times. Docked because there was some repetition between the chapters. Nonetheless a very good read.

4+ Stars

Listened to the audio book narrated by the author. She was excellent. I did switch between read/reread and listen.

[M. Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget what you know about America. You have to go into this book understanding that nothing about what you’ve heard, read and experienced is what it seems.

In 2016, we saw what the power hungry GOP have wanted to produce for decades; a wanna be autocrat, narcissist that never really wanted to be president in the first place. Trump merely tapped into a nerve that this country no longer belonged to white men. That seemed to resonate and sow seeds of the beginning of what is now known as the Trump era. Now faced with the consequences of the voters lull coming out of 8 years of Yes, We Can, Joy Reid explains why Trump happened in the first place and how we all should have seen it coming a long time ago.

It’s a well written, well researched wake up call to the American people about who we want to be as a country & who we actually are. I read this book as a blaring neon warning sign of what’s to come if we do not try and restore what our Constitution wanted for us in the first place. It definitely isn’t Donald J. Trump.

[Bettie]

@JoyAnnReid is thrilled to share for the first time the cover of her new book! THE MAN WHO SOLD AMERICA debuts on June 25th, and is available for pre-order wherever you pre-order books right now #reiders! #AMJoy

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy Reid does what few other Trump critics have done: she provides a coherent and cogent argument about Trump's racism and how it, more than anything, has motivated his base. Joy has her own show on MSNBC (although her show should air on prime time) and she is brilliant. She writes of Trump's election and first two years in office, citing the many horrendous things he has done, but she also links his electoral college win to a long history of using racism to scare white voters into voting against their own interests. If you read no other book on Trump, read this one.

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did have some really fun and juicy parts, but at the same time I didn't learn much that's new. The latter part got clogged up with endless fact and figures about topics that didn't seem to contribute to the narrative. Perhaps it was over my feeble brain skills, it I did skim a lot of that.

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man Who Sold America: Trump and the Unraveling of the American Story by Joy-Ann Reid

“The Man Who Sold America” provides a well laid out account of how Trump was able to sell his lies and what can be done to undo the damage. Political analyst for MSNBC and the host of AM Joy, Joy-Ann Reid provides readers with astute observations of the direct correlations between the rise of Trump and the unraveling of America. This well organized 304-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. How Trump Happened, 2. Two Nations, Under Trump, 3. The Trump Republican Party, 4. A New American Civil War, 5. The Man Who Sold the World, 6. American Strongman, 7. What America Can Learn from South Africa, 8. The Media in the Trump Age, 9. “Mr. Barr Goes to Town”, and 10. Un-Democratic America?

Positives:
1. A well-written book. Reid writes with clarity of thought.
2. The always hot-button topic of Trump’s presidency and how it’s impacting America and what we can do to salvage it.
3. Reid has great mastery of the topic and does a real good job of combining headlining stories, historical references with astute observations into one coherent story.
4. The book is well organized; each chapter begins with a chapter-appropriate quote. “Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. —The Joker, from The Dark Knight”
5. Describes how Trump happened. “Trump’s campaign, amplified by Russian bots and the American far right media machine, tapped into the fear among some white Americans that they have lost their place atop America’s cultural firmament. Trump vowed to give it back to them, to wind back the clock, to hurt the “right people” and rebalance the scales. That’s why he’s president.”
6. Provides links to source material to back her many claims. “Fred Trump evinced a talent for acquiring wealth, but also a studious avoidance of taxation and a driving antiblack racism, culminating in his arrest at a Klan riot in Queens, New York, in 1927. And a 1973 federal lawsuit accused the company run by Fred and Donald Trump of refusing to rent to black and Puerto Rican tenants.”
7. The impact of Trump and the rise of the resistance. “A record number of women sought office nationwide, with 234 female candidates seeking House seats (182 of them Democrats), 22 candidates for the U.S. Senate (15 of them Democrats), and a half dozen candidates running in all-women contests nationwide. There were 16 female candidates for governor, 12 of whom were Democrats, and 3,564 female candidates ran for legislative seats.”
8. The polarization of America. “That polarization extended to nearly every salient issue in American life, with Democratic and Republican voters differing on the importance of everything from gun violence (81 to 25 percent), to racism (63 to 19 percent), the gap between rich and poor (77 to 22 percent), climate change (72 to 11 percent), and sexism (50 to 12 percent) in diametric opposition.”
9. Trump’s Republican Party. “So long as Trump continued signing legislation advancing the party and its donors’ core interests—deep tax cuts for the rich and deregulation of industry—most seemed to find the Trumpian devil’s bargain to be worthwhile. Some seemed downright enthusiastic.”
10. The rise of the extreme right. “In this “radical libertarian vision,” MacLean says, government has only three legitimate functions: to provide for the national defense, ensure the rule of law, and guarantee social order. That means that all other functions of the federal government, all social welfare, safety net programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food assistance, should be abolished, with each American privately meeting their own needs, such that “we should not be able to look to government at all.” Of course, implied in this thinking is that the wealthy would pay dramatically less in taxes.”
11. Racism. ““The oldest play in the American playbook, going back to the colonies, is the play of rich white men telling ‘not rich’ white people that their enemies are black and brown.” “Racism was a convenient wedge between white and nonwhite workers that served the interests of the rich, from the robber barons to those who bankrolled the Tea Party.”
12. Trump’s traits revealed. “Over the years, he had failed or refused to pay scores of contractors who worked on his buildings, and when they demanded payment, he sometimes sued them as a way of running them off. He was accused of overworking and often refusing to pay the largely Polish and often undocumented workers, who did the dangerous work of stripping the wiring out of the old Bonwit Teller department store building on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue where the first Trump Tower would be built.”
13. Trump’s conflicts. ““We have never before Trump had a president who is basically using the office to make money, and to conduct his business while at the same time being president of the United States. That has just never happened before. We’ve never had the kind of a conflict of interest where the emoluments clause has even been at issue.” Yet, Trump’s hotels and golf courses are “basically being funded by foreigners,” Akerman says, whose goal in spending money at Trump properties is “to influence the president.””
14. Lessons from South Africa. “Du Toit, who is white, said it’s important to understand that South African society is “absolutely founded on white supremacy,” and that under the official racial oppression in South Africa, “everybody who was white was part of it and was therefore in some way complicit and benefiting from the institutions of white supremacy, whether you were personally a racist or not.””
15. Trump and the media. “Trump may not be the most sophisticated man, but he is a savvy media player.”
16. Interesting observations. “Some Watergate veterans have speculated, as John Dean, former Nixon White House adviser and star witness in the televised Watergate hearings in 1973, told Politico Magazine in January 2018, that “there’s more likelihood [Nixon] might have survived if there’d been a Fox News.””
17. Lies, lies and more lies. “Trump’s habit of lying to the press and the public was so breathtaking and relentless that the Washington Post tracked 6,420 “false or misleading claims” over 649 days ending October 30, 2018.”
18. Concepts worth sharing. “Our job as journalists is not to make sure everyone feels good. Our job is to tell the truth. That means that, if one party has become an anti-intellectual white nationalist movement, they aren’t going to like the truth.”
19. The Mueller Report and Barr. “Barr has grievously betrayed his oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States by repeatedly lying to the American people about the findings of the legally authorized probe into the Russian attack and Trump’s obstruction, as conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller,” Professor Laurence Tribe said on April 19, the day Congressional Democrats issued a subpoena for the full, unredacted Mueller report.”
20. Voter suppression. “How, after all, could making it easier for American citizens to vote be a “power grab”? And a power grab by whom—voters who might take advantage of increased access to the polls? McConnell seemed to be acknowledging that the only way his party can win elections is if fewer people vote, and if billionaires are allowed to spend unlimited money on campaigns.”
21. Links to sources.

Negatives:
1. Some technical areas are brushed over. Economics as an example.
2. Lacks visual supplementary material. No graphs, charts…none.
3. Not a lot new here just better organized.
4. The diagnosis is far better than the cure.
5. Some redundancy
6. No formal bibliography.

In summary, I enjoyed this book. Reid does a wonderful job of providing an accurate account of Trump’s presidency as it relates to his countless lies and the impact it has on our country. A gifted thinker, Reid’s research is thorough and she provides very interesting observations that are backed by source material. The chapter on South Africa provides a worthy addition to this genre. A worthwhile read, I recommend it.

Further suggestions: “American Carnage” by Tim Alberta, “Everything Trump Touches Dies” by Rick Wilson, “A Warning” by Anonymous, “The Enemy of the People” by Jim Acosta, “The Plot to Destroy Democracy” by Malcolm W. Nance, “A Higher Loyalty” by James Comey, “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff, “Trumpocracy” by David Frum, “The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump” by Andrew G. McCabe, “Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America” by Cass R. Sunstein, “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire” by Kurt Andersen, “It’s Even Worse Than You Think” by David Cay Johnston, “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Written in a style that was comfortable for me to read. If you love Trump it won't make any difference cause you won't read this book anyway. But if you're "on the fence" and have doubts, this book may help you see what is as obvious to me as day following night.....Trump is a liar, a fraud, and a reprobate.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new here, just a rehash of old news up to late spring, 2019. No conclusions or opinions of any import.

[Todd Benevides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy starts in Gotham, the fictitious city of DC's Batman, The Joker, and the like, and pulls you into a story (a true story) about corruption and the villains that are working and running the current White House. All of you, 'but what about Hillary' idiots won't like it. The book is full of facts. And, the events, being of sound mind and able to read, will show you that Donald J. Trump is nothing more than a two-bit con man, a carnival barker, a racist, misogynist pig. It'll also explain to you how he got there by fooling millions of people into believing that he gives a shit about them.

Every book needs a villain. This one is chock full of them, and it's non-fiction. You shouldn't be able to sleep after reading it.

Good on you, Joy.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a Trump bashing thesis, but rather a solid history of how we got where we are today. Reid takes readers back to our early days and in a thoroughly researched book details different actions, laws and incidents that led us to now. It's pretty dry reading -- she is not telling the story of Trump but rather how his presidency happened and a look forward of how we can fix what he's done.

[Tamar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Are 0 stars available? Talk about just a opinion. Pure fiction.

[Hanje Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good job Joy! I loved her narration of her own best selling book!

[William Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of recent history.

[Dwight Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tough read but makes the point

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in my continuing effort to understand the US 2016 election and the aftermath. Reid seeks to answer two questions in this book. How did Trump sell himself to America? Can we undo the damage that has been done?

Reid shows the serious nature of the challenge to our system of checks and balances. She helped me understand how the Republican party got to the point of embracing someone like Trump. The determination of politicians to be re-elected over doing what is best for the country is clearly shown.

The most surprising part of the book for me was clearing up the myth of our history. Puritan Jon Winthrop, who said the rest of the world should see America as “a city upon a hill,” himself traded in American Native slaves. (Loc. 1836/4986) He was the first to write laws codifying the enslavement and breeding of Africans. (Loc. 1838/4986)

I greatly appreciated the material in this book. It has helped me understand much better why Republicans are agreeing to Trump's every wish. “Trump exposed weaknesses in American democracy that were never anticipated by the country's founders.” (Loc. 409/4986) The next presidential election may indicate if the weaknesses will continue to be exploited or not.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Mary Sisney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy's book is very informative and interesting. I knew that Obama had won two elections without winning the majority of the white votes and have been whipping my white Facebook friends and other white liberals whom I've met on social media with that information for years now. But I didn't know how badly he lost the white vote in 2012 until I read the data that Joy provided. I also found the discussion of the media's role in creating and promoting Trump and in politics before Trump intriguing. My one problem with the book (besides the fact that she's a member of the media who has occasionally been biased in her coverage) is there are at least two chronology mistakes. Martin Luther King was born in 1929, so this year was the 90th, not the 100th, anniversary of his birth, and although I'm not sure what was happening with the stock market in 2007, I know that the economy crashed in the fall of 2008 because that's when I relaxed. I knew Obama would win when the recession came. The editor should have fact checked those easily identifiable errors.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy-Ann Reid's The Man Who Sold America examines the debacle of the Trump presidency from both a historical and sociological perspective. Seizing on the growing frustrations of a collapsing middle class, the "Trump Show," as Reid refers to it, has exploited the divisions of racism, tribalism, hate, and violence to undermine the very fabric of American democracy. Meticulously researched and written in Joy's inimitable, droll style, her book takes on MLK's "fierce urgency of now," exposing the Trump "bully" pulpit in all it's racist ignominy as, in Faiz Shakir's words, "the quiet part out loud." But as Karine Jean-Pierre, MoveOn.org spokeswoman and MSNBC contributor, has noted, "Donald Trump in the White House has caused us to stand up and say no," leading to unprecedented political engagement by a new wave of activists aspiring to political office. According to Reid, "In 2020, America will decide what story it wants to tell about itself, when the country chooses between keeping the Trump Show going or fundamentally changing the script." 4.5 stars

[Dele Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever heard Joy Reid on her television show you are already aware that she does her homework. She has done her research on the history of the current presidency and the what lead up to it.

I went through a lot of "Omg's, I remember that" in the beginning of the book. Reid does a good job spelling out what exactly happened to open the presidency to the current president. She also gives the reader insight to what made Trump.

Reid doesn't just say this is what happened, she also lets the reader know exactly what is going in American. Something that has been building for forty years and what might be done to rectify the problem.

I highly recommend this book. If you are not someone who keeps up with current events this book is a great refresher course. A must read going into this election season.

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read covering many of the topics that are so offten seen in the national newspapers and television news programs. The book covers a variety of topics from how Trump was elected, the changing republican party, Trump as a showman and businessman, and how the media and the efforts of those in the executive branch of the government work to subvert truth in support of the President and a minority of the country. Many of the topics have full length books just on one of these topics. This book attempts to cover many of them in a short but well researched manner. The book ends with a view toward the future and a reflection on is the country still buying what Trump is selling.

[Claremary Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy Reid has done an excellent job in explaining the plight of the people who have chosen to steadfastly follow Donald Trump. She summarizes and documents many of the key events leading us to the divided country we find ourselves in at this moment in time. The sources used in the book are credible and the facts are daunting. I found the chapter on South Africa and its journey from out of apartheid an excellent commentary on how we might solve the apartheid problem the US was in up until the 70's and the residual racist issues this country has been left with. Conclusion - We need a leader like Mandella who will bring us together, not tear us apart.

[Norma J. Engelberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opening read

Joy-Ann Reid is preaching a good sermon but, unfortunately, her readers are most likely to be members of the choir. The people who need to read this book are the same people who have bought into the ultimate con. Reid traces the roots of America's current dysfunction, starting with the founding fathers, and ending with situations and individuals that have added to that dysfunction. Consulting a pantheon of experts, she explores ways to fix the many inequalities that are rife in our modern world. Whether we have the will to do what's needed is the big question.

[Budd Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best books about the descent into divisive tribal politics that Trump has exploited to his profit. Most important was the analysis of deep-seated Trump racist DNA. America is at risk and Joy-Ann Reid explains patiently what we have to reverse to bring America back to what the founding fathers created. At times it is overwhelming. No one expected a criminal selfish President who loves Dictators and tells Congreeewomen of colour to go back to the countries of their origins. Sad times but there is hope and JOy explains where we are and where we should be! Well worth it!!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of best Trump era analyses

I've read just about all (way more than enough) books analyzing this period and events that led us here. Joy Ann Reid's work is not the run of the mill rehashing of already well known events and issues. The author, like with her other media work, presents informative material for debate in a brilliantly intense and deep way ...an excellent read...

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was like settling in with Joy for an in-depth version of AM Joy just for me. I loved this. The thoughts and connecting of the dots from Joy and many of her frequent guests makes for a great read. It will make you furious about that Orange racist idiot in the White House and the complicit GOP who bow down to their Dear Leader. But you will definitely learn and see things you may have missed along these harrowing last few years.

[Hella Comat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new here, but another look at some of the craziness, scandal, corruption, and lies by the current US president. I haven't watched Joy-Ann Reid on TV, but she certainly researched the book well with a huge list of citations - which makes me wonder how supporters can say and believe that it's all opinion! Perspective and political loyalty is a strong force if it can overcome a multitude of facts.

[Ken Poyner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but it did in places wander far afield from Trump. It had a lengthy sidebar into how racism works in South Africa. In theory, the author was perhaps parallelling that to how Trump uses racism, but it seemed less worried about comparisons that in retelling the history. I actually learned a lot, but not entirely about Trump. So, while I am glad I read it, I note that it is perhaps 75% Trump, and 25% other topics.

[Ginny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Joy Reid. Unfortunately this book is a rehash of politics over the last few years. I would have enjoyed hearing more about Joy’s life, but perhaps this is in another book. The brief section about her was interesting. Father lived in S Africa where Joy and her husband visited, mentioned in the book.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a valuable compendium of the national Trump experience so far. It may not break news with startling revelations, but it is a concise, intelligent, potent presentation of how the US has careened into very dangerous territory, about what is at stake, and what we risk.

The end notes are good. It could have used an index, but it still gets all the stars.