Donald Trump: Un-American

by John J. Pitney

Un-American? President Donald J. Trump has been called many names, but how can this term apply to a candidate and president whose slogan is "make America great again?" How can such a term apply to the "America First" president? In this book, John J. Pitney Jr., one of America's most incisive conservative commentators exposes a core irony of Trump's that a man who is quick to question the patriotism of his critics is himself deeply unpatriotic. Pitney argues that real Americanism is about ideas and truth, equality, the rule of law, patriotic service, and the hope that America can serve as an example to the rest of the world. By words and actions, Trump has disparaged all of these things. Through an examination of his record, this book tells how Trump subverts genuine American greatness.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2020

Reviews

[Jibin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents... known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty -- when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity -- to join in the cry of danger to liberty -- to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion -- to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day -- It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may "ride the storm and direct the whirlwind."
Alexander Hamilton (quoted from un-American: The Fake Patriotism of Donald J. Trump)

If you haven't quite been able to describe why, exactly, you can't or won't vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election, this book is for you. In this well-documented but concise text (160 pages), Professor John J. Pitney portrays Trump as "an American in the way that Tony Soprano was a Catholic." Pitney hasn't unearthed any surprising, new revelatory claim about Trump that has hitherto been hidden from the public. Trump has left a Twitter trail for posterity to judge for itself, and Pitney uses Trump's own words to show why he has not held up his bargain to "faithfully execute" the office of the presidency.

If you have already made up your mind to vote Trump in November, I doubt there's anything in this book that will change your mind. Even if the President were to stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody, that probably won't be enough to vote Joe Biden or a 3rd party candidate. Nevertheless, I still recommend this Pitney text so that you can at least understand why people so vehemently object to a Trump presidency and believe that he is fundamentally different than any President who has preceded him.

Let no one be mistaken -- Donald Trump’s candidacy is a cancer on conservatism and it must be clearly diagnosed, excised, and discarded. (Rick Perry, 2016)

[Brad Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little of this book will be revelatory to those who follow politics closely. But much of the Trump early history was news to me. And, as a thorough catalogue of the Orange Menace’s injury to this country, the book serves a valuable historical purpose. Prof. Pitney is, of course, economical with words, so this is also an appropriately quick read.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was wondering, if this guy can see so well into the hearts and minds of people, he would make good money say detecting cancer, instead of being just a minor English major.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and damning. Pitney uses Trump's own words to illustrate the type of person occupying our highest office. Pitney is bitter and disenfranchised and his consternation and utter confusion are on display throughout. But, in fairness, how could it not be? This work will not convince those who are firmly Team Trump. All of the evidence provided is readily available and has been for years. His line that Evangelical leaders (and I'll add voters) have engaged in a Faustian bargain to ensure political power, policy preference, and seats on the judicial is especially troubling to me, simply for the accuracy. There was little that was news to me in this text (in general, some of the specifics were new), but it was beyond troubling to have all of Trump's lies, hate, contradictions, and irrational doublespeak so clearly put together in one place. Again, it won't convert the diehards, but it will go a long way to bringing those who are the fence into direct opposition with the current administration during the next election cycle. At the very least, it is nice to have read this before the Ministry of Truth rewrites it for posterity.

ARC provided by the publisher.

[Teagan Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only requests are that I wish I could've gotten my copy signed and I wish this book was longer! Pitney, a lifelong Republican and conservative writer, delivers a scathing, meticulous, yet easy-to-read step-by-step walkthrough of Trump's dangerous and unpatriotic behaviors. It's a great read for all -- former (or current) Republicans need to read this, Democrats need a refresher, and future generations will need a synthesized summary (although it is still but a glimpse) of the damage Trump has done to America. I'm glad to have it on my shelf as a record and I hope millions of Americans will have the chance to read this.

More research and analysis on Trump's record of sexual assault, his family's membership in the KKK, and the NYT investigation on his business dealings and taxes would be much appreciated.

[Mannie Liscum · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s fair to say that author John J. Pitney Jr is a conservative Reagan Republican. As a political scientist he has crafted a very readable and eyes-open account of the un-American presidency of Donald Trump. Pitney stays clear of left-right policy disagreements and instead focuses solely on the issues that make Trump so corrupt and falsely patriotic. It is a damning work. While there were only a couple of new revelations for me personally, Pitney deserves praise for bringing together findings from so many works, investigative reports, court cases and government sources in such a concise manner, free of partisan rancor. This is a fabulous book that I cannot recommend highly enough. 5 stars.

[Brian Menard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pitney - a lifelong Republican professor of Government with years of service to the GOP in government and politics - pulls back the curtain of Donald Trump and his administration to reveal its pathology of dishonesty, mean-spiritedness, graft, bad policy, bad stewardship of government, and un-patriotism. While the book feels at times like a cathartic purge, it is nonetheless expert in its refutation of one false claim after another by Trump and his defenders.

[Will Atkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short read, but not quite what I had hoped. Is it a laundry list of Trump’s far too numerous shortfalls? Yes. And it does have a healthy dose of founding father citations and excerpts. But I was hoping for a bit more commentary on true patriotism.