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Liar's Circus: A Strange and Terrifying Journey Into the Upside-Down World of Trump's MAGA Rallies
In this daring work of immersive journalism, based on hundreds of hours of reporting, Carl Hoffman, who has written about the most dangerous and remote corners of the world, journeys deep inside Donald Trump’s rallies, seeking to understand the strange and powerful tribe that forms the president’s base. Hoffman pierced this alternate society, welcomed in and initiated into its rights and upside-down beliefs, and finally ushered to its inner sanctum. Equally freewheeling and profound, Liar’s Circus tracks the MAGA faithful across five thousand miles of the American heartland during a crucial arc of the Trump presidency stretching from the impeachment saga to the dawn of the coronavirus pandemic that ended the rallies as we know it.
Trump’s rallies are a singular and defining force in American history—a kind of Rosetta stone to understanding the Age of Trump. Yet while much remarked upon, they are, in fact, little examined, with the focus almost always on Trump’s latest outrageous statement. But who are the tens of thousands of people who fill these arenas? What do they see in Trump? And what curious alchemy—between president and adoring crowd—happens there that might explain Trump’s rise and powerful hold over both his base and the GOP?
To those on the left, the rallies are a Black Mass of American politics at which Trump plays high priest, recklessly summoning the darkest forces within the nation. To the MAGA faithful, the rallies are a form of pilgrimage, a joyous ceremony that like all rituals binds people together and makes them feel a part of something bigger than themselves. Both sides would acknowledge that this traveling roadshow is the pressurized, combustible core of Trump’s political power, a meeting of the faithful where Trump is unshackled and his rhetoric reaches its most extreme, with downstream consequences for the rest of the nation.
To date, no reporter has sought to understand the rallies as a sociological phenomenon examined from the bottom up. Hoffman has done just this. He has stood in line for more than 170 hours with Trump's most ardent superfans and joined them at the very front row; he has traveled from Minnesota to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Hampshire immersing himself in their culture.
Publishing in the heart of the 2020 election cycle, Liar’s Circus is a fresh and revelatory portrait of Trump’s America, from one of our most talented journalists.
Trump’s rallies are a singular and defining force in American history—a kind of Rosetta stone to understanding the Age of Trump. Yet while much remarked upon, they are, in fact, little examined, with the focus almost always on Trump’s latest outrageous statement. But who are the tens of thousands of people who fill these arenas? What do they see in Trump? And what curious alchemy—between president and adoring crowd—happens there that might explain Trump’s rise and powerful hold over both his base and the GOP?
To those on the left, the rallies are a Black Mass of American politics at which Trump plays high priest, recklessly summoning the darkest forces within the nation. To the MAGA faithful, the rallies are a form of pilgrimage, a joyous ceremony that like all rituals binds people together and makes them feel a part of something bigger than themselves. Both sides would acknowledge that this traveling roadshow is the pressurized, combustible core of Trump’s political power, a meeting of the faithful where Trump is unshackled and his rhetoric reaches its most extreme, with downstream consequences for the rest of the nation.
To date, no reporter has sought to understand the rallies as a sociological phenomenon examined from the bottom up. Hoffman has done just this. He has stood in line for more than 170 hours with Trump's most ardent superfans and joined them at the very front row; he has traveled from Minnesota to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Hampshire immersing himself in their culture.
Publishing in the heart of the 2020 election cycle, Liar’s Circus is a fresh and revelatory portrait of Trump’s America, from one of our most talented journalists.
249 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2020
52 people are currently reading
3205 people want to read
About the author
Carl Hoffman
11 books160 followersCarl Hoffman is the author of five books. The Last Wild Men of Borneo was an Amazon Best Books of 2018, a finalist in the Banff Mountain Book Competition and long listed for an Edgar Prize. Savage Harvest was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a NY Times best seller, a Washington Post notable book of 2014, was shortlisted for an Edgar Award and has been translated into eight languages. The Lunatic Express, was named one of the ten best books of 2010 by The Wall Street Journal. He is a former contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler and Wired magazines and has traveled on assignment to some eighty countries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
October 24, 2020
Carl Hoffman immersed himself in MAGA Rallies and offers a documented, personal look at the people who placed him in power. Nutcases all. Scary.
October 29, 2020
Garbage lies
August 6, 2020
Received as an ARC via my employer Barnes & Noble. Started 8-5-20. Finished 8-6-20. Not a long book; only about 230 pages minus the footnotes, etc. There's no way I can comment on this book without getting flak from Trump supporters. I'm embarrassed to admit that his followers are a product of this great country's culture. Is the US perfect--hell, no, but does it deserve this lying, cheating SOB whose only goal is to make himself wealthier and the country morally bankrupt? Also a hell no!!!! I'd love to do a psycho-social evaluation of his most ardent believers, and find out how many come from dysfunctional families, with inadequate educations (especially about history), and are looking for a father figure and are willing to believe #45's bullshit. Mr. Hoffman's written a funny but extremely scary book about the rise of an autocrat. If you're a Trumper, don't bother to argue with me about my opinions or this book--I don't want to hear your conspiracy theories, so save your breath.
December 10, 2022
Big fan of Hoffman's other books,* but thought I'd never need to read this one, since Trump and MAGA rallies are, like…done, right? Just a bad national nightmare from which we have finally awoken…yes??
And with the encouraging mid-term elections and last-week's Senate victory in Georgia (which was WAY closer than it should have been), that may still be the case. And yet…with the Not-So-Great Pumpkin having thrown his stupid red cap back into the ring, I figured this was a timely reminder of how totally off the rails the Trump years were, and that THIS CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
That said, the book isn't so much about Trump himself as it is about that lunatic fringe of serial rally attendees - many of whom Hoffman eventually came to regard as friends. In fact, he presents a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of these folks who are indeed often overlooked by the Democrats who (in their view) "talk about racism and bathrooms but say nothing about the working-class."
However, Hoffman ultimately (and correctly) concludes that these almost exclusively white crowds…
"…played the victims, and it was easy to have no sympathy for them because they had little sympathy for anyone else. When I listened to Trump fans talk about "them" and "they"…the subtext, the code, was lazy people of color and immigrants who wanted everything for free. Yet we were supposed to have sympathy for white men who weren't changing with the times. They were nostalgic for privilege, the days when an uneducated white man got a job over a better-educated Black man; they wanted to be let go by police for traffic violations in a world where Black men were too often gunned down for the same; they longed for a world in which a thousand small barriers existed that boosted them and blocked everyone else. They…pined for a time when billions of Indians and Chinese, Brazilians and Indonesians - the whole rest of the world - were living in abject poverty with scant education and Americans and Europeans were the only people who designed things and built them. But the world wasn't like that anymore. China was no longer peasants in Mao suits harvesting night soil, but hundreds of millions of hypereducated, focused people living in vast cities of steel and glass…"
A fascinating, and unfortunately still relevant read - recommended for anyone but the staunchest "always-Trumpers."
MY PERSONAL TAKE: If you are a Trump supporter and consider yourself a patriot, you need to reread the Constitution. If you are a Trump supporter and consider yourself a Christian, you need to reread your Bible. And if you honestly believe that Michelle Obama is a man and John Podesta drinks baby blood underneath a DC pizza shop…well then, God help us all.
________________________________
* Loved The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure and Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art, and am currently also reading his personal travelogue The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World... via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes, which is another one of those books best read a chapter at a time over a couple of months, in order to better let each wild story sink in and marinate for a while.
And with the encouraging mid-term elections and last-week's Senate victory in Georgia (which was WAY closer than it should have been), that may still be the case. And yet…with the Not-So-Great Pumpkin having thrown his stupid red cap back into the ring, I figured this was a timely reminder of how totally off the rails the Trump years were, and that THIS CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
That said, the book isn't so much about Trump himself as it is about that lunatic fringe of serial rally attendees - many of whom Hoffman eventually came to regard as friends. In fact, he presents a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of these folks who are indeed often overlooked by the Democrats who (in their view) "talk about racism and bathrooms but say nothing about the working-class."
However, Hoffman ultimately (and correctly) concludes that these almost exclusively white crowds…
"…played the victims, and it was easy to have no sympathy for them because they had little sympathy for anyone else. When I listened to Trump fans talk about "them" and "they"…the subtext, the code, was lazy people of color and immigrants who wanted everything for free. Yet we were supposed to have sympathy for white men who weren't changing with the times. They were nostalgic for privilege, the days when an uneducated white man got a job over a better-educated Black man; they wanted to be let go by police for traffic violations in a world where Black men were too often gunned down for the same; they longed for a world in which a thousand small barriers existed that boosted them and blocked everyone else. They…pined for a time when billions of Indians and Chinese, Brazilians and Indonesians - the whole rest of the world - were living in abject poverty with scant education and Americans and Europeans were the only people who designed things and built them. But the world wasn't like that anymore. China was no longer peasants in Mao suits harvesting night soil, but hundreds of millions of hypereducated, focused people living in vast cities of steel and glass…"
A fascinating, and unfortunately still relevant read - recommended for anyone but the staunchest "always-Trumpers."
MY PERSONAL TAKE: If you are a Trump supporter and consider yourself a patriot, you need to reread the Constitution. If you are a Trump supporter and consider yourself a Christian, you need to reread your Bible. And if you honestly believe that Michelle Obama is a man and John Podesta drinks baby blood underneath a DC pizza shop…well then, God help us all.
________________________________
* Loved The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure and Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art, and am currently also reading his personal travelogue The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World... via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes, which is another one of those books best read a chapter at a time over a couple of months, in order to better let each wild story sink in and marinate for a while.
October 29, 2024
It's a brilliantly ironic idea to send an adventure travel writer to embed with Trump political rally super fans, and report back on their beliefs and behaviors. Eating with, saving their spots together at the front of the lines (sometimes for days), rushing into the auditorium as one, learning their life stories and how they became MAGA devotees, Hoffman is always respectful, but clear eyed. The fans run the spectrum from obviously mentally ill to gullible, to lonely but smart enough to know better. The book shows how hard it is to convince a friend or relative that their world view is a cynical social media driven web of conspiracy theories, either designed to undermine Western democracy or promote a particularly extremist version of Christianity: "If you believed the Rapture was imminent and were looking for the Mark of the Beast, why not that vaccines caused autism or that the Q Clock was a font of coded messages or that Hillary Clinton raped babies or that the deep state in collusion with the Fake News was trying to stage a coup?" Still, the book is not all grim. There are funny details about the rally programming (jumbotron Lara Trump, over and over). And gay anthems "YMCA"-- with crowd participation-- and "Macho Man"- the second to last song before Trump appears to the strains of "God Bless the USA"--were always a part of the eight rallies the author attended.
As a bookseller, I read an advance review copy
As a bookseller, I read an advance review copy
October 22, 2020
This book was the cherry on top of the tome of Trump books that I've read in the last few months. Liar's Circus takes a deep dive & peels back the curtain not only on MAGA rallies & attendees, but also the people who live in the cities & towns that these rallies are in. I was fascinated. I found this book hard to put down. And if I could just take a moment to thank Mr Hoffman for attending all these rallies, so we don't have to. I cannot imagine. Do yourself a favor & read this book.
February 20, 2024
A fascinating look into the front lines of the most dedicated Trump supporters. The insights from the author on power, a shift toward autocracy, and hypocritical and baseless claims of the far right were unsettling and oddly validating. I admire the dedication to immersion of the journalist, I can imagine how exhausting it must have been to do so. What frustrates and scares me the most is the lack of critical thinking and the farce of “truth” that they are all so dedicated to.
I do wish the book would have zoomed out a bit, I think a larger context for the rallies would have been helpful and interesting.
I do wish the book would have zoomed out a bit, I think a larger context for the rallies would have been helpful and interesting.
August 31, 2020
I couldn't decide for much of this book whether or not I liked it. I certainly enjoyed the writing; An interesting read for sure, focused on the culture surrounding 45 rather than the man himself. Hoffman is an excellent author and is great at his craft. I enjoyed that the author wanted to meet these Trump fanatics on a face-to-face human level, and that for the most part, he succeeded, but I think that the subtitle of this book ("A Strange and Terrifying Journey Into the Upside-Down World of Trump's MAGA Rallies") which, while certainly accurate, really undermines that strive for a personal approach. I enjoyed the analysis of Trump's approach to rallies, and the greater context of this kind of event in American history. The anecdotes throughout were great to read. I also appreciated the analysis and insight into the culture surrounding Trump; its something I find myself removed from (partially because I don't want to be involved and partially because my social circle leans far left) and I have trouble reconciling with what I know and understand of other people and the world at large. Though towards the very end the author's frustration is tangible, throughout he works to explain or hypothesize what the draw of Trump is with little judgement. The concept of studying American politics as one would a foreign culture is, to me, a little off-putting and at time veers into "othering" territory; though I realize this is what the right so often does to leftwing politics, it still feels wrong and I was a little uncomfortable with it.
April 7, 2021
Part of what makes this book work well is that it's not written by a conservative journalist or a professor specializing in extremism. It's written by one of the liberal elites, an international reporter and writer, as he makes it his goal to understand. Hoffman's rage at the Trump movement begins to simmer, and it's in these moments that he exposes that inevitable frustration in the face of ignorance and lies. Still, he humanizes the Trump base in a compelling way.
Hoffman's tapping into religious radio before rallies sets up the stories, and it's something I can attest to. When I was in Utah in October 2020, I heard the doomsday sermons on the radio and I saw those Trump flags fly. The image of a truck with a MAGA flag and a Thin Blue Line flag plowing down the road sticks with me. While one could critique this book for focusing on many of the most diehard of Trump fans, they're out there: millions of them.
I enjoy the Daily Show segments of Jordan Klepper meeting Trump supporters, and if one enjoys those they'd likely enjoy this. However, Hoffman shows in his book one thing those don't: these beliefs aren't jokes. Racism, sexism, and other bigotry, alongside deeply-held conspiracy theories are on display at these rallies. It isn't funny.
Referring to his status as a journalist and to 'others' generally at rallies, Hoffman remarks "I wondered what would happen if Trump pointed and said 'Go get them!'" It's a stirring moment, especially because January 6th showed us that answer. January 6th proved this book especially dangerous.
Hoffman's tapping into religious radio before rallies sets up the stories, and it's something I can attest to. When I was in Utah in October 2020, I heard the doomsday sermons on the radio and I saw those Trump flags fly. The image of a truck with a MAGA flag and a Thin Blue Line flag plowing down the road sticks with me. While one could critique this book for focusing on many of the most diehard of Trump fans, they're out there: millions of them.
I enjoy the Daily Show segments of Jordan Klepper meeting Trump supporters, and if one enjoys those they'd likely enjoy this. However, Hoffman shows in his book one thing those don't: these beliefs aren't jokes. Racism, sexism, and other bigotry, alongside deeply-held conspiracy theories are on display at these rallies. It isn't funny.
Referring to his status as a journalist and to 'others' generally at rallies, Hoffman remarks "I wondered what would happen if Trump pointed and said 'Go get them!'" It's a stirring moment, especially because January 6th showed us that answer. January 6th proved this book especially dangerous.
October 22, 2020
Excellent book. Scares you when you realize how crazy and out-of-touch with reality the Trump supporters really are.
October 12, 2020
The subtitle says it all- “ A strange and terrifying journey into the upside-down world of Trump’s MAGA rallies@
September 25, 2020
Carl Hoffman, chronicling his experiences attending President Trump's political rallies in Liar's Circus: A Strange and Terrifying Journey into the Upside-Down World of Trump's MAGA Rallies, isn't subtle about their impact. "A Trump rally is a sensual assault that hijacks your soul," he says. Hoffman, an award-winning journalist (The Last Wild Men of Borneo), embeds himself with Trump's fervent followers in this eye-opening diary of stadium shows and bizarre personalities.
Some of Trump's most rabid fans follow his MAGA ("Make America Great Again") rallies like Deadheads used to follow the Grateful Dead. "I realized Trump was a preacher and this was a fundamentalist revival," he concludes after one frenetic event. Hoffman, who never hides his journalism credentials, is an affable skeptic who finds most rally-goers welcoming and eager to convince him that Trump is "heaven-sent." He puts into context quotes from MAGA-goers and Trump himself with observations from sociologists and historians, noting, for example, the similarity between cultural identity rituals in remote communities half a world away and MAGA rallies "where the identity of the hundreds of thousands who participated in them was solidified, confirmed." Hoffman, while pointing out that many MAGA-goers cling to racist and xenophobic outlooks, reserves blame for "Trump and the people around him... who were lying to them and misleading them."
Liar's Circus is an illuminating and weirdly entertaining addition to the slew of books currently in print about President Trump, offering a well-documented, personal look at the people who placed him in power.
-reviewed for Shelf Awareness 9-25-2020
Some of Trump's most rabid fans follow his MAGA ("Make America Great Again") rallies like Deadheads used to follow the Grateful Dead. "I realized Trump was a preacher and this was a fundamentalist revival," he concludes after one frenetic event. Hoffman, who never hides his journalism credentials, is an affable skeptic who finds most rally-goers welcoming and eager to convince him that Trump is "heaven-sent." He puts into context quotes from MAGA-goers and Trump himself with observations from sociologists and historians, noting, for example, the similarity between cultural identity rituals in remote communities half a world away and MAGA rallies "where the identity of the hundreds of thousands who participated in them was solidified, confirmed." Hoffman, while pointing out that many MAGA-goers cling to racist and xenophobic outlooks, reserves blame for "Trump and the people around him... who were lying to them and misleading them."
Liar's Circus is an illuminating and weirdly entertaining addition to the slew of books currently in print about President Trump, offering a well-documented, personal look at the people who placed him in power.
-reviewed for Shelf Awareness 9-25-2020
January 2, 2021
Man.
Carl Hoffman is an author that I truly admire and respect. I devoured his previous book Savage Harvest and have been looking forward to reading more of his since then. His travels bring him into contact with the fringes of society. The Asmat of Papua New Guinea, former headhunters now searching for a new role in the world. The indigenous peoples of Borneo, adapting to a changing world themselves. Hoffman has traveled across the globe, always seeking out the stranger sides to push himself, and I'd say he's managed fairly well over the years. Only now, he's pushing himself to a fringe of American society that isn't really fringe. The people who attend Trump rallies in the period leading up to the stay at home orders being put into place due to COVID-19. It's a controversial topic, to put it mildly.
Carl Hoffman approached the topic of these divisive political times with the same amount of respect that he affords all the groups that he talks about. He delved into the history of the places each of the rallies were held, and the histories of the people that he met at the rallies. He traces the Republican Party itself to a certain degree, and how it turned into the radical form of Trumpism that it currently now just... is. He seeks to understand how people are drawn to Trump, how he attracts people to them and continues to retain the respect and admiration of different segments of the population.
This book, while not the easiest read, is an important one. Throughout it Hoffman decries the way that now it is difficult to have a conversation with anyone about something like policy without it dissolving into attacks and accusations. He calls for civility, for a celebration of different ideas and people rather than the barbs that are now so constantly thrown. He observes how the rise of Trump has coincided with the erosion of more traditional American masculinity, how Trump might be the last vestiges of that type of manhood and what has caused that erosion.
It's a fascinating read. It's an important read. It's a book that I'm glad I had in my hands. I wish more people were doing more to heal the divisions that exist, but I have no idea how we will come back from them. I can only hope someday that we will.
Carl Hoffman is an author that I truly admire and respect. I devoured his previous book Savage Harvest and have been looking forward to reading more of his since then. His travels bring him into contact with the fringes of society. The Asmat of Papua New Guinea, former headhunters now searching for a new role in the world. The indigenous peoples of Borneo, adapting to a changing world themselves. Hoffman has traveled across the globe, always seeking out the stranger sides to push himself, and I'd say he's managed fairly well over the years. Only now, he's pushing himself to a fringe of American society that isn't really fringe. The people who attend Trump rallies in the period leading up to the stay at home orders being put into place due to COVID-19. It's a controversial topic, to put it mildly.
Carl Hoffman approached the topic of these divisive political times with the same amount of respect that he affords all the groups that he talks about. He delved into the history of the places each of the rallies were held, and the histories of the people that he met at the rallies. He traces the Republican Party itself to a certain degree, and how it turned into the radical form of Trumpism that it currently now just... is. He seeks to understand how people are drawn to Trump, how he attracts people to them and continues to retain the respect and admiration of different segments of the population.
This book, while not the easiest read, is an important one. Throughout it Hoffman decries the way that now it is difficult to have a conversation with anyone about something like policy without it dissolving into attacks and accusations. He calls for civility, for a celebration of different ideas and people rather than the barbs that are now so constantly thrown. He observes how the rise of Trump has coincided with the erosion of more traditional American masculinity, how Trump might be the last vestiges of that type of manhood and what has caused that erosion.
It's a fascinating read. It's an important read. It's a book that I'm glad I had in my hands. I wish more people were doing more to heal the divisions that exist, but I have no idea how we will come back from them. I can only hope someday that we will.
September 23, 2020
Liar's Circus provides a participant-observer vantage point into the madness of Trump groupies who travel from rally to rally to be in the presence of their autocratic demigod. The author provides two key take aways: 1) There is no point debating Trump's true believers because they base their arguments on the universe of online alternative facts rather than reality, and 2) Trump has tapped into the American penchant for revivals and camp meetings, spurring his zombie followers into frenzied heights of madness. Hoffman does not think things are going to end well. The only glimmer of hope provided by Liar's Circus is, though Hoffman doesn't say it, that the Trumpalooza is the Ghost Dance of old white stupid people. Let's hope it fizzles before more harm is done.
September 2, 2020
I must admit As a woman, I came to this book with a definite bias. I could not understand how any rational person could support Trump. While not a defense, Hoffman did manage to humanize these men. And, I say men , because the rally circuit is a “Boys’ Club”.
The easiest to understand were the opportunists. Several were seeking to cash in on the frenzy of hawking merchandise. Fortunes were to be made or recaptured under Trumps policies. Environmental regulations were destroying their chances at opportunity. Others thought basking in the reflected glory of the leader gave them personal power - they organized the faithful. It was powerful to be the wealthy “mayor” of Trump’s rail line.
But, the truth is , many of these men are broken - some had had complete financial ruin; health and aging issues; mental health issues. Like the sideshow attractions of a circus the broken, the mocked, and the lost drew together for fellowship and comfort. If they all felt emasculated and isolated, the rallies were male bonding parties. The “Boy’s Club” was the tonic. It was hypnotic to belong - all that was needed was a “member’s only” sign hanging on a door. Hoffman, himself was even lured a bit too close to for comfort.
The only flaw I felt the book had was that Hoffman went into establishing his “street cred” in the first few chapters of the book. I think the fact he came a D.C. family , that he witnessed the JFK funeral , that he had good journalistic experience could have been put in a forward. It pulled the focus from the story.
The book gives good perspective. I was lucky enough to win a copy and it is worth the read.
I came to the book prepared to hate - instead, I finished the book just a bit wiser.
The easiest to understand were the opportunists. Several were seeking to cash in on the frenzy of hawking merchandise. Fortunes were to be made or recaptured under Trumps policies. Environmental regulations were destroying their chances at opportunity. Others thought basking in the reflected glory of the leader gave them personal power - they organized the faithful. It was powerful to be the wealthy “mayor” of Trump’s rail line.
But, the truth is , many of these men are broken - some had had complete financial ruin; health and aging issues; mental health issues. Like the sideshow attractions of a circus the broken, the mocked, and the lost drew together for fellowship and comfort. If they all felt emasculated and isolated, the rallies were male bonding parties. The “Boy’s Club” was the tonic. It was hypnotic to belong - all that was needed was a “member’s only” sign hanging on a door. Hoffman, himself was even lured a bit too close to for comfort.
The only flaw I felt the book had was that Hoffman went into establishing his “street cred” in the first few chapters of the book. I think the fact he came a D.C. family , that he witnessed the JFK funeral , that he had good journalistic experience could have been put in a forward. It pulled the focus from the story.
The book gives good perspective. I was lucky enough to win a copy and it is worth the read.
I came to the book prepared to hate - instead, I finished the book just a bit wiser.
December 2, 2020
I am thankful for this author and his useful account of his experiences in MAGA-land. I hope to never find myself in any of the locales to which Carl Hoffman traveled to write this book. I have no desire to fraternize with any of the people he spent time with. And I wouldn’t be caught dead at a Trump rally.
Without this book I would have no idea what any of these places, people or rallies were like in any detail. Nor would I have any inkling as to why any rational person could have voted for a man like Donald Trump, let alone proclaimed him as a messiah sent by God. Of particular use was the chapter devoted to explaining millenarianism, The Puritan Revitalization Movement of 1610, The Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening and their roles in creating the idea of American exceptionalism.
Oh and the part about the Trump supporter from Iran who wrote a book about how pooping is best done with no pants was pretty good too.
Without this book I would have no idea what any of these places, people or rallies were like in any detail. Nor would I have any inkling as to why any rational person could have voted for a man like Donald Trump, let alone proclaimed him as a messiah sent by God. Of particular use was the chapter devoted to explaining millenarianism, The Puritan Revitalization Movement of 1610, The Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening and their roles in creating the idea of American exceptionalism.
Oh and the part about the Trump supporter from Iran who wrote a book about how pooping is best done with no pants was pretty good too.
February 4, 2021
Liar's Circus was well-written, but it was one of those books that would have been more interesting had it been released early in the Trump presidency or in the lead-up to it rather than late in it, as so much of what Hoffman talks about (the white resentment, the emphasis on restoring traditional masculinity and gender roles, the depressing hollowing-out of small towns throughout the Midwest) is no longer revelatory, if it ever was.
July 25, 2020
A Liar's Circus provides an insightful look into the world of Trump's most die-hard supporters. Although the author tends to take a bit too much time offering his own opinion on the current political landscape than I was expecting. The book overall offers a glance into a world that will give you perspective into the lives of people we may not agree with.
August 9, 2020
Having read his earlier work on Rockefeller and the cannibals, I knew I liked his writing style and observational skills. HIs newest book does not disappoint as he travels down the rabbit hole of the Trump rally culture. If we survive all of this political chaos, pandemic, and economic collapse, books like Hoffman's will bear critical witness to the madness of our times.
September 7, 2020
I loved the disconnect, the stranger in a strange land of it. It's Alice being asked to have sympathy for the (very) willing victims of the Queen of Hearts. The author is, at various points, completely bumpuzzled by what he is seeing, what he is doing. He finds answers with anger and compassion both. A great artifact for this unbelievable time in history.
September 14, 2020
Insightful in understand how people can continue to support Trump. American exceptionalism is gone.
November 16, 2020
Political rallies appear a feature of American politics, at least from afar; they also feature in various settings elsewhere, some perhaps less than democratic.
I've never been to one anywhere, although I've been part of 4th of July parades, and attended a demonstration against the sacking of the Whitlam government in 1975. I recall then opposition leader John Hewson, trying to create a rally-style atmosphere during the 1993 election here in Australia and appearing to create a little unease.
Having said that, the rally aspect of American politics has always been of interest, possibly because of the emotional component, not something that would be relevant to my personal political considerations, and the deliberate desire to encourage people to vote, in a place where it's not compulsory.
Carl Hoffman's book suggests an anthropological take on the rallies of Donald Trump, and that interested me because I wondered what they were like and why people went there. He places himself in various queues as near to the front as possible (an onerous task to start with, given you may have to camp out for a few days). He meets up with a group of people who for various reasons are serial Trump rally attendees, and he provides some detail abouut them as the book goes on.
Hoffman describes the rallies he attends as carefully scripted in that the same songs are played and the same people say something before Trump appears to do whatever it is he does. The author compares this to one of the tent shows in the American which have a religious theme and this appears plausible because that seems to be how the crowd sees it, or responds to it.
I have to be honest and state that this isn't exactly my view of politics, although less flamboyant marketing and presentation strategies are fairly common, particularly the forest of flags appearing behind a leader in several countries, including mine. There's also the attention paid to emotion and also the very weird (to me) beliefs of some of the people Hoffman talks to, some of which has appeared here during my state's recent lengthy covid lockdown.
It's books like this that make me more inclined to pay attention to Jung's ideas of the unconscious and less to overarching claims of human rationality, but that's my view, and I'm sad as a citizen of my country to have to acknowledge it.
Anyway, Hoffman's book is excellent; I read it in a few hours and found it easy to follow.
I've never been to one anywhere, although I've been part of 4th of July parades, and attended a demonstration against the sacking of the Whitlam government in 1975. I recall then opposition leader John Hewson, trying to create a rally-style atmosphere during the 1993 election here in Australia and appearing to create a little unease.
Having said that, the rally aspect of American politics has always been of interest, possibly because of the emotional component, not something that would be relevant to my personal political considerations, and the deliberate desire to encourage people to vote, in a place where it's not compulsory.
Carl Hoffman's book suggests an anthropological take on the rallies of Donald Trump, and that interested me because I wondered what they were like and why people went there. He places himself in various queues as near to the front as possible (an onerous task to start with, given you may have to camp out for a few days). He meets up with a group of people who for various reasons are serial Trump rally attendees, and he provides some detail abouut them as the book goes on.
Hoffman describes the rallies he attends as carefully scripted in that the same songs are played and the same people say something before Trump appears to do whatever it is he does. The author compares this to one of the tent shows in the American which have a religious theme and this appears plausible because that seems to be how the crowd sees it, or responds to it.
I have to be honest and state that this isn't exactly my view of politics, although less flamboyant marketing and presentation strategies are fairly common, particularly the forest of flags appearing behind a leader in several countries, including mine. There's also the attention paid to emotion and also the very weird (to me) beliefs of some of the people Hoffman talks to, some of which has appeared here during my state's recent lengthy covid lockdown.
It's books like this that make me more inclined to pay attention to Jung's ideas of the unconscious and less to overarching claims of human rationality, but that's my view, and I'm sad as a citizen of my country to have to acknowledge it.
Anyway, Hoffman's book is excellent; I read it in a few hours and found it easy to follow.
August 23, 2020
It’s the boisterous rallies that seem to represent the heart of the Trump presidency, the place where the showman praises allies and loyalists, condemns political opponents, and ridicules the “fake news.” Carl Hoffman is interested in finding out what the rallies are like from the floor. Who are these most loyal of followers, why do they want to be there, and do they get as much of a charge out of the spectacle as Trump does.
It’s part travelogue, part sociological study, and part political reportage, and it’s entertaining even if Hoffman fails, as seemingly everyone has, to find a rational explanation for the true believers. Others have struggled to make sense of how lifelong Republicans became so enamored with a character whose personality and policy interests seem so utterly at odds with the party’s traditional beliefs.
The central figures in the story are the folks who make the trek to rally after rally, frequently coming equipped with elaborate supplies or items to sell, and always with manic enthusiasm. Hoffman gradually befriends them and learns their stories. He listens. He goes out to eat with them. He lends a sympathetic ear. There is a lot of time waiting in line, so he hears a lot. And in doing so, he gives voice to Trump’s most diehard followers. Often, as in one too-ridiculous-to-be-true tall tale about a dog shot down because his name was Trump, the stories fall in line with what the author calls “classic Trumpian tales of social media hysterics, fantasy, and self-pitying victimization.”
Nonetheless, Hoffman is sympathetic. He would like the reader to believe that these stalwarts are representative of the thousands of others who packed arenas before Covid came along. Unfortunately, it’s hard to buy into that kind of extrapolation. There’s not really any evidence that the people he meets are anything but the most hardcore loyalists. What they have to say is interesting, but it’s hard to see how they enlarge our understanding of the Trump phenomenon. But it’s a good read, and when future generations want to know what it was like being part of the greatest populist movement of a lifetime, Liar’s Circus will be a pretty fine place to start.
It’s part travelogue, part sociological study, and part political reportage, and it’s entertaining even if Hoffman fails, as seemingly everyone has, to find a rational explanation for the true believers. Others have struggled to make sense of how lifelong Republicans became so enamored with a character whose personality and policy interests seem so utterly at odds with the party’s traditional beliefs.
The central figures in the story are the folks who make the trek to rally after rally, frequently coming equipped with elaborate supplies or items to sell, and always with manic enthusiasm. Hoffman gradually befriends them and learns their stories. He listens. He goes out to eat with them. He lends a sympathetic ear. There is a lot of time waiting in line, so he hears a lot. And in doing so, he gives voice to Trump’s most diehard followers. Often, as in one too-ridiculous-to-be-true tall tale about a dog shot down because his name was Trump, the stories fall in line with what the author calls “classic Trumpian tales of social media hysterics, fantasy, and self-pitying victimization.”
Nonetheless, Hoffman is sympathetic. He would like the reader to believe that these stalwarts are representative of the thousands of others who packed arenas before Covid came along. Unfortunately, it’s hard to buy into that kind of extrapolation. There’s not really any evidence that the people he meets are anything but the most hardcore loyalists. What they have to say is interesting, but it’s hard to see how they enlarge our understanding of the Trump phenomenon. But it’s a good read, and when future generations want to know what it was like being part of the greatest populist movement of a lifetime, Liar’s Circus will be a pretty fine place to start.
January 30, 2021
This is an extraordinarily good book - brilliant, really. The author did a deep dive into the world of the wild, manic Trump rallies, traveling to and attending seven of them in the Midwest, Southwest, South and finally in Hershey, PA. In doing so, he met and befriended a core group of rally-goers, one of whom had attended a mind-boggling 57 rallies. Hoffman skillfully profiles these men (a few of whom are seriously warped) and attempts to understand them, all the while maintaining his cover and, to his credit, his sanity. He also does a great jog explaining what it was like to wait in line for 12, 24 or even 36 hours to be the first inside and, therefore, able to stand at the Front Row and worship up close the mesmerizing demagogue who is Donald Trump. And, of course, Hoffman, a perceptive observer and gifted writer, gives us a great feel for what it is like to be inside the arena, absorbing the throb and energy of the crowd as it listens in rapt attention to Trump's lies and nonsensical rabble rousing. But the book is not just about the rallies. Not at all. Although he not a political scientist or (to my knowledge) a sociologist, Hoffman does an outstanding job of analyzing why Trump has appealed to millions of disaffected Americans - for a variety of reasons. Read the book for that if for nothing else. "Liar's Circus" did more to enable me to understand the movement known as "Trumpism" than anything else I have read or heard of.
October 1, 2024
Hoffman brings his extensive experience reporting from around the world to bear on the phenomenon of Trump rallies. He hopes to treat the attendees the way an anthropologist would, dispassionately and taking them at their word, but after ingratiating himself with a group of super-fans, the guys who are at the head of every line, he finds it more and more difficult to feel any sympathy with their racism, xenophobia, and self-pity. About 1/3 of the way through, his disgust began to feel depressing and off-putting, but he stuck with the project and so did I. I was glad I did. The closest analogue he found was the great religious awakenings that have taken place in the U.S. periodically throughout our history. “To read descriptions of revivals from the 1700s and the 1800s, in which the preacher painted such a dark portrait of sin that people died only to be reborn by their faith, is to read an only slightly exaggerated description of a Trump rally,” he writes (161). There are plenty of frightening comparisons to Hitler’s fascism as well. Ultimately, he concludes that these are (mostly) men looking for community and affirmation, but mainly in the unhealthiest way, so they are bound to be disappointed yet again. Read a newspaper, he exhorts them, use your critical faculties to really examine the guy you’re following. Unfortunately, they would rather be right than enlightened and that’s the problem.
January 14, 2021
I listened to this as an audio book. It helped me sort of understand why some people went full on MAGA. What I don’t get is why they stayed that way.
Honestly I have to admit I’m skeptical about most things and find it hard to feel a need to get attached to someone who doesn’t know me, like a mega preacher for example.
Here it is almost Inauguration Day for Joe Biden and honest to God, if Trump planned to come to our town for a rally, almost the entire town I live in would turn out for the rally. Hell, they’d even bring along their weapons and zip ties just in case he put out a call for action. Not me! I’d be cowering in my home hoping they wake up and realize he’s a Farce.
This is a short book, a fast listen or read, and well worth your time. I wish I were younger so that there would come a time in my life when I could look back and tell my grandkids how the country had a period of going crazy. But, alas, I’m old enough that I worry the craziness will still be going on when I’m on my deathbed.
Honestly I have to admit I’m skeptical about most things and find it hard to feel a need to get attached to someone who doesn’t know me, like a mega preacher for example.
Here it is almost Inauguration Day for Joe Biden and honest to God, if Trump planned to come to our town for a rally, almost the entire town I live in would turn out for the rally. Hell, they’d even bring along their weapons and zip ties just in case he put out a call for action. Not me! I’d be cowering in my home hoping they wake up and realize he’s a Farce.
This is a short book, a fast listen or read, and well worth your time. I wish I were younger so that there would come a time in my life when I could look back and tell my grandkids how the country had a period of going crazy. But, alas, I’m old enough that I worry the craziness will still be going on when I’m on my deathbed.
April 3, 2021
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from a GoodReads giveaway for my honest opinion. This review is my own honest opinion.
Liar’s Circus does a good job of exposing former President Trump for who is. The review on the front of my copy said, “Brilliant, riveting, funny, terrifying.” I agree that this book was a bit amusing, but in a scary, cringing way because of how crazy sounding the people that Mr. Hoffman got close to at these MAGA rallies. The downside for me was the language and the commentary in the book. I, personally, am not fond of strong language (which this has a bit of). I understand that he is quoting others, but I wish there was a way to do so without having expletives in books. I liked the reporting, but would rather that he would have kept the commentary that were in the last few chapters out of the book. When one gives truth seekers the truth, they will recognize it for what it is.
Liar’s Circus does a good job of exposing former President Trump for who is. The review on the front of my copy said, “Brilliant, riveting, funny, terrifying.” I agree that this book was a bit amusing, but in a scary, cringing way because of how crazy sounding the people that Mr. Hoffman got close to at these MAGA rallies. The downside for me was the language and the commentary in the book. I, personally, am not fond of strong language (which this has a bit of). I understand that he is quoting others, but I wish there was a way to do so without having expletives in books. I liked the reporting, but would rather that he would have kept the commentary that were in the last few chapters out of the book. When one gives truth seekers the truth, they will recognize it for what it is.
December 18, 2020
I liked this book although it felt like a slog. Mr. Hoffman's recounting of conversations with Trump rally goers was exhausting. I did enjoy his characterizations of the regulars he met in line at the rally's. Hearing their about their backstories and lives leading to Trump hit all the common narratives that seem to lead people to support trump so there were no surprises there. Mr. Hoffman provides some opinion and commentary about what issues he thinks underlie these narratives but he doesnt really bring anything new to the conversation on that front. Honestly though, Hoffman provides some stunning clarity in his observations and analysis. In the end, this book is very important for understanding Trump and the legions of diehards who gobble his bullshit.
September 4, 2020
While the book occasionally veers a little too much into othering fly-over state trump fans this book is incredibly timely. Attending rallies in the late fall of 2019 and writing (it seems) up until the last possible moment before publication it feels so current that it might as well be an extended magazine piece. Some of this is because the conversations he overhears or participates in shows the spread and adoption of the QAnon conspiracy amongst rallygoers last year, well before the conspiracy really exploded into mass awareness following QAnon adherent, Marjorie Taylor Greene's primary win.
August 25, 2025
This book is compelling enough that I came home early from a party to keep reading it, and ordered a copy to give away.
The one negative review the book received seems obviously to have come from a disgruntled person who did not like what the book points out: that many who support Trump are doing so based on "alternative facts" they are absorbing from alternative news.
The failure of news agencies and teachers to inculcate critical thinking and reading practices into America's youth is dangerous. If you get your news for free, who is paying for it, and why? This books shows how terrifying a world with no guardrails is, and sadly, it's our own.
The one negative review the book received seems obviously to have come from a disgruntled person who did not like what the book points out: that many who support Trump are doing so based on "alternative facts" they are absorbing from alternative news.
The failure of news agencies and teachers to inculcate critical thinking and reading practices into America's youth is dangerous. If you get your news for free, who is paying for it, and why? This books shows how terrifying a world with no guardrails is, and sadly, it's our own.
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