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American Politics and Presidents: From Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump
The award-winning, New York Times bestselling historian considers the vast array of triumphs and failures of America’s modern presidents that paved a path to Donald Trump, offering an understanding of our current moment and hope for a way back to true leadership.
The struggle to preserve the Republic has never been easy or without perils. The rise of conflicting political parties, which the founders opposed, and President John Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts repressing First Amendment rights made Franklin’s observation at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention—“a republic, if you can keep it”—seem prescient.
In the twentieth century, America endured numerous struggles: economic depression, World War II, McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran-contra scandal, the war in Iraq—all of which gave rise to demagogues, as did the growth and reach of mass media. But this wasn’t the Founding Fathers’ vision for our leadership. The resistance to putting a demagogue in the White House survived the anti-Communist agitation of the 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. But the latter opened the way for Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 and Watergate, which again tested our democratic institutions and the rule of law. Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 moved Vice President Gerald Ford, his successor, to declare, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”
But was it? Donald Trump’s 2016 election has presented a new challenge. How did past politics and presidential administrations pave the way for this current assault on American democracy? Our nation’s history provides reassurance that we will restore our better angels to government. Yet it must be considered that earlier administrations and public outlook facilitated the rise of such an un-presidential character as Trump in the first place. In American Politics and Presidents, Robert Dallek considers a century of modern administrations, from Teddy Roosevelt to today, shining a light on the personalities behind the politics and the voters who elected each. His cautionary tale reminds us that the only constant in history is change, but whether for good or ill the choice is Americans’ to make.
The struggle to preserve the Republic has never been easy or without perils. The rise of conflicting political parties, which the founders opposed, and President John Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts repressing First Amendment rights made Franklin’s observation at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention—“a republic, if you can keep it”—seem prescient.
In the twentieth century, America endured numerous struggles: economic depression, World War II, McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Iran-contra scandal, the war in Iraq—all of which gave rise to demagogues, as did the growth and reach of mass media. But this wasn’t the Founding Fathers’ vision for our leadership. The resistance to putting a demagogue in the White House survived the anti-Communist agitation of the 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. But the latter opened the way for Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 and Watergate, which again tested our democratic institutions and the rule of law. Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 moved Vice President Gerald Ford, his successor, to declare, “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.”
But was it? Donald Trump’s 2016 election has presented a new challenge. How did past politics and presidential administrations pave the way for this current assault on American democracy? Our nation’s history provides reassurance that we will restore our better angels to government. Yet it must be considered that earlier administrations and public outlook facilitated the rise of such an un-presidential character as Trump in the first place. In American Politics and Presidents, Robert Dallek considers a century of modern administrations, from Teddy Roosevelt to today, shining a light on the personalities behind the politics and the voters who elected each. His cautionary tale reminds us that the only constant in history is change, but whether for good or ill the choice is Americans’ to make.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2020
88 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Robert Dallek
55 books171 followersRobert A. Dallek is an American historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.
In 2004 he retired as a history professor at Boston University after previously having taught at Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Oxford University.
He won the Bancroft Prize for his 1979 book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945, as well as other awards for scholarship and teaching.
In 2004 he retired as a history professor at Boston University after previously having taught at Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Oxford University.
He won the Bancroft Prize for his 1979 book Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945, as well as other awards for scholarship and teaching.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 31, 2022
Although it ultimately does not explain how 'we got here', this book is a well-written overview of a political landscape that brought us to the unlikely presidency of Donald Trump. Dallek is a reputable presidential author for good reason, his writing is concise and his logic well reasoned. Good read.
June 28, 2020
A nice historical perspective on the current insanity.
August 17, 2020
This is a quick read and analysis of the following Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Reagan and Trump. Dallek highlights their primary achievements but also points out the flaws and major mistakes in their administrations. All had their own personality quirks. Like our current incumbent, past Presidents were known to lie or at least hide the truth.
Dallek takes a first step by a historian to answer this question..
"The question future historians will want to ponder about Trump is not only how earlier presidents opened his way to the White House, but whether there is something deeper in American society that spawned so unsuitable a character to become president, or was it just a fluke that will recede or disappear in the next election with a return to more traditional candidates and a president who behaves in more familiar ways?”
My sense is that Trump is an outlier. He has not acted as any other president, maybe with exception of Nixon but at least Nixon had some competency and understanding of foreign affairs.
Dallek rates FDR with Washington and Lincoln. I concur. He seems to rate JFK as the greatest of our latest Presidents.
Easy book to read. Good summary of most of the 20th century Presidents and their achievements.
Dallek takes a first step by a historian to answer this question..
"The question future historians will want to ponder about Trump is not only how earlier presidents opened his way to the White House, but whether there is something deeper in American society that spawned so unsuitable a character to become president, or was it just a fluke that will recede or disappear in the next election with a return to more traditional candidates and a president who behaves in more familiar ways?”
My sense is that Trump is an outlier. He has not acted as any other president, maybe with exception of Nixon but at least Nixon had some competency and understanding of foreign affairs.
Dallek rates FDR with Washington and Lincoln. I concur. He seems to rate JFK as the greatest of our latest Presidents.
Easy book to read. Good summary of most of the 20th century Presidents and their achievements.
July 12, 2021
5 stars without a doubt. No question. I love the way this book has just 1 chapter on each of the administrations that they cover because it touches on a lot of our major events of the 20th century. So even though they are very brief, anyone can understand or minimally recall the specifics that author uses. I'm not trying to say its dumbed down or elementary at all, just compressed and to the point.
One of my favorite parts (and I've read this in another book recently) that apparently one day when reporters were hammering on LBJ and questioning him about our role in Vietnam and why the hell we were there and he responds by pulling out his huge (also verified in both accounts) dick and waves it around at them and says "Because that why....Have you boys ever seen something so big in your entire fucking lives?" Bu of course this is when the POTUS had a little bit of respect with the media and public and people didn't just go around and put everything and anything on blast. I really enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommended.
One of my favorite parts (and I've read this in another book recently) that apparently one day when reporters were hammering on LBJ and questioning him about our role in Vietnam and why the hell we were there and he responds by pulling out his huge (also verified in both accounts) dick and waves it around at them and says "Because that why....Have you boys ever seen something so big in your entire fucking lives?" Bu of course this is when the POTUS had a little bit of respect with the media and public and people didn't just go around and put everything and anything on blast. I really enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommended.
July 5, 2020
This book by the esteemed historian Robert Dallek seeks to explain some of Donald Trump's behavior as president by examining precedents set by some of major 20th century presidents. While the synopses he offers on each of their presidencies are enlightening and enjoyable to read, he doesn't really connect the dots. That the meglamaniacal narcissist who occupies the White House has any comprehension or awareness of American history or the actions of these great presidents is highly doubtful. And at one point, Dallek almost concedes that point. The subject for the book he should have written is found in his comment in the last paragraph: " . . . whether there is something deeper in American society that spawned so unsuitable a character to become president, or was it just a fluke . . ."
May 19, 2020
Author of more than a dozen books on American political history, Dallek takes a look at ten presidents of the past century (ending with Ronald Reagan) and how their actions appear to be preludes to those of Donald Trump. Taking one brief chapter per president, he recounts the great legislative triumphs, foreign policy blunders, lies to the American people (and those of other countries), failed promises and promises kept, how each worked with Congress and their own administrations, how they campaigned, and which of their achievements remain to secure world peace and order. He covers a wealth of material infectiously, and even an avid reader of presidential history will have new anecdotes to share. In the last chapter on Trump, Dallek leaves little doubt that in the author's expert opinion, Trump has accomplished little to nothing, and his lack of intellect, education, and morality puts him outside the norms of presidential behavior. Dallek opens with a quote from John Dos Passos, which surely gave instigation to writing "How Did We Get here": "In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record"
August 6, 2020
Another in a series of anthologies of Presidential historians looking through history to try to compare/contrast former presidents with our current occupant in the Oval Office. As you can imagine, this is not a flattering book for 45. Dallek primarily looks at those presidents from the start of the 20th century, with emphasis on the men who held the office from Teddy Roosevelt to Reagan. For those gentlemen, (save Taft, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover and Nixon), he will look at their accomplishments and their failings, seeing how they set the stage for what more modern presidents have done (good and bad), and ties it back (in a negative fashion) to Trump.
Overall, it wasn't that bad a book, but I am not so sure that it was all that great a read. I guess a learned a few things, and if I hadn't read other bios on the presidents, this might rate higher. This will be an eye of the beholder book, as if you like Trump, you will not like this book and if you like this book, you don't like Trump. You can take it or leave it, but it is not one of those most read in life type works.
Overall, it wasn't that bad a book, but I am not so sure that it was all that great a read. I guess a learned a few things, and if I hadn't read other bios on the presidents, this might rate higher. This will be an eye of the beholder book, as if you like Trump, you will not like this book and if you like this book, you don't like Trump. You can take it or leave it, but it is not one of those most read in life type works.
July 11, 2023
A really solid analysis of past American presidents and where they’ve taken us.
August 1, 2020
Summarizes previous presidencies, but very light on comparisons and analysis with regard to #45. If you're already fairly familiar with the gist of each of the presidents he covers, you won't take much from this book. It's a quick read (or listen), and there were some bits I didn't know, but if I had to do it again, I'd spend the time reading something else.
As a side note, I did like this author's JFK book.
As a side note, I did like this author's JFK book.
August 20, 2022
If you don't know a lot of detail about previous administrations it's a very good book.
October 11, 2024
I had a conflicted relationship with this book, throughout the reading and even now. It seemed to favor presidents with a formal academic background, particularly Wilson, and a somewhat condescending tone for those who did not, particularly Theodore Roosevelt. It was hard to separate objective analysis from what appeared to be political, even personal bias. In other words, it read more like an op ed than an objective historical assessment.
While all of these presidents were flawed human beings, the author seemed to vilify some more than others beginning with TR being portrayed as an out of touch blowhard, almost simpleton. Odd, given the context of the times and the fact that TR graduated from Harvard, was published with several well known such as the "Naval War of 1812". Further there was the subtle accusation that TR was discriminatory, even racist, yet he was the first US president to openly invite African Americans to the White House and he wrote a thesis at Harvard on the value of Women's suffrage.
In contrast, the author seemed to applaud most deeds of Woodrow Wilson as a champion of human rights while glossing over Wilson's segregationist and discriminatory policies, let alone any potential racist personal leanings. There was no mention of Wilson's Anti Espionage and Anti Sedition Acts during WWII that some historians call some of the most oppressive legislation of the 20th Century. I definitely agree with his comments that presidential rankings are bit like the stock market as they ebb & flow over time. Many historians now contend, however, that Wilson was among some of the worst US presidents.
The book did bring some balanced assessments in the middle but rounded out with what came across simply as a personal attack on Donald Trump. While much of the allegations about Trump are accurate and have been validated, it was ironic that his analysis of Trump's immature leadership style and insecure personal attacks on critics read as a similar offensive.
While all of these presidents were flawed human beings, the author seemed to vilify some more than others beginning with TR being portrayed as an out of touch blowhard, almost simpleton. Odd, given the context of the times and the fact that TR graduated from Harvard, was published with several well known such as the "Naval War of 1812". Further there was the subtle accusation that TR was discriminatory, even racist, yet he was the first US president to openly invite African Americans to the White House and he wrote a thesis at Harvard on the value of Women's suffrage.
In contrast, the author seemed to applaud most deeds of Woodrow Wilson as a champion of human rights while glossing over Wilson's segregationist and discriminatory policies, let alone any potential racist personal leanings. There was no mention of Wilson's Anti Espionage and Anti Sedition Acts during WWII that some historians call some of the most oppressive legislation of the 20th Century. I definitely agree with his comments that presidential rankings are bit like the stock market as they ebb & flow over time. Many historians now contend, however, that Wilson was among some of the worst US presidents.
The book did bring some balanced assessments in the middle but rounded out with what came across simply as a personal attack on Donald Trump. While much of the allegations about Trump are accurate and have been validated, it was ironic that his analysis of Trump's immature leadership style and insecure personal attacks on critics read as a similar offensive.
August 8, 2024
This book reads as a refresher for High School history with extra bits of information thrown in that you may have either forgotten or were never taught. Seeing the notes at the end where Dallek references his own work makes you realize that this really was meant to be an easily digestible reader.
This book covers ten presidents, going through the 20th century. While the presidents that Dallek includes are definitely necessary to draw the narrative thread between Teddy Roosevelt and Donald Trump, it is telling which presidents he leaves out. Basically, everyone after Reagan. However, his analysis does pull through continued failings that seemed to herald Trump's ascension. The practice of lying to the American public, which was at first received with broad recrimination and then by the time of Trump made into a war on truth. The rise of Television and the ability to manipulate the image as Kennedy and Reagan were able to do. Everything Nixon did acted as a pre-cursor to Trump's deceitful and dishonorable nature. Meanwhile, Reagan apparently being politically illiterate about the world as a whole and needing note cards makes easy connections to Trump. Of course, would Reagan have been able to touch the White House if Carter was better able to manage the crises of his era?
One thing is clear of this book, we must continue to interrogate our leaders and hold them to the highest standards. Americans believe in a sense of optimism about the world, and our leader must represent the highest ideal.
To the writing, I am not sure what I expected when I picked this book up two or three years ago, but there is a definite bias against Republican presidents. Also, the author inserts himself a few times, which I get can happen, but was a little weird.
Anyways, it is always strange reading about the recent past because to someone who is 25 this feels much more ancient. This works well as a refresher.
This book covers ten presidents, going through the 20th century. While the presidents that Dallek includes are definitely necessary to draw the narrative thread between Teddy Roosevelt and Donald Trump, it is telling which presidents he leaves out. Basically, everyone after Reagan. However, his analysis does pull through continued failings that seemed to herald Trump's ascension. The practice of lying to the American public, which was at first received with broad recrimination and then by the time of Trump made into a war on truth. The rise of Television and the ability to manipulate the image as Kennedy and Reagan were able to do. Everything Nixon did acted as a pre-cursor to Trump's deceitful and dishonorable nature. Meanwhile, Reagan apparently being politically illiterate about the world as a whole and needing note cards makes easy connections to Trump. Of course, would Reagan have been able to touch the White House if Carter was better able to manage the crises of his era?
One thing is clear of this book, we must continue to interrogate our leaders and hold them to the highest standards. Americans believe in a sense of optimism about the world, and our leader must represent the highest ideal.
To the writing, I am not sure what I expected when I picked this book up two or three years ago, but there is a definite bias against Republican presidents. Also, the author inserts himself a few times, which I get can happen, but was a little weird.
Anyways, it is always strange reading about the recent past because to someone who is 25 this feels much more ancient. This works well as a refresher.
June 21, 2023
The author, Robert Dallek, gives a retrospective look at the US presidency from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump. Our country and presidency have both dramatically changed in the last 120 years, and Robert Dallek explains how each president saw his role and how some presidents radically changed both the country and the role of the president.
I enjoyed Dallek’s writing style. He writes concisely about each president, and adds a few notable anecdotes about each as well. I learned quite a bit about each president, without getting bogged down in detail.
I have the book 4 stars only because of Dalleck’s treatment of Trump. While Dalleck writes fairly objectively on each president, he obviously despises Trump, and begins his digs on Trump early and then throughout the book. Clearly, Donald Trump is an anomaly as president, and there is much to criticize. But Dallek gives only one side (his) on Trump, and loses his objectivity in the process.
I found it somewhat strange to find that Dallek does not write at all about Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, and how they performed as POTUS. Both served two terms, and both changed the way we see our country and the presidency, so leaving them completely out of the narrative is puzzling.
Over all, I was most pleased with the book, and recommend it to others who want a readable and concise discussion on the presidency since 1900.
I enjoyed Dallek’s writing style. He writes concisely about each president, and adds a few notable anecdotes about each as well. I learned quite a bit about each president, without getting bogged down in detail.
I have the book 4 stars only because of Dalleck’s treatment of Trump. While Dalleck writes fairly objectively on each president, he obviously despises Trump, and begins his digs on Trump early and then throughout the book. Clearly, Donald Trump is an anomaly as president, and there is much to criticize. But Dallek gives only one side (his) on Trump, and loses his objectivity in the process.
I found it somewhat strange to find that Dallek does not write at all about Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, and how they performed as POTUS. Both served two terms, and both changed the way we see our country and the presidency, so leaving them completely out of the narrative is puzzling.
Over all, I was most pleased with the book, and recommend it to others who want a readable and concise discussion on the presidency since 1900.
June 14, 2020
Dallek takes the reader through a tour of past Presidents with their elections and administrations to provide some context to how and why we got here today.
Based on your political point of view you may have different opinions regarding Dallek's main point being " whether in the face of this unsettling moment in American history our democracy is reaching an untimely end, or we are just passing through another one of our episodic downturns that have unsettled our Republic before."
Taking out the politics I thought that Dallek does a very fine job in looking at the Presidents he presents and gives us an understanding of their character, strengths and weaknesses in office, challenges they faced and how they dealt with the public, the media and foreign leaders.
All in all we have had very tough times often during the past century... finding ourselves at odds and extremes along the way as a society (specifically in the 60's and 70's)... but we were able to survive.
I found the points Dallek makes very informative and providing an interesting glimpse into our past Presidents helping to explain what made their legacy what it is today.
The future will tell how this current episode regarding the Trump Presidency will be remembered but I think Dallek does a very nice job detailing his thoughts and comments... and point of view.
Based on your political point of view you may have different opinions regarding Dallek's main point being " whether in the face of this unsettling moment in American history our democracy is reaching an untimely end, or we are just passing through another one of our episodic downturns that have unsettled our Republic before."
Taking out the politics I thought that Dallek does a very fine job in looking at the Presidents he presents and gives us an understanding of their character, strengths and weaknesses in office, challenges they faced and how they dealt with the public, the media and foreign leaders.
All in all we have had very tough times often during the past century... finding ourselves at odds and extremes along the way as a society (specifically in the 60's and 70's)... but we were able to survive.
I found the points Dallek makes very informative and providing an interesting glimpse into our past Presidents helping to explain what made their legacy what it is today.
The future will tell how this current episode regarding the Trump Presidency will be remembered but I think Dallek does a very nice job detailing his thoughts and comments... and point of view.
December 2, 2022
I am a fan of Robert Dallek and have read several of his books about American presidents. This, however, feels more like a cash grab, if you can say something like that about a serious historian. The idea is to review modern presidents, starting with Woodrow Wilson and ending with Obama, to explain how some of what each did resulted in Donald Trump. Dallek clearly hates Trump and everything he stands for, if not politically than in his conduct (which even rational Trump supporters typically cringe at), which is fine. But the majority of the book is a review of the highlights of various presidencies, and only in the last few sentences of each section does he get to what it created in Trump. It seems like an afterthought when in fact it’s the point of the entire undertaking. Dallek can probably toss off the rest of the sections in his sleep (hell, I’m just a history fan and even I could probably do it!) — there is virtually zero new insight in any of it. In fact, Dallek has already written about many of these guys, particularly LBJ in impressive detail. Dallek is 88, so expecting him to dig into the literature and find breakthrough observations is not rational — I just think this book was mailed in and the true subject of it is never really properly explored.
Grade: B-
Grade: B-
April 12, 2021
I clicked because I saw that it was Robert Dallek with a new book, and I liked his JFK biography. I ... did not like this. Perhaps if you are looking for a brief overview of ten of our more recent presidents (TR to Reagan), with some anti-Trump commentary, then this is for you. However, Dallek also has clear opinions on presidents he thinks did well as opposed to those he did not, and after all the in-depth reading I've been doing, his one-chapter-a-president strategy felt too shallow and didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I felt that one-chapter strategy could have been redeemed with a more expansive analysis at the end, but--again--none of it felt very new to me. I don't want to knock that strategy, because I understand that not everyone is as insane as I am about reading about presidents, but it just wasn't for me. For those interested in a more interesting look at the evolution of the presidency, I would recommend The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency.
January 1, 2026
This is an informative book that identifies some of the precedents established by previous presidents that paved the way for Trump: the cult of celebrity around Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, and the political success of a president who was not very well informed, in the case of Ronald Reagan. But when it comes to analyzing Trump's presidency, it seems to me that the book mostly expresses strong disapproval of him without shedding much light on why he was elected--in other words, how we got here. In each of its discussions of 11 different presidents, the book mostly focuses narrowly on that president's actions, with scant attention to the larger historical trends that helped determine his election and the impact of his presidency. Perhaps that's inevitable in a book that covers 11 presidents in just 236 pages. But personally, I hoped for greater depth. I guess I should have picked a book with a narrower focus.
December 5, 2020
As others have said, this book is definitely anti Trump. Last few chapters on the last few presidents lean heavily on how messed up things have become.
TR sounds like he would have been a pain in the ass as a modern president.
FDR hid all kinds of stuff from Americans but did just as much to make sure they were taken care of.
Woodrow Wilson had such a severe stroke that his wife basically ran the country, with the help of his close assistants.
The fact is, that now we have everything spoon fed to us pretty much immediately. You cant hide a major disability or chronic pain disorders. You say one thing at a rally and it is rebroadcast across the nation instantly
TR sounds like he would have been a pain in the ass as a modern president.
FDR hid all kinds of stuff from Americans but did just as much to make sure they were taken care of.
Woodrow Wilson had such a severe stroke that his wife basically ran the country, with the help of his close assistants.
The fact is, that now we have everything spoon fed to us pretty much immediately. You cant hide a major disability or chronic pain disorders. You say one thing at a rally and it is rebroadcast across the nation instantly
February 13, 2022
A decent- but biased- summary of modern presidencies from Teddy Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. While the author references Trump in the title, the book does not provide much substantive analysis of Trump, other than stating that obvious- that Trump is a terrible president and pales in comparison to those who came before him. The author's glowing assessment of JFK and almost mean-spirited appraisal of Reagan challenges the credibility of his analysis. The book feels like it was repurposed from another approach to somehow compare past presidents to Trump but the author fails to provide much substance to this comparison.
September 5, 2021
I greatly enjoyed most of the book that included in-depth and interesting historical synopses of the presidency since Teddy Roosevelt. The rise of the use of media and “celebrity” was a great lead-in to the disaster of Trump’s ascension. The book took a disappointing and inexplicable turn when the order was
abandoned with a jump from Ronald Reagan to Trump (sort of). The final chapter was more a repetitive summary from the previous chapters. It seemed as if Dallek got bored with his writing and just quit! Unlikely that I would recommend the book to anyone…
abandoned with a jump from Ronald Reagan to Trump (sort of). The final chapter was more a repetitive summary from the previous chapters. It seemed as if Dallek got bored with his writing and just quit! Unlikely that I would recommend the book to anyone…
January 27, 2023
I typically enjoy Robert Dallek's books, however I did not realize how biased he was until I read this book. In this book, he does a good job of distorting history, sometimes straight out lying. As an example, on page 231 of the hardcover edition, Mr. Dallek states "In 2019, a year and a half before the 2020 election, Florida's Orlando Sentinel, a Republican-leaning newspaper that endorsed Trump in 2016...." The Orlando Sentinel is not Republican-leaning and their editorial board most certainly endorsed Hillary Clinton.
May 26, 2023
I enjoyed this book. I liked how each past presidency from Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan has its own chapter. I thought it gave a nice overview of the big things that happened during each of those presidencies. It was easy to listen to and it gave me lots of new information that I didn't know about these past presidents. It definitely made me realize which presidents and presidencies I need to read more about. Definitely would recommend for a broad overview of those past presidencies. I'm not sure it really answered "how we got here" but I still enjoyed it.
January 16, 2021
Dallek's deep knowledge of past Presidents serves him well in this short, but incisive book about how the actions of US Presidents throughout the 20th Century influenced the path to Trump.
Dallek gives excellent précis of leading Presidents of the US outlining their strengths and failings in a way that helps build an understanding of what it takes to be a successful President. He provides a clear and well-argued verdict on Trump and his shortcomings as a leader.
Dallek gives excellent précis of leading Presidents of the US outlining their strengths and failings in a way that helps build an understanding of what it takes to be a successful President. He provides a clear and well-argued verdict on Trump and his shortcomings as a leader.
January 26, 2021
The author sets out to show, based on the performance of several 20th-century presidents (Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and others) how presidential behavioral expectations have been affected, with reference to various actions of Donald Trump. He clearly doesn't like Trump, and considers his actions as president deplorable. While he makes his points, I thought some were obvious beyond the need for explanation. I had hoped for an analysis of conditions in that part of the country where Trump is popular that would explain the reason why this is so. He doesn't address this at all.
July 29, 2025
If you are looking for a general overview of presidential history starting at Teddy Roosevelt, it’s fine but the title and branding is a bait and switch. This says nothing about what lead to Trump or the greater causes that promoted him. There is a short end chapter
That barely glosses over a few items but no in depth investigation. Other than that I enjoyed it. Many good anecdotes especially about Teddy.
That barely glosses over a few items but no in depth investigation. Other than that I enjoyed it. Many good anecdotes especially about Teddy.
November 5, 2020
I listened to this in the car, & it was very easy to listen to & keep up with thru out. The title covers the synopsis of the book, & he goes thru each President's term from TR to DT explaining their strengths/weakness/accomplishments/challenges/failures.....simply & concisely, making learning about this history quite an easy listen.
May 22, 2022
I found the historical look leading up to dumbass was interesting. It certainly looked at the accomplishments of every president from Teddy R to Reagan, and then omitting Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama, and then looking at.. well you know. Clear look at how things developed over time, that helped make trump possible. Quick read, and a good one.
October 13, 2022
If what you are looking for stories about how presidents’ personal quirks and character flaws can be seen in the choices they made while in the Oval Office, this is your book. If you are looking for an analysis of how legislation and precedent made Trump’s administration possible, this isn’t it. It’s not a bad book, just light on insight.
February 20, 2023
Solid historic overview of campaigns and trends that define modern American presidencies. By any account, Trump never met the baseline standard to occupy the White House. Hopefully he’s the last abusive, crude President I’ll see in my lifetime.
November 9, 2024
Very well written. I enjoyed learning about our presidents from TR to DT. Mr. Dallek does a remarkable job in presenting specifics about each of the presidents he writes about. I would highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews