Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump

by Tevi Troy

"Fight House looks juicy as all hell" - National Review

“Troy seamlessly weaves West Wing gossip with significant moments in modern history.” - Jewish Insider

THE WHITE HOUSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FIGHT HOUSE

President Trump’s White House is famously tumultuous.

But as presidential historian and former White House staffer Tevi Troy reminds us, bitter rivalries inside the White House are nothing new.

From the presidencies of Harry S. Truman, when the modern White House staff took shape, to Donald Trump, the White House has been filled with ambitious people playing for the highest stakes and bearing bitter grudges.

In Fight House, you’ll discover:

-The advisor to President Harry Truman that General George Marshall refused to acknowledge

-How the supposed “Camelot” Kennedy White House was rife with conflict

-How Dr. Henry Kissinger displaced other national security advisors to gain President Richard Nixon’s ear

-Why President Jimmy Carter’s personal pettiness and obsession with detail led to a dysfunctional White House—and played a role in his losing the 1980 election

-How the contrasting management styles of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan led to some epic White House staff clashes

-Why the “No Drama Obama” White House was anything but no drama

Insightful, entertaining, and important, Tevi Troy’s Fight House will delight and instruct anyone interested in American politics and presidential history.

Genres: Politics, History, American History, Nonfiction

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2020

Reviews

[Barbara]

Interesting comparative look

[Mich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know why presidents accomplish so little even when they have their own party controlling Congress, read this book. The infighting within White House staff is detailed from Truman to Trump. Backbiting and leaking to disparage rivals and to gain power are the favorite tools. It seems that all staffers in the various administrations, particularly White House chiefs of staff, national security advisers, and state department heads just can’t seem to get along.

Following a winning campaign the president has to figure out who on his campaign staff and who outside of it will obtain key positions in the new administration. Loyalty vs. competence are the key balancing factors and this inevitably leads to conflict and jealousy. Built in conflicts will always arise between White House staffers and cabinet officers who face off against each other. This is especially true when you have different political ideologies among key staffers who then try to influence presidential decisions. It’s no wonder that there are so often stalemates and conflicting messages coming out of the administration.

Tevi Troy does a great job dissecting the failures of these administrations particularly in the domestic policy arena. This is not a theoretical organizational analysis but is replete with detailed blow by blow accounts of each administration’s characters and their fights. He reminds us of the battles between RFK and LBJ, Schlesinger and Sorensen, Kissinger and Rogers, Haig and Hartmann, Brzezinski and Vance, Baker and Meese, Regan and Nancy Reagan, Darman/Sununu and everyone, Rumsfeld/Cheney and Rice/Powell, Jarrett and Rahm, and Bannon and Kushner/Ivanka. They all there and he skillfully evaluates the impact of their battles on effective government.

[Henry Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump by Tevi Troy
Tevi Troy is an academic who also worked in the Bush 43 administration, which gives him a unique perspective on the history of the West Wing. Dr. Troy chronicles the evolution of the West Wing in the modern era, citing the factors of ideology, process, and presidential tolerance as the three leading causes of staff and Cabinet infighting. Troy uses examples such as Marshall vs. Clifford, Adams vs. Stassen, LBJ vs. RFK, Kissinger vs. Rogers, Hartmann vs. many, Brzezinski vs. Cyrus Vance, as well as the rivalries of the Reagan administration and later examples to illustrate his argument and shed light on the no holds barred world of the White House. This is a great read for anyone who wants to understand how power really works. Rating: 4.5/5

[Urey Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Internecine warfare in Presidential administrations is a fact of life - people jockey for prestige, power, position and point of view. Much of it is as personal as it might be ideological. Much of it is driven by ego and status-seeking. Troy provides an interesting, often fascinating, exposition of White House rivalries and the consequences that arose. It's fun reading, although also depressing in the sense that one would hope human facilities were less rampant in such exalted settings. History repeatedly teaches us otherwise. There is no escaping the human condition, no matter the setting or the seriousness of the circumstances. Something to keep in mind...

[Omri Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

To get away from the POTUS having COVID-19 TV coverage, and to fight my addiction to polls, I dived into a book. I just finished reading Tevi Troy's "Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump." Maybe it should have a shorter title. Something like "White Narcissistic Men Who Messed Up the Free World." It's a book about management from the angle of how-not-to do it. But, as chaotic past administrations have been, as short-sighted and power-hungry past presidents have been - I'm sure that what we're seeing now is unprecedented.
So much for escaping the news but a fascinating read.

[Douglas Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling, organized, well-researched, and easily digestible read. Troy lays out a sound thesis of three criteria by which he evaluates the internal rivalries within every administration since Truman. He ends with a brief review of President Trumps first few years in office. While not on the level of a book such a Gibbs & Duffy's, The Presidents Club - Fight House is a fascinating review of management techniques, and the form and function of White House staffs and cabinets.

[Ron A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining review of the infighting among White House staff from Truman to Trump. Quick read and I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the struggles for power described in the book and the infighting I witnessed during my career at a large labor organization. Fun read but no real surprises.

[Joshua Shorter · Rating 4 out of 5]

White House palace intrigue is nothing new. Trump’s WH was exposed based on social media and the 24-hour entertainment news cycle but this book shows us the bitter rivalries going back to the Truman administration. Worth a read for all the politicos out there.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, short, pretty interesting if you are interested in politics and presidential history. The book is very lightweight though - not a whole lot to sink your teeth into. Kind of a gossipy, fun read.

[David Manney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Became redundant

[Ebookwormy1]

This captivating review shot this book high up my to-read list...
https://www.realclearbooks.com/articl...

[John Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it very slow reading. It did contain some interesting information. I often find final chapters that try to summarize or prove the message in the book to be very boring