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American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power
An absorbing, novelistic, and powerfully affecting work of history and investigative journalism that tracks the unraveling of American democracy. In American Oligarchs , award-winning investigative journalist Andrea Bernstein tells the story of the Trump and Kushner families like never before. Building on her landmark reporting for the acclaimed podcast Trump, Inc . and The New Yorker, Bernstein brings to light new information about the families’ arrival as immigrants to America, their paths to success, and the business and personal lives of the president and his closest family members. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and more than one hundred thousand pages of documents, American Oligarchs details how the Trump and Kushner dynasties encouraged and profited from a system of corruption, dark money, and influence trading, and reveals the historical turning points and decisions?on taxation, regulation, white-collar crime, and campaign finance laws?that have brought us to where we are today. A new afterword examines how the two families’ transactional politics left America particularly vulnerable to the crises of 2020.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
746 people are currently reading
2541 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Bernstein
2 books31 followersAndrea Bernstein is the Peabody and duPont-Columbia Award-winning cohost of the acclaimed WNYC/ProPublica podcast Trump, Inc. Her writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and New York magazine, and on NPR. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
July 28, 2023
“American Oligarchs”, by Andrea Bernstein, is exactly what it’s subtitle says it is. It’s the story of the Kushner and Trump families, and the marriage that brought them together. Bernstein does a superb job at writing a book that basically gives the families’ histories without too much silent sighing-at-what’s going on with these people? Neither family is on the up-and-up, though the Kushners may be (maybe) slightly less heinous than the Trumps. Charlie Kushner’s still on his first wife, and that family should be commended for surviving the Holocaust and making the most the “Goldene Medina” they found here in postWW2 America.
There’s not much new in Bernstein’s book about the Trumps. The usual rumors about how money was made are there and the writing is pretty non-sensational. (Given what it could be...) Most readers of the book will read it for the Kushner parts because they’re actually the most interesting. Ol’ Charlie might still be on Wife #1, but I wonder if she chose to visit him in jail when he was there for blackmailing his sister and brother in law? Picture a crime including a prostitute, a hot-sheet hotel in rural New Jersey, and photographs. At this attempt at extortion of his nearest-and-dearest, Kushner spent a year in an Air Force base lockup in Alabama. His son, Jared, visited him every weekend for his term. I guess family Thanksgivings aren’t overly congenial in the Kushner family...
At any rate, Andrea Bernstein’s book is filled with little gems like Charlie’s attempt at extortion and why the Kushners aren’t exactly best buds with Chris Christie...
I really enjoyed Bernstein’s book. It was well written and filled with juicy goings on by repulsive people. Just my favorite type of book.
There’s not much new in Bernstein’s book about the Trumps. The usual rumors about how money was made are there and the writing is pretty non-sensational. (Given what it could be...) Most readers of the book will read it for the Kushner parts because they’re actually the most interesting. Ol’ Charlie might still be on Wife #1, but I wonder if she chose to visit him in jail when he was there for blackmailing his sister and brother in law? Picture a crime including a prostitute, a hot-sheet hotel in rural New Jersey, and photographs. At this attempt at extortion of his nearest-and-dearest, Kushner spent a year in an Air Force base lockup in Alabama. His son, Jared, visited him every weekend for his term. I guess family Thanksgivings aren’t overly congenial in the Kushner family...
At any rate, Andrea Bernstein’s book is filled with little gems like Charlie’s attempt at extortion and why the Kushners aren’t exactly best buds with Chris Christie...
I really enjoyed Bernstein’s book. It was well written and filled with juicy goings on by repulsive people. Just my favorite type of book.
February 9, 2020
I am giving this book 4 stars because it was logically written and well researched and documented. But reading it made me sick. Although I had read or heard some of these facts previously, reading them, compiled in one book was overwhelming. These two families are more than spoiled, rich men (and Ivanka), they are thugs who will do anything to get what they want. They have abused federal programs meant to help the underserved and laundered money. That one became president and the other works in the white house is scary.
"Gessen [Masha Gressen, journalist] described mafia states as, previously, existing in the wake of totalitarian regimes, but suggested Trump might introduce the world to the post-democratic mafia state. In the model he will still be the patriarch who distributes money and power. The patriarch's immediate circle will comprise his actual family and a few favorites...They will concern themselves with issues of interest to the president, and with enrichment of themselves and their allies. . . the establishment Republicans in the cabinet will be able to pursue a radically conservative program on many areas of policy, without regard to views Trump may or may not hold, and this will keep the Republican party satisfied with a president it once didn't want.
These words published on December 13, 2016, exactly predicted the Trump presidency." (339)
"Which is to say networks made up of top government officials, captains of industry, and out and out criminals, woven together are hijacking government and economic function and bending it to serve the purposes of their personal enrichment and not the public interest." (373)
"But then I realized something: the act of telling the story is itself an action, a chance, a tilt toward the future. I still believe in truth, and facts. I still believe that telling reinforces these things. I believe that in the telling there is hope." (413) [The author's response to What drives you to do what you do? What difference will it make?]
"Gessen [Masha Gressen, journalist] described mafia states as, previously, existing in the wake of totalitarian regimes, but suggested Trump might introduce the world to the post-democratic mafia state. In the model he will still be the patriarch who distributes money and power. The patriarch's immediate circle will comprise his actual family and a few favorites...They will concern themselves with issues of interest to the president, and with enrichment of themselves and their allies. . . the establishment Republicans in the cabinet will be able to pursue a radically conservative program on many areas of policy, without regard to views Trump may or may not hold, and this will keep the Republican party satisfied with a president it once didn't want.
These words published on December 13, 2016, exactly predicted the Trump presidency." (339)
"Which is to say networks made up of top government officials, captains of industry, and out and out criminals, woven together are hijacking government and economic function and bending it to serve the purposes of their personal enrichment and not the public interest." (373)
"But then I realized something: the act of telling the story is itself an action, a chance, a tilt toward the future. I still believe in truth, and facts. I still believe that telling reinforces these things. I believe that in the telling there is hope." (413) [The author's response to What drives you to do what you do? What difference will it make?]
March 8, 2020
Everyone should read this, but the people who really need to never will.
February 1, 2020
Every American should read this book. The U.S. is in trouble.
February 29, 2020
Now, I'm giving up Trump and his equally evasive family for Lent.
February 13, 2020
It's a very clear chronology of the rise of the Trump and Kushner families, and how they've collided and blended into the kleptocratic shitstorm that we're now seeing 24/7 in the White House.
To be clear, most of what is written here has been in the public record for decades, including Trump's legal issues with his first hotel development, Jared's father's conviction and imprisonment, all the way to Jared's embrace of Arab autocrats and Trump's corruption of the Justice Dept. But nevertheless, its helpful to see it all in a coherent chronology to understand the depths of the corruption and incompetence that we're faced with, and up until now, have failed to put a stop to.
It may very well be that the Trumps/Kushners are simply better at the kind of corruption that we're taught as children is bad, but as adults we know is always under the surface of American life, even if we're better than many if not most countries. But even that wouldn't excuse Jared, whose grandparents famously escaped Nazi genocide and ended up refugees for years in Europe before finally being allowed to settle in the States (with the help of a few white lies), only to spawn children and grandchildren like Charles and Jared, who has supported his father-in-law's refugee policy (which is to say, attempt to eliminate it altogether) of telling refugees to go home or anywhere else.
Jared's known as kind of a dumb guy. But even dumb people can have a sense of irony, as in the kind of irony that would hopefully require the self-awareness to understand that your policy would've doomed your own kin to death before you were even born. But again, he's a dumb and terrible guy, and that's his shield against the crushing irony of his own beliefs.
The sheer amount of corruption that is catalogued here is staggering. And infuriating. And necessary to read if you believe in the American dream and that shining city on the hill. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get back there someday after we stomp the crooks and scumbags that have risen in place of real leadership.
To be clear, most of what is written here has been in the public record for decades, including Trump's legal issues with his first hotel development, Jared's father's conviction and imprisonment, all the way to Jared's embrace of Arab autocrats and Trump's corruption of the Justice Dept. But nevertheless, its helpful to see it all in a coherent chronology to understand the depths of the corruption and incompetence that we're faced with, and up until now, have failed to put a stop to.
It may very well be that the Trumps/Kushners are simply better at the kind of corruption that we're taught as children is bad, but as adults we know is always under the surface of American life, even if we're better than many if not most countries. But even that wouldn't excuse Jared, whose grandparents famously escaped Nazi genocide and ended up refugees for years in Europe before finally being allowed to settle in the States (with the help of a few white lies), only to spawn children and grandchildren like Charles and Jared, who has supported his father-in-law's refugee policy (which is to say, attempt to eliminate it altogether) of telling refugees to go home or anywhere else.
Jared's known as kind of a dumb guy. But even dumb people can have a sense of irony, as in the kind of irony that would hopefully require the self-awareness to understand that your policy would've doomed your own kin to death before you were even born. But again, he's a dumb and terrible guy, and that's his shield against the crushing irony of his own beliefs.
The sheer amount of corruption that is catalogued here is staggering. And infuriating. And necessary to read if you believe in the American dream and that shining city on the hill. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get back there someday after we stomp the crooks and scumbags that have risen in place of real leadership.
February 12, 2020
His father was arrested for failure to disperse from a Ku Klux Klan rally. He was also investigated for profiteering by the U. S. Senate and the State of New York and sued by the Department of Justice for civil rights violations. His son-in-law’s father spent fourteen months in Federal prison for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering. These are the men Donald Trump and Jared Kushner idolize. So, can it be any surprise that Trump has proven to be a religious bigot and a racist and Kushner an unapologetic defender of his father-in-law’s many crimes? Yet these characteristics are only a small part of the sordid story that emerges in Andrea Bernstein’s shocking new book about the two families, American Oligarchs. Even if you already know a lot about Donald Trump and his family, you’re likely to learn more from this impressive account of the Trumps and Kushners backstory.
The Trumps and Kushners backstory begins with both grandfathers
Bernstein’s impeccably researched account is grounded in the lives of Trump’s grandfather, Frederick Trump, and Jared Kushner’s, Joseph Kushner. Both were immigrants from Europe, Trump from Germany in 1885, Kushner from Poland in the years following World War II. And both Frederick Trump and Joe Kushner were homebuilders. The wealth they left behind on their passing became the foundation of the fortunes now enjoyed by Donald Trump and Jared Kushner.
Passing along immense wealth from generation to generation
Bernstein explains in detail how both the Trump and Kushner families have managed to pass along such immense wealth from generation to generation, paying little or nothing in taxes. “Fred Trump and Donald Trump engaged in secret schemes to avoid paying taxes that the New York Times called ‘outright fraud,'” Bernstein notes. Apparently, the Kushner family has used similar tax-avoidance mechanisms. And it is through such means that ultra-wealthy Americans have grown their fortunes from generation to generation, creating what many observers have come to view as an oligarchy.
Jared Kushner and his wife are ultra-wealthy in their own right
Much has been made of the claim that Donald Trump is a billionaire, and it may well be true. He is, in any case, extremely wealthy. What is less well known is how rich his son-in-law is. Bernstein makes that clear. “In the year they became senior White House advisors,” she writes, “[Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump] made at least $82 million in income. The next year they reported earning between $29 and $135 million.” She reveals, further, that at the age of twenty-six, he had “owned a building valued at almost two billion dollars and the New York Observer publishing group.”
The amazing story of how Jared’s grandparents survived the Holocaust
Joe and Rae Kushner were Holocaust survivors, and Bernstein does justice to their heroic tale. Half the population of the town they lived in — then Polish, now Belarusian — was Jewish. Of the 10,000 Jews who lived there before the Nazi invasion, only about 550 survived. Joe and Rae managed to escape in 1943 with 250 others by digging a tunnel from the Jewish ghetto and hiding the dirt they excavated in the walls of the homes where they were quartered.
For the duration of the war, Rae hid out with a band of Jewish partisans in the nearby forest, and Joe lived in a hole in the ground, venturing out only to steal food from neighboring farms. And their ordeal didn’t end then. Interned after the war as “displaced persons” in a series of camps, they could find no country willing to accept them until, at last, using doctored papers, they managed to gain entry to the United States. Given this family history, it’s startling that Jared Kushner could support his father-in-law’s bigoted immigration policies.
American Oligarchs is not an easy read. Bernstein’s prose is serviceable, but her material resists speed-reading. Much of the book is devoted to details about real estate transactions, tax avoidance schemes, and litigation that only unravel on close inspection.
About the author
Andrea Bernstein is a long-time contributor to NPR and the co-host of the Trump, Inc. podcast (through which I learned about this book). She has won the Peabody and more than fifty other awards for her reporting. With her colleague Ilya Marritz, Bernstein has broken key stories, including those on how Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump avoided criminal indictment, Paul Manafort’s money-laundering, Michael Cohen’s fraudulent business practices, and Rudy Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine. Now, in American Oligarchs, her first book, she adds to the luster of her career with a groundbreaking account of the Trumps and Kushners backstory.
The Trumps and Kushners backstory begins with both grandfathers
Bernstein’s impeccably researched account is grounded in the lives of Trump’s grandfather, Frederick Trump, and Jared Kushner’s, Joseph Kushner. Both were immigrants from Europe, Trump from Germany in 1885, Kushner from Poland in the years following World War II. And both Frederick Trump and Joe Kushner were homebuilders. The wealth they left behind on their passing became the foundation of the fortunes now enjoyed by Donald Trump and Jared Kushner.
Passing along immense wealth from generation to generation
Bernstein explains in detail how both the Trump and Kushner families have managed to pass along such immense wealth from generation to generation, paying little or nothing in taxes. “Fred Trump and Donald Trump engaged in secret schemes to avoid paying taxes that the New York Times called ‘outright fraud,'” Bernstein notes. Apparently, the Kushner family has used similar tax-avoidance mechanisms. And it is through such means that ultra-wealthy Americans have grown their fortunes from generation to generation, creating what many observers have come to view as an oligarchy.
Jared Kushner and his wife are ultra-wealthy in their own right
Much has been made of the claim that Donald Trump is a billionaire, and it may well be true. He is, in any case, extremely wealthy. What is less well known is how rich his son-in-law is. Bernstein makes that clear. “In the year they became senior White House advisors,” she writes, “[Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump] made at least $82 million in income. The next year they reported earning between $29 and $135 million.” She reveals, further, that at the age of twenty-six, he had “owned a building valued at almost two billion dollars and the New York Observer publishing group.”
The amazing story of how Jared’s grandparents survived the Holocaust
Joe and Rae Kushner were Holocaust survivors, and Bernstein does justice to their heroic tale. Half the population of the town they lived in — then Polish, now Belarusian — was Jewish. Of the 10,000 Jews who lived there before the Nazi invasion, only about 550 survived. Joe and Rae managed to escape in 1943 with 250 others by digging a tunnel from the Jewish ghetto and hiding the dirt they excavated in the walls of the homes where they were quartered.
For the duration of the war, Rae hid out with a band of Jewish partisans in the nearby forest, and Joe lived in a hole in the ground, venturing out only to steal food from neighboring farms. And their ordeal didn’t end then. Interned after the war as “displaced persons” in a series of camps, they could find no country willing to accept them until, at last, using doctored papers, they managed to gain entry to the United States. Given this family history, it’s startling that Jared Kushner could support his father-in-law’s bigoted immigration policies.
American Oligarchs is not an easy read. Bernstein’s prose is serviceable, but her material resists speed-reading. Much of the book is devoted to details about real estate transactions, tax avoidance schemes, and litigation that only unravel on close inspection.
About the author
Andrea Bernstein is a long-time contributor to NPR and the co-host of the Trump, Inc. podcast (through which I learned about this book). She has won the Peabody and more than fifty other awards for her reporting. With her colleague Ilya Marritz, Bernstein has broken key stories, including those on how Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump avoided criminal indictment, Paul Manafort’s money-laundering, Michael Cohen’s fraudulent business practices, and Rudy Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine. Now, in American Oligarchs, her first book, she adds to the luster of her career with a groundbreaking account of the Trumps and Kushners backstory.
Want to read
January 12, 2020I pre-ordered this book and can't wait to read it! I've been listening to Andrea talk about her book on Fresh Air, All Things Considered and her podcast Trump, Inc - it's fascinating stuff.
November 28, 2021
I am no fan of the Trumps. Nor do I approve of many of the financial shenanigans engaged by him, his company, and his family. But the problem lies primarily with the loopholes created by legislators at the behest of the rich so they can avoid taxes and get richer all the while sucking at the public teat through government contracts. Trump himself has acknowledged publicly in one of the debates that he used money to purchase influence and garner favor. The Fact is that politicians love power and want to keep it. To do that they need lots of money and people like Trump were there to fulfill their wishes. At a price.
"Consultants" hire themselves out to help get politicians elected. Then get hired to work in the government they helped elect. Then leave that government and create lobbying firms to sell the influence and connections they now possess thanks to their time in that government.
One of the advantages to owning a casino is how easy it is to launder money and get unregistered loans. His father bailed him out when Trump was close to insolvency and unable to make a bond payment by walking into one of Trump's casinos in Atlantic City and purchasing $3.5 million worth of chips and then just walking out effectively giving his son a free loan. Clearly, following the refusal of American banks to loan him more money following a string of bankruptcies in which they lost millions, the Russian oligarchs stepped in to fill the void.
Given what Trump said during the debates, i.e., how he gave money to both parties in order to garner favor and influence, I should not have been surprised with the close political relationships between the Kushner family and the Democrats, especially Bill Clinton, but I certainly was with their connection to Benjamin Netanyahu. Perhaps the Jewish connection and appreciation for Israel stemmed from the horrific experience of their family under the Nazis. (The failure of Trump to denounce the anti-Semitism of his more radical followers is the more surprising given the Kushners' Jewishness and the conversion of Ivanka to Judaism.)
Trump benefited from the Bloomberg policy of seeking foreign investment for New York. Bloomberg actively solicited money from overseas, proclaiming that the city needed them to help pay taxes and fund schools and police. The Trumps took advantage of this policy, and so did the Russians, who invested heavily in Trump projects, often buying condos and apartments in his buildings for millions of dollars in cash. It was a marvelous way to laundry money and curry favor with the future president. More than 50% of these units were occupied less than two months out of the year. A less beneficial impact was a doubling of rental costs in the city.
Ultimately, this is a very depressing book. The clear lesson is that if you have money, you can flaunt the laws; if you have money you inherited, you can create an image for yourself that may be completely at odds with who you are; that if you have money, the rules that apply to everyone else don't apply to you; and, if you have money, you can buy influence among politicians who then build loopholes for you to drive your trucks through. One wonders what the net effect of the Trump presidency will be. One danger will be, as a reviewer in the Washington Post noted, " cottage industry of Trump biographers and researchers has uncovered so many examples of deceptive, fraudulent and mean-spirited behavior by the president and his family that one succumbs to outrage fatigue."
"Consultants" hire themselves out to help get politicians elected. Then get hired to work in the government they helped elect. Then leave that government and create lobbying firms to sell the influence and connections they now possess thanks to their time in that government.
One of the advantages to owning a casino is how easy it is to launder money and get unregistered loans. His father bailed him out when Trump was close to insolvency and unable to make a bond payment by walking into one of Trump's casinos in Atlantic City and purchasing $3.5 million worth of chips and then just walking out effectively giving his son a free loan. Clearly, following the refusal of American banks to loan him more money following a string of bankruptcies in which they lost millions, the Russian oligarchs stepped in to fill the void.
Given what Trump said during the debates, i.e., how he gave money to both parties in order to garner favor and influence, I should not have been surprised with the close political relationships between the Kushner family and the Democrats, especially Bill Clinton, but I certainly was with their connection to Benjamin Netanyahu. Perhaps the Jewish connection and appreciation for Israel stemmed from the horrific experience of their family under the Nazis. (The failure of Trump to denounce the anti-Semitism of his more radical followers is the more surprising given the Kushners' Jewishness and the conversion of Ivanka to Judaism.)
Trump benefited from the Bloomberg policy of seeking foreign investment for New York. Bloomberg actively solicited money from overseas, proclaiming that the city needed them to help pay taxes and fund schools and police. The Trumps took advantage of this policy, and so did the Russians, who invested heavily in Trump projects, often buying condos and apartments in his buildings for millions of dollars in cash. It was a marvelous way to laundry money and curry favor with the future president. More than 50% of these units were occupied less than two months out of the year. A less beneficial impact was a doubling of rental costs in the city.
Ultimately, this is a very depressing book. The clear lesson is that if you have money, you can flaunt the laws; if you have money you inherited, you can create an image for yourself that may be completely at odds with who you are; that if you have money, the rules that apply to everyone else don't apply to you; and, if you have money, you can buy influence among politicians who then build loopholes for you to drive your trucks through. One wonders what the net effect of the Trump presidency will be. One danger will be, as a reviewer in the Washington Post noted, " cottage industry of Trump biographers and researchers has uncovered so many examples of deceptive, fraudulent and mean-spirited behavior by the president and his family that one succumbs to outrage fatigue."
January 28, 2020
Greed, Power, and the Destruction of Democracy
Andrea Bernstein paints one of the most complete, succinct histories of how the Trump and Kushner families, representatives of the new American oligarchic class, are destroying the meaning of representative government for all in the United States. She traces the family origins of the Trumps and Kushners from their European roots, to their migration to the U.S., to business practices that have put both families at the pinnacle of both American wealth and power. Some of the early history, particularly that of the Kushner family’s escape from Nazi Germany, is nothing short of inspirational. What follows, however, when the families have established themselves in the U.S. is troubling, especially Fred and Donald Trump’s constant deception, lying, and law breaking, and Charlie Kushner’s and son Jared’s betrayal of their mother’s legacy. Taken in total, Bernstein gives us a better understanding of how the families have operated to achieve their wealth and power, and how they are using those same experiences to increase their wealth and power, while dealing crippling blows to our republic.
This resurgent oligarchic class, as restricted, greedy, and powerful as the Gilded Age titans, and of which the Trumps and Kushners represent prime examples, have used the very benefits provided by the U.S. government to achieve their status, and then close off these government programs to others, thereby consolidating power in the hands of a few. Bernstein’s history of how the immigrant Trump and Kushner progenitors took advantage of and in many cases manipulated home building programs. Later, the sons, Charlie and Donald, employed shady business practices, including establishing a myriad of shell companies to shield profits from taxation and pass on wealth to their children, as well as the cultivation of politicians for favors that included protection from prosecution, not to mention intimidation, especially on the part of Donald. It’s these very practices of flaunting and sidestepping laws that Donald Trump now wields in Washington, along with his demagogic bloviating, threats, and insults, all things that have taken an insidious toll on American norms and the operation of the U.S. government both domestically and internationally. Readers will find the book, which reads as quickly and disturbingly as a Faustian melodrama, an enlightening primer on how to blow up a government.
While any number of passages lend themselves to quoting, here are two that should unsettle any American, and encourage you to read the book. First, on the infamous meeting in Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, with Donald, Jr., Jared, Paul Manafort, Rob Goldstone, Natalie Veselnitskaya (the Russian lawyer with close ties to the Russian government), and Ike Kaveladze (advocate for oligarch Aras Agalarov in America) present. This is the meeting in which Don, Jr., Jared, and Manafort anticipated picking up dirt on Hillary Clinton.
“But this meeting was a highly significant moment, an inflection point, an indicator of a broad breakdown of restraints on corruption, foreign influence in elections, and the power of big money in politics … Campaigns are not allowed to coordinate with independent actors. They are not allowed to use business resources, their own or others’, without declaring in-kind contributions. They are especially not allowed to accept money, or any ‘thing of value,’ from foreign actors or governments. They’re not even allowed to accept offers of help: the law specifically bans not just actually receiving aid, but accepting from a ‘foreign national’ any ‘express or implied promise to make a contribution.’ This was, previously, a bedrock of campaign finance laws, to ensure that campaigns didn’t become tools of a foreign government’s geopolitical aims.” In other words, a total disregard and destruction of standing law for personal political purposes.
Second, so who knew the Trump presidency would resemble the Putin mafia-like presidency? Someone who studies and critiques Putin regularly, and Donald Trump, Masha Gessen, who wrote a piece published on December 13, 2016, prior to Trump’s inauguration. In the piece, Gessen discussed mafia style governments, of which Putin’s is classic, and then:
“Gessen describes mafia states as, previously, existing in the wake of totalitarian regimes, but suggested Trump might ‘introduce the world to the post-democratic mafia state. In this model, he will still be the patriarch who distributes money and power. The patriarch’s immediate circle will comprise his actual family and a few favorites … They will concern themselves with issues of interest to the president, and with enrichment of themselves and their allies. The outer circle will be handed issues in which Trump is less interested. In practical terms, this will mean that the establishment Republicans in the cabinet will be able to pursue a radically conservative program on many areas of policy, without regard to views Trump may or may not hold, and this will keep the Republican Party satisfied with a president it once didn’t want.” And doesn’t that explain a lot?
Best advice for understanding what is happening before our very eyes: read American Oligarchs as soon as you can.
Andrea Bernstein paints one of the most complete, succinct histories of how the Trump and Kushner families, representatives of the new American oligarchic class, are destroying the meaning of representative government for all in the United States. She traces the family origins of the Trumps and Kushners from their European roots, to their migration to the U.S., to business practices that have put both families at the pinnacle of both American wealth and power. Some of the early history, particularly that of the Kushner family’s escape from Nazi Germany, is nothing short of inspirational. What follows, however, when the families have established themselves in the U.S. is troubling, especially Fred and Donald Trump’s constant deception, lying, and law breaking, and Charlie Kushner’s and son Jared’s betrayal of their mother’s legacy. Taken in total, Bernstein gives us a better understanding of how the families have operated to achieve their wealth and power, and how they are using those same experiences to increase their wealth and power, while dealing crippling blows to our republic.
This resurgent oligarchic class, as restricted, greedy, and powerful as the Gilded Age titans, and of which the Trumps and Kushners represent prime examples, have used the very benefits provided by the U.S. government to achieve their status, and then close off these government programs to others, thereby consolidating power in the hands of a few. Bernstein’s history of how the immigrant Trump and Kushner progenitors took advantage of and in many cases manipulated home building programs. Later, the sons, Charlie and Donald, employed shady business practices, including establishing a myriad of shell companies to shield profits from taxation and pass on wealth to their children, as well as the cultivation of politicians for favors that included protection from prosecution, not to mention intimidation, especially on the part of Donald. It’s these very practices of flaunting and sidestepping laws that Donald Trump now wields in Washington, along with his demagogic bloviating, threats, and insults, all things that have taken an insidious toll on American norms and the operation of the U.S. government both domestically and internationally. Readers will find the book, which reads as quickly and disturbingly as a Faustian melodrama, an enlightening primer on how to blow up a government.
While any number of passages lend themselves to quoting, here are two that should unsettle any American, and encourage you to read the book. First, on the infamous meeting in Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, with Donald, Jr., Jared, Paul Manafort, Rob Goldstone, Natalie Veselnitskaya (the Russian lawyer with close ties to the Russian government), and Ike Kaveladze (advocate for oligarch Aras Agalarov in America) present. This is the meeting in which Don, Jr., Jared, and Manafort anticipated picking up dirt on Hillary Clinton.
“But this meeting was a highly significant moment, an inflection point, an indicator of a broad breakdown of restraints on corruption, foreign influence in elections, and the power of big money in politics … Campaigns are not allowed to coordinate with independent actors. They are not allowed to use business resources, their own or others’, without declaring in-kind contributions. They are especially not allowed to accept money, or any ‘thing of value,’ from foreign actors or governments. They’re not even allowed to accept offers of help: the law specifically bans not just actually receiving aid, but accepting from a ‘foreign national’ any ‘express or implied promise to make a contribution.’ This was, previously, a bedrock of campaign finance laws, to ensure that campaigns didn’t become tools of a foreign government’s geopolitical aims.” In other words, a total disregard and destruction of standing law for personal political purposes.
Second, so who knew the Trump presidency would resemble the Putin mafia-like presidency? Someone who studies and critiques Putin regularly, and Donald Trump, Masha Gessen, who wrote a piece published on December 13, 2016, prior to Trump’s inauguration. In the piece, Gessen discussed mafia style governments, of which Putin’s is classic, and then:
“Gessen describes mafia states as, previously, existing in the wake of totalitarian regimes, but suggested Trump might ‘introduce the world to the post-democratic mafia state. In this model, he will still be the patriarch who distributes money and power. The patriarch’s immediate circle will comprise his actual family and a few favorites … They will concern themselves with issues of interest to the president, and with enrichment of themselves and their allies. The outer circle will be handed issues in which Trump is less interested. In practical terms, this will mean that the establishment Republicans in the cabinet will be able to pursue a radically conservative program on many areas of policy, without regard to views Trump may or may not hold, and this will keep the Republican Party satisfied with a president it once didn’t want.” And doesn’t that explain a lot?
Best advice for understanding what is happening before our very eyes: read American Oligarchs as soon as you can.
July 14, 2020
It's nice to find all the of the fraudulent behavior and criminal activity in one place. All of her cited sources (she also conducted hundreds of off-the-record interviews- people were scared of retaliation) come from left-leaning publications, think tanks, and writers, so it's unlikely she's going to change any minds with this book, but there was so much that I had forgotten from the past 4 years that it served as a good review- plus we get the bad behavior of the Trump and Kushner ancestors. That was all new to me, but it certainly explains a lot of DJT's behavior- as well as Jared and Ivanka's.
In addition to presenting a fascinating family history (that includes Kushner's grandmother tunneling her way out of a Polish ghetto to join paramilitary survivors in the woods for a winter), Bernstein weaves in policy shifts that have allowed the Trumps and Kushners to take advantage of public money to generate private wealth. She sets up the context to explain how conditions were ripe for this emerging kleptocracy.
In addition to presenting a fascinating family history (that includes Kushner's grandmother tunneling her way out of a Polish ghetto to join paramilitary survivors in the woods for a winter), Bernstein weaves in policy shifts that have allowed the Trumps and Kushners to take advantage of public money to generate private wealth. She sets up the context to explain how conditions were ripe for this emerging kleptocracy.
March 7, 2020
I am rounding this up to 4.5 stars. This is a very clear, well-chronicled story of the Kushner and Tump families alliance (some might say unholy alliance). The reporting is spot-on and it was, for me, a horrifying tale of where we are today in a world where norms have been turned upside down. I did not read this book in one sitting. Since it was given to me as a gift, I was able to read some, put it down and pick it up again. I was also familiar with a lot of the content from the news.
I like the way Bernstein ends the book in her epilogue. She said she is often asked what drives her to do what she does, to document the crashing of norms and the law. She explains, "the act of telling the story is itself an action, a chance, a tilt toward the future. I still believe in truth, and facts. I still believe that the telling reinforces those things. I believe that in the the telling, there is hope."
I like the way Bernstein ends the book in her epilogue. She said she is often asked what drives her to do what she does, to document the crashing of norms and the law. She explains, "the act of telling the story is itself an action, a chance, a tilt toward the future. I still believe in truth, and facts. I still believe that the telling reinforces those things. I believe that in the the telling, there is hope."
January 24, 2020
If you read the news, you know Trump is a crook and a shady businessman. You don't need to read this book to know that. If you're from New York (as I am), you've known that since the 1980s.
You probably know less about the Kushners, though. And what you know less about is how they were able to purchase political influence and just how easily they avoided taxes. This book did nothing to improve my opinion of either Albany or Trenton. The late Gov. Mario Cuomo got one point for not falling for Trump's attempt to force him to use his influence over his son (then HUD secretary).
Small note: While I trust Andrea Bernstein, knowing her background, there were some small errors-typos and the like--that made me think this was rushed into press without proper copy editing.
You probably know less about the Kushners, though. And what you know less about is how they were able to purchase political influence and just how easily they avoided taxes. This book did nothing to improve my opinion of either Albany or Trenton. The late Gov. Mario Cuomo got one point for not falling for Trump's attempt to force him to use his influence over his son (then HUD secretary).
Small note: While I trust Andrea Bernstein, knowing her background, there were some small errors-typos and the like--that made me think this was rushed into press without proper copy editing.
February 7, 2020
Well-researched book that won't change anything. Both Trump and Kushners have made a fortune gaming the system. They haven't just gotten away with it—they have been rewarded for it.
March 21, 2020
Could be subtitled: The Trump Dynasty - 90 years of cheating and lying.
January 21, 2020
Tracks the roots of the Trump and Kushner families: how they rose to prominence – not only by hard work and initiative, but by later generations leveraging fraudulent practices to avail themselves of government money and unwarranted tax breaks.
While the author does not uncover any new revelations, she weaves together the many threads of these two families over time to reveal a tapestry of wealth, greed, deception, intimidation and fraud that now threatens the very fabric of the American democracy. It is a sordid chronicle.
Reads like a novel…but unfortunately it is America’s current reality.
While the author does not uncover any new revelations, she weaves together the many threads of these two families over time to reveal a tapestry of wealth, greed, deception, intimidation and fraud that now threatens the very fabric of the American democracy. It is a sordid chronicle.
Reads like a novel…but unfortunately it is America’s current reality.
February 14, 2020
I’m just not able to finish this book. Halfway through is all I can manage. What I have learned is that the Kushner and the Trumps habitually skate perilously close to criminal conduct, and they do it on such a regular basis that it seems second nature to them. On occasion they tip over the edge into what surely looks like criminality. But fear not: they’ve had lots of experience dealing with such dilemmas. They simply hire the best lawyers (unless those same lawyers are already on retainer) to defend them. Sometimes the lawyers get paid and sometimes they don’t. Regardless, they slide.
Both the Kushner and the Trumps fork over hefty donations to public officials and politicians, regardless of party affiliation. When they get into scrapes, they’re able to call in the favor. Which they do, with some regularity.
It’s an important book, an enlightening book, a great book, but I just can’t read anymore. My mental health is at stake.
Both the Kushner and the Trumps fork over hefty donations to public officials and politicians, regardless of party affiliation. When they get into scrapes, they’re able to call in the favor. Which they do, with some regularity.
It’s an important book, an enlightening book, a great book, but I just can’t read anymore. My mental health is at stake.
March 7, 2020
Very good book on how the Kushner and Trump families got to the levels of government and wealth they are now. They were immigrants who suffered in their home countries and made good here. But they made good through criminal activity and misuse of government. Now they own the government and the US democracy is in danger.
November 1, 2020
Treat yourself by listening to the audiobook. Andrea Bernstein is a pleasure to listen to. If you like Trump Inc podcast you will LOVE this book. It’s like five books in one, covering so many aspects of the Trump story over the years. Of all the Trump related books I’ve read - this is the only one so far to earn 5 stars
March 23, 2025
depressing
Read
February 28, 20206/10
There isn’t really anything new here, just more detail, some details are very interesting or entertaining, but this will make only a negligible impact on the national conversational.
Trump's business and his presidential campaign are viewed as twined together in this book. This seemed clear even at the time he was running, so I wonder why it isn’t talked about more. The lines between the presidency and business blurred, because both revolved around power, and as power increases, wealth typically follows. For Trump then, he has conflated national, and personal interest, in case anyone was still unaware of this. I don’t even mean it from a conspiracy-esq perspective, it just makes sense that a business that is based on brand name will benefit from that brand being in the White House. Though I will say I'm surprised Christian conspiracy theorists haven’t latched on to Trumps owning of 666 5th Ave, though its most likely because they’ve largely decided Trump’s not such a bad guy.
Trump and Bloomberg’s relationship is an interesting one, considering that they both benefited from the influx of Russian money into NYC. The Murdoch’s of course make an appearance as well, as friends of the Kushner’s and the Trumps. More and more you get the impression that everyone is in bed with everyone else, a line from the Clinton's to Murdoch’s is easy to draw, even as they appear to be ideological enemies. In my opinion, these are the oligarchs of America. The deep ties between the Kushner’s and the Clinton's is interesting, yet unsurprising considering Trumps friendship with both. Other than the first few chapters however, it was almost exclusively a book about trump. Jared Kushner in general seems to make decisions that benefit himself financially more than the country politically, but I suppose that’s not exactly a hot take. I suppose that’s most of this book.
The most surprising thing to me is not the number of illegal donations made by the Kushner’s and the trumps, it’s that they were caught so often, when it seems that this is relatively easy to get away for everyone else. The other surprising thing is how cheap politicians can be bought for, its routinely less than 40k.
The fact that four families (would have stayed three with Hillary) have been in power for over 30 years laughs in the face of any who would argue that we have a pure democracy, and is some of the clearest (if not best) evidence of the pseudo oligarchical state we live in.
It’s disappointing how little the Kushner's are in this, they seem like fun. The Kushner’s “rise from the ashes” after the holocaust, and ascendance to wealth, is so unlikely that’s its honestly incredible. Charlie Kushner hiring prostitutes to blackmail his brother-in-law was hilarious, like a TV show. Then of course, there’s grandpa Yessel, who, when he was young “would put hot potatoes in horse’s rectum’s, to make them look frisky, and sell them for more than they were worth.” Wow thank you, I’m not sure what I would have done without that information.
There isn’t really anything new here, just more detail, some details are very interesting or entertaining, but this will make only a negligible impact on the national conversational.
Trump's business and his presidential campaign are viewed as twined together in this book. This seemed clear even at the time he was running, so I wonder why it isn’t talked about more. The lines between the presidency and business blurred, because both revolved around power, and as power increases, wealth typically follows. For Trump then, he has conflated national, and personal interest, in case anyone was still unaware of this. I don’t even mean it from a conspiracy-esq perspective, it just makes sense that a business that is based on brand name will benefit from that brand being in the White House. Though I will say I'm surprised Christian conspiracy theorists haven’t latched on to Trumps owning of 666 5th Ave, though its most likely because they’ve largely decided Trump’s not such a bad guy.
Trump and Bloomberg’s relationship is an interesting one, considering that they both benefited from the influx of Russian money into NYC. The Murdoch’s of course make an appearance as well, as friends of the Kushner’s and the Trumps. More and more you get the impression that everyone is in bed with everyone else, a line from the Clinton's to Murdoch’s is easy to draw, even as they appear to be ideological enemies. In my opinion, these are the oligarchs of America. The deep ties between the Kushner’s and the Clinton's is interesting, yet unsurprising considering Trumps friendship with both. Other than the first few chapters however, it was almost exclusively a book about trump. Jared Kushner in general seems to make decisions that benefit himself financially more than the country politically, but I suppose that’s not exactly a hot take. I suppose that’s most of this book.
The most surprising thing to me is not the number of illegal donations made by the Kushner’s and the trumps, it’s that they were caught so often, when it seems that this is relatively easy to get away for everyone else. The other surprising thing is how cheap politicians can be bought for, its routinely less than 40k.
The fact that four families (would have stayed three with Hillary) have been in power for over 30 years laughs in the face of any who would argue that we have a pure democracy, and is some of the clearest (if not best) evidence of the pseudo oligarchical state we live in.
It’s disappointing how little the Kushner's are in this, they seem like fun. The Kushner’s “rise from the ashes” after the holocaust, and ascendance to wealth, is so unlikely that’s its honestly incredible. Charlie Kushner hiring prostitutes to blackmail his brother-in-law was hilarious, like a TV show. Then of course, there’s grandpa Yessel, who, when he was young “would put hot potatoes in horse’s rectum’s, to make them look frisky, and sell them for more than they were worth.” Wow thank you, I’m not sure what I would have done without that information.
January 19, 2020
This is an incredible book... The author has a long history as a journalist (WNYC) and has facts, experiences, contacts, and details that really make her story(ies) even more fascinating. Her writing style is both sharp and fluid and you just don't want to stop, all the time 'knowing how it ends'. (it doesn't!)
She traces the histories of the Trumps and the Kushners from their European roots and the way they wove their ways into the prominent super rich power brokers that they are today.
The stories about the key players you've heard in the headlines, but the details of their operations, how they keep control and totally crush any one who is the slightest bit adverserial are what makes this book so riveting. For the most part they have done this through a great deal of private operations and shell companies, foreign banks, stacking the federal judges benches with 'their guys', rolling back regulations, and perceiving the world in very black and white terms...you're good because you like us and help us, or you're bad if you don't, we'll have to destroy you.
The parallels with 'mob bosses' are eerie, and will give you pause to consider that this is the government of the United States of America! It's all there....and if you have the same political outlook as I do, you will be bugging your friends to read it too...when sadly, the people who should read it will never do that.
It's all there, all the players and their sneaky, deceitful, and manipulative methods that tumble off their lips like rose petals. I was so appalled yet not surprised to hear about Ivanka's dishonesty in addition to her phony feigning ways. She is a' Stepford Daughter', so perfect, graceful, so....'finishing school'... and controls millions of dollars by whatever means necessary...she has learned her father's ways quite well. So much of the business they all conduct is so ruthless, packed with lies and alternative facts, and despite how many times they've all been caught, they are teflon coated.
One point that the author makes, as did our former president, is that 'hope' is key if we are to get trough this. SO, I will breathe more life into the glimmering hope I have in my soul, and try to believe that we will survive this.
She traces the histories of the Trumps and the Kushners from their European roots and the way they wove their ways into the prominent super rich power brokers that they are today.
The stories about the key players you've heard in the headlines, but the details of their operations, how they keep control and totally crush any one who is the slightest bit adverserial are what makes this book so riveting. For the most part they have done this through a great deal of private operations and shell companies, foreign banks, stacking the federal judges benches with 'their guys', rolling back regulations, and perceiving the world in very black and white terms...you're good because you like us and help us, or you're bad if you don't, we'll have to destroy you.
The parallels with 'mob bosses' are eerie, and will give you pause to consider that this is the government of the United States of America! It's all there....and if you have the same political outlook as I do, you will be bugging your friends to read it too...when sadly, the people who should read it will never do that.
It's all there, all the players and their sneaky, deceitful, and manipulative methods that tumble off their lips like rose petals. I was so appalled yet not surprised to hear about Ivanka's dishonesty in addition to her phony feigning ways. She is a' Stepford Daughter', so perfect, graceful, so....'finishing school'... and controls millions of dollars by whatever means necessary...she has learned her father's ways quite well. So much of the business they all conduct is so ruthless, packed with lies and alternative facts, and despite how many times they've all been caught, they are teflon coated.
One point that the author makes, as did our former president, is that 'hope' is key if we are to get trough this. SO, I will breathe more life into the glimmering hope I have in my soul, and try to believe that we will survive this.
January 29, 2020
This gripping account of the rise of the Trump and Kushner families and their merger with Jared and Ivanka (merger seems to fit better than wedding) confirmed my saddest suspicions that cheating, lying, tax evasion and money laundering have turned our country into a kleptocracy.
I’m writing this review as the third impeachment trial in our history is sputtering toward yet more lack of consequences for Putin and his puppet president of the disunited States. The laws I grew up thinking were a set of expectations and guarantees have been bent, broken, ignored and flouted so fully I feel resigned about democracy. Andrea Bernstein did a thorough job quoting numerous sources, and her writing is terrific. I’m just gutted that American Oligarchs shows how little chance anything resembling justice is possible with Russian corruption thoroughly melted into our leadership.
I’m writing this review as the third impeachment trial in our history is sputtering toward yet more lack of consequences for Putin and his puppet president of the disunited States. The laws I grew up thinking were a set of expectations and guarantees have been bent, broken, ignored and flouted so fully I feel resigned about democracy. Andrea Bernstein did a thorough job quoting numerous sources, and her writing is terrific. I’m just gutted that American Oligarchs shows how little chance anything resembling justice is possible with Russian corruption thoroughly melted into our leadership.
January 26, 2020
The title of this book speaks for itself as to the subject matter and point of view. If you want to begin to understand what these two families are all about and their ultimate objectives, I believe this is a good place to begin.
It is not an easy read if you love America and believe in the value of American democracy. Yet it is a worthwhile read, in my view. You cannot begin to undo damage or regulate against it until you begin to understand the nature, scope, harm and future ramifications of it. I call this book a remarkable piece of quality journalism. Well researched, documented and well written.
January 27, 2020
American Oligarchs chronicles the marriage of the Trump and Kushner families and traces many of the unethical and illegal business dealings of both throughout their various generations. It made me really angry and definitely needed some editing but was a decent primer on how all the names in the Trump related investigation headlines connect.
February 27, 2020
I kind of dipped into and out of this book. I'd already heard a great deal of it via interviews with the author. Did not finish it mostly because it was due back at the library and someone else had put in a request, so could not renew, but it was hard for me to read large chunks at a time. Love the author's journalism and voice.
April 5, 2020
Andrea Bernstein ends her book by observing that she did not let the perfect be the enemy of the good (one of my friend Mark’s favorite sayings) simply because it’s so difficult to keep track of all the dastardly deeds going on in the Trump and Kushner families. Brilliant reportage about the lying scum who are ruining our democracy.
February 27, 2020
This was a history of the Trump and Kushner families, their business connections and the conniving that went on,. It's very complete, but dense--it took a while to get through, but was very informative.
April 28, 2020
I knew a long book about a bunch of rich, entitled grifters was going to be alternatingly maddening and depressing, yet I read it anyway...
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