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Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost
Michael C. Bender, senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, presents a deeply reported account of the 2020 presidential campaign that details how Donald J. Trump became the first incumbent in three decades to lose reelection--and the only one whose defeat culminated in a violent insurrection.
Beginning with President Trump's first impeachment and ending with his second, Frankly, We Did Win This Election chronicles the inside-the-room deliberations between Trump and his campaign team as they opened 2020 with a sleek political operation built to harness a surge of momentum from a bullish economy, a unified Republican Party, and a string of domestic and foreign policy successes--only to watch everything unravel when fortunes suddenly turned.
With first-rate sourcing cultivated from five years of covering Trump in the White House and both of his campaigns, Bender brings readers inside the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and into the front row of the movement's signature mega-rallies for the story of an epic election-year convergence of COVID, economic collapse, and civil rights upheaval--and an unorthodox president's attempt to battle it all.
Fresh interviews with Trump, key campaign advisers, and senior administration officials are paired with an exclusive collection of internal campaign memos, emails, and text messages for scores of never-before-reported details about the campaign. Frankly, We Did Win This Election is the inside story of how Trump lost, and the definitive account of his final year in office that draws a straight line from the president's repeated insistence that he would never lose to the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol that imperiled one of his most loyal lieutenants--his own vice president.
Beginning with President Trump's first impeachment and ending with his second, Frankly, We Did Win This Election chronicles the inside-the-room deliberations between Trump and his campaign team as they opened 2020 with a sleek political operation built to harness a surge of momentum from a bullish economy, a unified Republican Party, and a string of domestic and foreign policy successes--only to watch everything unravel when fortunes suddenly turned.
With first-rate sourcing cultivated from five years of covering Trump in the White House and both of his campaigns, Bender brings readers inside the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and into the front row of the movement's signature mega-rallies for the story of an epic election-year convergence of COVID, economic collapse, and civil rights upheaval--and an unorthodox president's attempt to battle it all.
Fresh interviews with Trump, key campaign advisers, and senior administration officials are paired with an exclusive collection of internal campaign memos, emails, and text messages for scores of never-before-reported details about the campaign. Frankly, We Did Win This Election is the inside story of how Trump lost, and the definitive account of his final year in office that draws a straight line from the president's repeated insistence that he would never lose to the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol that imperiled one of his most loyal lieutenants--his own vice president.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
908 people are currently reading
1698 people want to read
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October 14, 2021
As the racist trolling has already started let me add the warning that this review is apparently upsetting to racist white supremacists.
If that applies to you, stop reading now.
You've been warned!
This is an interesting and entertaining if biased look at the last year of chumps presidency and the shenanigans it entailed.
My main problem with this narrative is the author only presents a kind portrait of a trump supporter while presenting a biased and white supremacist view of protestors as overwhelming violent and uses coded dog whistle racism to describe them.
The chump supporter is a middle aged white women from a small northern Michigan town. Now had he balanced that with a middle aged Black woman who was protesting in Detroit this would be a fair and balanced picture. Instead this guy like most conservative racists, denounces trump but excuses his blatant racism.
The author under reports how many reporters, photographers and aide workers were erroneously and illegally detained by police during the protests. He ignores the multiple videos of police shooting huge rubber bullets at protestors heads. He ignores that gassing was deployed in such amounts that residential neighborhoods under covid quarantine were gassed in their closed-up homes. He ignores that police gassed a woman to death during these protests. He ignores that police force was met with protestor force but that's not the same as instigating violence.
The author describes the violent insurrection on Jan 6th that leaves 5 dead as largely non-violent and mostly describes the violent mob as harmless, over-excited trump fans mostly picture and trophy taking.
He fails to mention that Pelosi's office had piss & shit left on the carpets.
He neglects to mention that the mob included armed members of the US armed forces and police officers from other areas participating in a coordinated and illegal attack on the federal government.
The author ignores the senators hiding in fear with gas masks on. He neglects to mention that AOC was not even safe to be held with the other senators but had to be taken somewhere else because Republican senators were coordinating and cooperating with the violent insurrectionist mob. The mob who was hunting Pelosi, AOC and Pence to do violent physical harm to.
He chooses not to mention the police officers who died as a result of this violence and who most definitely were harmed. We have all seen the video of the violence during the 2nd impeachment.
This author ignores all of that evidence in favor of a racist reframing of this historical event.
He's a fucking conservative racist asshole who makes no effort to present a fair and balanced picture of these events.
He's just a trump stooge
🤷🏾♀️
Glad I was able to pirate an audiobook copy of this.
If that applies to you, stop reading now.
You've been warned!
This is an interesting and entertaining if biased look at the last year of chumps presidency and the shenanigans it entailed.
My main problem with this narrative is the author only presents a kind portrait of a trump supporter while presenting a biased and white supremacist view of protestors as overwhelming violent and uses coded dog whistle racism to describe them.
The chump supporter is a middle aged white women from a small northern Michigan town. Now had he balanced that with a middle aged Black woman who was protesting in Detroit this would be a fair and balanced picture. Instead this guy like most conservative racists, denounces trump but excuses his blatant racism.
The author under reports how many reporters, photographers and aide workers were erroneously and illegally detained by police during the protests. He ignores the multiple videos of police shooting huge rubber bullets at protestors heads. He ignores that gassing was deployed in such amounts that residential neighborhoods under covid quarantine were gassed in their closed-up homes. He ignores that police gassed a woman to death during these protests. He ignores that police force was met with protestor force but that's not the same as instigating violence.
The author describes the violent insurrection on Jan 6th that leaves 5 dead as largely non-violent and mostly describes the violent mob as harmless, over-excited trump fans mostly picture and trophy taking.
He fails to mention that Pelosi's office had piss & shit left on the carpets.
He neglects to mention that the mob included armed members of the US armed forces and police officers from other areas participating in a coordinated and illegal attack on the federal government.
The author ignores the senators hiding in fear with gas masks on. He neglects to mention that AOC was not even safe to be held with the other senators but had to be taken somewhere else because Republican senators were coordinating and cooperating with the violent insurrectionist mob. The mob who was hunting Pelosi, AOC and Pence to do violent physical harm to.
He chooses not to mention the police officers who died as a result of this violence and who most definitely were harmed. We have all seen the video of the violence during the 2nd impeachment.
This author ignores all of that evidence in favor of a racist reframing of this historical event.
He's a fucking conservative racist asshole who makes no effort to present a fair and balanced picture of these events.
He's just a trump stooge
🤷🏾♀️
Glad I was able to pirate an audiobook copy of this.
July 28, 2021
Having finished this book, I feel that it has positives and negatives, but the author - in attempting to remain 'fair,' or 'neutral,' does not seem to take a firm stance on events which it is seemingly impossible to see as anything but inexcusable.
Although the author says this takes Trump from his first to second impeachment, it actually begins with his standing for President. His bragging, his open lies, his endless conspiracy theories, his brashness, his endless tweets, his shamelessness, his desire for applause and self-gratification. No sooner elected, but campaigning again to feed his ego.
This campaigning was, of course, interrupted by the pandemic, just as Trump felt emboldened and confidently stating he would get a second term as President. As everyone saw, Trump was unable to take the situation seriously; playing it down, deflecting blame, lacking empathy, failing to take control. He gave no reassurance to anyone outside of his obsessive supporters - the 'Front Row Joes,' as they are, apparently, called. The author is fairly kindly towards this group, without really addressing their dangerous beliefs and bizarre conspiracy theories.
The book takes us through the events of that last year of Trump's Presidency. The rising death toll, rising unemployment, Biden's nomination, racial tension, rally's in a pandemic, infighting, power struggles, bizarre photo calls, Trump's inability to debate with Biden without constantly interrupting him, his support, 'falling off a cliff,' and the refusal of anyone to take him to task, keep him on message and save the situation. Although, I suppose, the world should be grateful they couldn't, or didn't....
Of course, we all saw where this was going and I watched Trump, his son, Giuliani and others, give the call to arms which resulted in the attack on the Capitol. Even now, Trump refuses to take responsibility for what happened; still bemoaning the press being against him, his removal from social media, his unwillingness to accept his part in the insurrection, his willingness to peddle lies, his self serving behaviour and his delusions. At times, you feel the author is too kindly towards him and his supporters and the dangerous behaviour that undermined democracy and those who are still keen to excuse the events which unfolded after the election. Still, this is a good record of what happened and is so bizarre that the events really speak for themselves.
Although the author says this takes Trump from his first to second impeachment, it actually begins with his standing for President. His bragging, his open lies, his endless conspiracy theories, his brashness, his endless tweets, his shamelessness, his desire for applause and self-gratification. No sooner elected, but campaigning again to feed his ego.
This campaigning was, of course, interrupted by the pandemic, just as Trump felt emboldened and confidently stating he would get a second term as President. As everyone saw, Trump was unable to take the situation seriously; playing it down, deflecting blame, lacking empathy, failing to take control. He gave no reassurance to anyone outside of his obsessive supporters - the 'Front Row Joes,' as they are, apparently, called. The author is fairly kindly towards this group, without really addressing their dangerous beliefs and bizarre conspiracy theories.
The book takes us through the events of that last year of Trump's Presidency. The rising death toll, rising unemployment, Biden's nomination, racial tension, rally's in a pandemic, infighting, power struggles, bizarre photo calls, Trump's inability to debate with Biden without constantly interrupting him, his support, 'falling off a cliff,' and the refusal of anyone to take him to task, keep him on message and save the situation. Although, I suppose, the world should be grateful they couldn't, or didn't....
Of course, we all saw where this was going and I watched Trump, his son, Giuliani and others, give the call to arms which resulted in the attack on the Capitol. Even now, Trump refuses to take responsibility for what happened; still bemoaning the press being against him, his removal from social media, his unwillingness to accept his part in the insurrection, his willingness to peddle lies, his self serving behaviour and his delusions. At times, you feel the author is too kindly towards him and his supporters and the dangerous behaviour that undermined democracy and those who are still keen to excuse the events which unfolded after the election. Still, this is a good record of what happened and is so bizarre that the events really speak for themselves.
August 31, 2021
This is easily the most entertaining book I've read so far this year. Bender interviewed 150 Trump administration and re-election officials (including President Trump himself and Mike Pence*), and the result is both an in-depth and very fascinating look inside the end of the Trump era. Light is shed on some of the big moments in 2020 as well as some of the moments I had forgotten about or had never heard about.
Frankly, Trump should have won the election pretty easily. The economy was great and it's almost impossible to unseat a sitting president, especially one serving in the middle of a national crisis and running against someone fairly unpopular. As this book makes clear, his downfall wasn't his tweeting or the administration's handling of COVID. Those were just symptoms of a bigger issue: smart people just don't last in Trump's orbit. Actually, nobody sticks around very long. Which meant that in 2020 there was no institutional memory, no seasoned hands to lead through the campaign, no one to stop the bleeding in a crisis, and nobody ever knew what anybody else was doing, or even why they were doing it.
If you are looking for a fair, evenhanded backstage look at the Trump reelection, this is your book.
(*The most surprising thing I learned in a book full of surprising moments was the fight Trump and Pence had in a limo where Trump threw a printed out article at Pence, which Pence threw back at him before sticking a finger in Trump's face and telling him off.)
Frankly, Trump should have won the election pretty easily. The economy was great and it's almost impossible to unseat a sitting president, especially one serving in the middle of a national crisis and running against someone fairly unpopular. As this book makes clear, his downfall wasn't his tweeting or the administration's handling of COVID. Those were just symptoms of a bigger issue: smart people just don't last in Trump's orbit. Actually, nobody sticks around very long. Which meant that in 2020 there was no institutional memory, no seasoned hands to lead through the campaign, no one to stop the bleeding in a crisis, and nobody ever knew what anybody else was doing, or even why they were doing it.
If you are looking for a fair, evenhanded backstage look at the Trump reelection, this is your book.
(*The most surprising thing I learned in a book full of surprising moments was the fight Trump and Pence had in a limo where Trump threw a printed out article at Pence, which Pence threw back at him before sticking a finger in Trump's face and telling him off.)
May 24, 2022
Since anytime is a good time for a book on politics, I eagerly grabbed for this piece by Michael C. Bender to explore things a little more. Bender, who had been following Donald J. Trump since he announced his candidacy for President of the United States (POTUS) in 2015, originally set out to write a book exploring the 2020 presidential election campaign. Using his role as a political journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Bender soon saw his tome morph into an insider’s look at the Administration’s handling of all things COVID-19 and preparation for an election like no other. Bender’s insight and closeness to many of those who spoke with regards to the book allows the reader a front-row seat into the thinking, actions, and policy delivery that had only been speculated about by many other news sources. Sure to be panned by those who suckle at the teat of Trumpism as yet another #fakenews fabrication, one must ask just how large this apparent conspiracy must be if Bender’s interviews substantiate much of what has been reported over the last few years.
Bender’s connection to US politics is by no means peripheral. His role as a senior political reporter for the Wall Street Journal allowed him to follow Donald J. Trump from the inception of the man’s campaign for POTUS in 2015. Bender opens by exploring some of the early memories of those days when Trump fought tooth and nail with his own unique style to win-over many Republicans (GOP) voters in the primaries. He does not delve too much into the Russian hijacking of the results, but that is surely for another book outside the purview of what he wishes to cover. Still, there was a buzz around Trump, an aura of something other worldly that, at the time, could not have easily foretold the mess that would be the next number of years.
While Trump made the uncanny decision to announce his reelection campaign almost as soon as the ink dried on the 2016 results, Bender explores this as a means to ensure the political fundraising never stopped. While there were some issues with this (politically knowledgeable folks will know what I mean by the Hatch Act), Trump went with it and turned his campaigning into something unlike anything others had seen before. Mass rallies of supporters, coming to hear the message their leader told, even if it could not be substantiated in fact. These rallies and gatherings would become the crux of the issue in the years to come, particularly when a few other elements were added to the mix.
With the formal 2020 election season getting underway, Trump sought to crush anything that stood in his way, though Bender shows that he could not have predicted some of the hurdles. The emergence of COVID-19 was something that could not have been predicted in the most fanciful pieces of political fiction, though here it was in reality. Trump used it not as a means to unite the country, but divide and alienate those who wanted to protect their health before everything else. Bender cites numerous times when Trump and his inner circles tried to curtail responsible leadership around the virus and used their own personal views to lead a people who were dying or getting sick en masse. Mass gatherings, unfounded (and dangerous) cures, and refusal to take things seriously all led to infection numbers (and deaths) much higher than they needed to be, while Trump downplayed the issue repeatedly. Even some within his inner circles (and, gasp, Fox News) began to wonder if Trump understood the gravity of what was taking place before him and how his leadership failed abysmally.
Other issues that arose in the 2020 campaign included the continual push towards understanding and synthesizing the civil rights movement, reinvigorated by a number of police brutality cases across the country. Trump, who apparently wanted to offer sympathy to the victims, soon turned things on its head by leaving the messaging and appealing to his base, by refusing to point fingers at obvious problems. This fuelled the fires and led to much animosity amongst large portions of the population, as well as turning the events into political fodder to further divide the country. Bender offers countless examples of how Trump and his inner team tried to turn things on the protestors as being violent insurrectionists that he needed to trample, all in an effort to show law and order, while being anything but the leader needed at the time. While this should surprise one one at all, seeing it substantiated yet again is truly shocking.
Bender uses the latter portion of the book to explore his original intent for the book. The election campaign was full of rallies, one-first statements, and attempts to bully any number of those who might be the Democratic Party candidate. Once Joe Biden emerged, Trump turned to a new level of mockery and tried to use his past accusations against the candidate’s son, Hunter, to gain traction. However, as Bender repeats, Trump often forgot that these accusations and the financial fallout of political bullying a foreign government got him impeached the first time. With great analysis of the presidential debates, Bender explores how much of a mess the Trump Campaign sought to make things, as though drama should supersede truth in an attempt to convince voters of their best choice. Standing firm to polls and accusing those who tried to contradict them ass #fakenews advocates, the drama continued, even after the country chose Biden.
The last portion of the book explores the zany challenge to election results, which culminated in the January 6th, 2021 riots on the Capitol. While Bender tells it so well, much of what he says has been discussed at such length that it does not bear repeating in this review. Sour grapes and a refusal to grasp with reality become themes of the book’s culminating chapters, which also served as the swan song for, perhaps, one of the country’s most controversial leaders. Bender leaves the door open as to what 2024 holds, which could be a return for yet another round of embarrassing Kool-Aid drinking and fabricated realities. I’m ready, popcorn in hand, to see what is to come!
While I have not read anything by Michael C. Bender before, I found his writing to be not only clear, but levelled. He is obviously one of the respected journalists that Trump has allowed into his inner circle, as well as one who has earned accolades for his work. The telling of the stories here was both clear and detailed, with source substantiation throughout. I felt as though I were right there, inside the White House or sitting in on key conversations. While I did not always agree with the angle, I could see Bender’s perspective and respect that a great deal. The reader can see how things progress nicely, provided perspectives on all sides of the story. What they do with the facts presented is up to them, but I applaud Bender for his strong writing style, well-paced chapters, and wonderful narrative throughout. I will certainly look for more by the author to better understand American politics, should time permit.
Kudos, Mr. Bender, on a stellar piece of work. You’re on my radar for political non-fiction and i am eager to see what else you have to offer.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com... anytime is a good time for a book on politics, I eagerly grabbed for this piece by Michael C. Bender to explore things a little more. Bender, who had been following Donald J. Trump since he announced his candidacy for President of the United States (POTUS) in 2015, originally set out to write a book exploring the 2020 presidential election campaign. Using his role as a political journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Bender soon saw his tome morph into an insider’s look at the Administration’s handling of all things COVID-19 and preparation for an election like no other. Bender’s insight and closeness to many of those who spoke with regards to the book allows the reader a front-row seat into the thinking, actions, and policy delivery that had only been speculated about by many other news sources. Sure to be panned by those who suckle at the teat of Trumpism as yet another #fakenews fabrication, one must ask just how large this apparent conspiracy must be if Bender’s interviews substantiate much of what has been reported over the last few years.
Bender’s connection to US politics is by no means peripheral. His role as a senior political reporter for the Wall Street Journal allowed him to follow Donald J. Trump from the inception of the man’s campaign for POTUS in 2015. Bender opens by exploring some of the early memories of those days when Trump fought tooth and nail with his own unique style to win-over many Republicans (GOP) voters in the primaries. He does not delve too much into the Russian hijacking of the results, but that is surely for another book outside the purview of what he wishes to cover. Still, there was a buzz around Trump, an aura of something other worldly that, at the time, could not have easily foretold the mess that would be the next number of years.
While Trump made the uncanny decision to announce his reelection campaign almost as soon as the ink dried on the 2016 results, Bender explores this as a means to ensure the political fundraising never stopped. While there were some issues with this (politically knowledgeable folks will know what I mean by the Hatch Act), Trump went with it and turned his campaigning into something unlike anything others had seen before. Mass rallies of supporters, coming to hear the message their leader told, even if it could not be substantiated in fact. These rallies and gatherings would become the crux of the issue in the years to come, particularly when a few other elements were added to the mix.
With the formal 2020 election season getting underway, Trump sought to crush anything that stood in his way, though Bender shows that he could not have predicted some of the hurdles. The emergence of COVID-19 was something that could not have been predicted in the most fanciful pieces of political fiction, though here it was in reality. Trump used it not as a means to unite the country, but divide and alienate those who wanted to protect their health before everything else. Bender cites numerous times when Trump and his inner circles tried to curtail responsible leadership around the virus and used their own personal views to lead a people who were dying or getting sick en masse. Mass gatherings, unfounded (and dangerous) cures, and refusal to take things seriously all led to infection numbers (and deaths) much higher than they needed to be, while Trump downplayed the issue repeatedly. Even some within his inner circles (and, gasp, Fox News) began to wonder if Trump understood the gravity of what was taking place before him and how his leadership failed abysmally.
Other issues that arose in the 2020 campaign included the continual push towards understanding and synthesizing the civil rights movement, reinvigorated by a number of police brutality cases across the country. Trump, who apparently wanted to offer sympathy to the victims, soon turned things on its head by leaving the messaging and appealing to his base, by refusing to point fingers at obvious problems. This fuelled the fires and led to much animosity amongst large portions of the population, as well as turning the events into political fodder to further divide the country. Bender offers countless examples of how Trump and his inner team tried to turn things on the protestors as being violent insurrectionists that he needed to trample, all in an effort to show law and order, while being anything but the leader needed at the time. While this should surprise one one at all, seeing it substantiated yet again is truly shocking.
Bender uses the latter portion of the book to explore his original intent for the book. The election campaign was full of rallies, one-first statements, and attempts to bully any number of those who might be the Democratic Party candidate. Once Joe Biden emerged, Trump turned to a new level of mockery and tried to use his past accusations against the candidate’s son, Hunter, to gain traction. However, as Bender repeats, Trump often forgot that these accusations and the financial fallout of political bullying a foreign government got him impeached the first time. With great analysis of the presidential debates, Bender explores how much of a mess the Trump Campaign sought to make things, as though drama should supersede truth in an attempt to convince voters of their best choice. Standing firm to polls and accusing those who tried to contradict them ass #fakenews advocates, the drama continued, even after the country chose Biden.
The last portion of the book explores the zany challenge to election results, which culminated in the January 6th, 2021 riots on the Capitol. While Bender tells it so well, much of what he says has been discussed at such length that it does not bear repeating in this review. Sour grapes and a refusal to grasp with reality become themes of the book’s culminating chapters, which also served as the swan song for, perhaps, one of the country’s most controversial leaders. Bender leaves the door open as to what 2024 holds, which could be a return for yet another round of embarrassing Kool-Aid drinking and fabricated realities. I’m ready, popcorn in hand, to see what is to come!
While I have not read anything by Michael C. Bender before, I found his writing to be not only clear, but levelled. He is obviously one of the respected journalists that Trump has allowed into his inner circle, as well as one who has earned accolades for his work. The telling of the stories here was both clear and detailed, with source substantiation throughout. I felt as though I were right there, inside the White House or sitting in on key conversations. While I did not always agree with the angle, I could see Bender’s perspective and respect that a great deal. The reader can see how things progress nicely, provided perspectives on all sides of the story. What they do with the facts presented is up to them, but I applaud Bender for his strong writing style, well-paced chapters, and wonderful narrative throughout. I will certainly look for more by the author to better understand American politics, should time permit.
Kudos, Mr. Bender, on a stellar piece of work. You’re on my radar for political non-fiction and i am eager to see what else you have to offer.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Bender’s connection to US politics is by no means peripheral. His role as a senior political reporter for the Wall Street Journal allowed him to follow Donald J. Trump from the inception of the man’s campaign for POTUS in 2015. Bender opens by exploring some of the early memories of those days when Trump fought tooth and nail with his own unique style to win-over many Republicans (GOP) voters in the primaries. He does not delve too much into the Russian hijacking of the results, but that is surely for another book outside the purview of what he wishes to cover. Still, there was a buzz around Trump, an aura of something other worldly that, at the time, could not have easily foretold the mess that would be the next number of years.
While Trump made the uncanny decision to announce his reelection campaign almost as soon as the ink dried on the 2016 results, Bender explores this as a means to ensure the political fundraising never stopped. While there were some issues with this (politically knowledgeable folks will know what I mean by the Hatch Act), Trump went with it and turned his campaigning into something unlike anything others had seen before. Mass rallies of supporters, coming to hear the message their leader told, even if it could not be substantiated in fact. These rallies and gatherings would become the crux of the issue in the years to come, particularly when a few other elements were added to the mix.
With the formal 2020 election season getting underway, Trump sought to crush anything that stood in his way, though Bender shows that he could not have predicted some of the hurdles. The emergence of COVID-19 was something that could not have been predicted in the most fanciful pieces of political fiction, though here it was in reality. Trump used it not as a means to unite the country, but divide and alienate those who wanted to protect their health before everything else. Bender cites numerous times when Trump and his inner circles tried to curtail responsible leadership around the virus and used their own personal views to lead a people who were dying or getting sick en masse. Mass gatherings, unfounded (and dangerous) cures, and refusal to take things seriously all led to infection numbers (and deaths) much higher than they needed to be, while Trump downplayed the issue repeatedly. Even some within his inner circles (and, gasp, Fox News) began to wonder if Trump understood the gravity of what was taking place before him and how his leadership failed abysmally.
Other issues that arose in the 2020 campaign included the continual push towards understanding and synthesizing the civil rights movement, reinvigorated by a number of police brutality cases across the country. Trump, who apparently wanted to offer sympathy to the victims, soon turned things on its head by leaving the messaging and appealing to his base, by refusing to point fingers at obvious problems. This fuelled the fires and led to much animosity amongst large portions of the population, as well as turning the events into political fodder to further divide the country. Bender offers countless examples of how Trump and his inner team tried to turn things on the protestors as being violent insurrectionists that he needed to trample, all in an effort to show law and order, while being anything but the leader needed at the time. While this should surprise one one at all, seeing it substantiated yet again is truly shocking.
Bender uses the latter portion of the book to explore his original intent for the book. The election campaign was full of rallies, one-first statements, and attempts to bully any number of those who might be the Democratic Party candidate. Once Joe Biden emerged, Trump turned to a new level of mockery and tried to use his past accusations against the candidate’s son, Hunter, to gain traction. However, as Bender repeats, Trump often forgot that these accusations and the financial fallout of political bullying a foreign government got him impeached the first time. With great analysis of the presidential debates, Bender explores how much of a mess the Trump Campaign sought to make things, as though drama should supersede truth in an attempt to convince voters of their best choice. Standing firm to polls and accusing those who tried to contradict them ass #fakenews advocates, the drama continued, even after the country chose Biden.
The last portion of the book explores the zany challenge to election results, which culminated in the January 6th, 2021 riots on the Capitol. While Bender tells it so well, much of what he says has been discussed at such length that it does not bear repeating in this review. Sour grapes and a refusal to grasp with reality become themes of the book’s culminating chapters, which also served as the swan song for, perhaps, one of the country’s most controversial leaders. Bender leaves the door open as to what 2024 holds, which could be a return for yet another round of embarrassing Kool-Aid drinking and fabricated realities. I’m ready, popcorn in hand, to see what is to come!
While I have not read anything by Michael C. Bender before, I found his writing to be not only clear, but levelled. He is obviously one of the respected journalists that Trump has allowed into his inner circle, as well as one who has earned accolades for his work. The telling of the stories here was both clear and detailed, with source substantiation throughout. I felt as though I were right there, inside the White House or sitting in on key conversations. While I did not always agree with the angle, I could see Bender’s perspective and respect that a great deal. The reader can see how things progress nicely, provided perspectives on all sides of the story. What they do with the facts presented is up to them, but I applaud Bender for his strong writing style, well-paced chapters, and wonderful narrative throughout. I will certainly look for more by the author to better understand American politics, should time permit.
Kudos, Mr. Bender, on a stellar piece of work. You’re on my radar for political non-fiction and i am eager to see what else you have to offer.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com... anytime is a good time for a book on politics, I eagerly grabbed for this piece by Michael C. Bender to explore things a little more. Bender, who had been following Donald J. Trump since he announced his candidacy for President of the United States (POTUS) in 2015, originally set out to write a book exploring the 2020 presidential election campaign. Using his role as a political journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Bender soon saw his tome morph into an insider’s look at the Administration’s handling of all things COVID-19 and preparation for an election like no other. Bender’s insight and closeness to many of those who spoke with regards to the book allows the reader a front-row seat into the thinking, actions, and policy delivery that had only been speculated about by many other news sources. Sure to be panned by those who suckle at the teat of Trumpism as yet another #fakenews fabrication, one must ask just how large this apparent conspiracy must be if Bender’s interviews substantiate much of what has been reported over the last few years.
Bender’s connection to US politics is by no means peripheral. His role as a senior political reporter for the Wall Street Journal allowed him to follow Donald J. Trump from the inception of the man’s campaign for POTUS in 2015. Bender opens by exploring some of the early memories of those days when Trump fought tooth and nail with his own unique style to win-over many Republicans (GOP) voters in the primaries. He does not delve too much into the Russian hijacking of the results, but that is surely for another book outside the purview of what he wishes to cover. Still, there was a buzz around Trump, an aura of something other worldly that, at the time, could not have easily foretold the mess that would be the next number of years.
While Trump made the uncanny decision to announce his reelection campaign almost as soon as the ink dried on the 2016 results, Bender explores this as a means to ensure the political fundraising never stopped. While there were some issues with this (politically knowledgeable folks will know what I mean by the Hatch Act), Trump went with it and turned his campaigning into something unlike anything others had seen before. Mass rallies of supporters, coming to hear the message their leader told, even if it could not be substantiated in fact. These rallies and gatherings would become the crux of the issue in the years to come, particularly when a few other elements were added to the mix.
With the formal 2020 election season getting underway, Trump sought to crush anything that stood in his way, though Bender shows that he could not have predicted some of the hurdles. The emergence of COVID-19 was something that could not have been predicted in the most fanciful pieces of political fiction, though here it was in reality. Trump used it not as a means to unite the country, but divide and alienate those who wanted to protect their health before everything else. Bender cites numerous times when Trump and his inner circles tried to curtail responsible leadership around the virus and used their own personal views to lead a people who were dying or getting sick en masse. Mass gatherings, unfounded (and dangerous) cures, and refusal to take things seriously all led to infection numbers (and deaths) much higher than they needed to be, while Trump downplayed the issue repeatedly. Even some within his inner circles (and, gasp, Fox News) began to wonder if Trump understood the gravity of what was taking place before him and how his leadership failed abysmally.
Other issues that arose in the 2020 campaign included the continual push towards understanding and synthesizing the civil rights movement, reinvigorated by a number of police brutality cases across the country. Trump, who apparently wanted to offer sympathy to the victims, soon turned things on its head by leaving the messaging and appealing to his base, by refusing to point fingers at obvious problems. This fuelled the fires and led to much animosity amongst large portions of the population, as well as turning the events into political fodder to further divide the country. Bender offers countless examples of how Trump and his inner team tried to turn things on the protestors as being violent insurrectionists that he needed to trample, all in an effort to show law and order, while being anything but the leader needed at the time. While this should surprise one one at all, seeing it substantiated yet again is truly shocking.
Bender uses the latter portion of the book to explore his original intent for the book. The election campaign was full of rallies, one-first statements, and attempts to bully any number of those who might be the Democratic Party candidate. Once Joe Biden emerged, Trump turned to a new level of mockery and tried to use his past accusations against the candidate’s son, Hunter, to gain traction. However, as Bender repeats, Trump often forgot that these accusations and the financial fallout of political bullying a foreign government got him impeached the first time. With great analysis of the presidential debates, Bender explores how much of a mess the Trump Campaign sought to make things, as though drama should supersede truth in an attempt to convince voters of their best choice. Standing firm to polls and accusing those who tried to contradict them ass #fakenews advocates, the drama continued, even after the country chose Biden.
The last portion of the book explores the zany challenge to election results, which culminated in the January 6th, 2021 riots on the Capitol. While Bender tells it so well, much of what he says has been discussed at such length that it does not bear repeating in this review. Sour grapes and a refusal to grasp with reality become themes of the book’s culminating chapters, which also served as the swan song for, perhaps, one of the country’s most controversial leaders. Bender leaves the door open as to what 2024 holds, which could be a return for yet another round of embarrassing Kool-Aid drinking and fabricated realities. I’m ready, popcorn in hand, to see what is to come!
While I have not read anything by Michael C. Bender before, I found his writing to be not only clear, but levelled. He is obviously one of the respected journalists that Trump has allowed into his inner circle, as well as one who has earned accolades for his work. The telling of the stories here was both clear and detailed, with source substantiation throughout. I felt as though I were right there, inside the White House or sitting in on key conversations. While I did not always agree with the angle, I could see Bender’s perspective and respect that a great deal. The reader can see how things progress nicely, provided perspectives on all sides of the story. What they do with the facts presented is up to them, but I applaud Bender for his strong writing style, well-paced chapters, and wonderful narrative throughout. I will certainly look for more by the author to better understand American politics, should time permit.
Kudos, Mr. Bender, on a stellar piece of work. You’re on my radar for political non-fiction and i am eager to see what else you have to offer.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
July 17, 2021
I chose this book as part of my July 2021 reading challenge theme about reading books associated with American history. This is a book tracing primarily the last year of the disastrous Trump administration focusing on his re-election campaign. It’s a riveting ride exposing the ineptitude, deceit, and disorganization of the minions and toadies who surrounded an incompetent, egotistical man whose delusions of grandeur had to be supported at all cost. It was an exhausting read too! That no one could tell the maniac he lost for fear of having his “face removed from his skull” - the expression used by the toadies when being confronted by the out-of-control Bozo-in-Chief - is beyond the pale. The machinations of the twice impeached President (now thankfully ex-President) behind the scenes to try to overturn the election based on ridiculous and unproven conspiracy theories are captured vividly. An interesting side narrative in the book concerns a number of “Front Row Joes,” people who traveled around the country to attend the sycophantic rallies. The author adds them to illustrate what drives their loyalty - the ex-President stands up to people they perceive keep them down; they are willing to believe everything and anything the ex-President said! Scary! I was glad to be finished with this book having lived through it once, a second time was more than enough. Highly recommend.
July 16, 2021
Frankly
There is a new genre of books releasing this year and Frankly is one in the group. The genre is The Truth About Trump and I’ve read many of them. None are complete and so far, none deal with the racism, misogyny, hate and authoritarianism and the statistical transformation of the Republican Party over time (some of a different, more academic purpose, have). That group of books has not yet been written although surely they must someday be written.
These books basically take a timeline (this one takes readers all the way back to the times Trump played with running for President and then pulled back) and overlay their reporting and/or their professional views of the performance of Trump and his government and his appointees. They offer extraordinary repetitions of conversations both public and private. Those written by authors who are reporters are spare and without colorful opinion.
Frankly provides a valuable narrative of the history of many participants in the inside Republican conversations, decisions, instructions, and drama, often as told here, high drama. It appears many of these participants are trying to clear their names of the damage they participated in over the last 20 years or the last six years. Every Republican elected official who facilitated this, every businessman who contributed or advised, every earnest young staffer who bought the lies, every professional like a physician who lied to the American people. Shame and dishonor on them each and every one.
Nonetheless, this is honest reporting, the most honest we will get on this group. Bender did a service to us for setting this information on the timeline.
Of particular value to me was the relationships Bender created and followed with Americans who are the most committed of Trump’s rabid “base”. I’ve had my share of deep commitments to political figures since the age of 12 and this story line with which Bender begins and continues to it’s very end is fascinating. I think the contrast it draws not only to the Republicans closest to Trump but also to the rest of America is important.
There is a new genre of books releasing this year and Frankly is one in the group. The genre is The Truth About Trump and I’ve read many of them. None are complete and so far, none deal with the racism, misogyny, hate and authoritarianism and the statistical transformation of the Republican Party over time (some of a different, more academic purpose, have). That group of books has not yet been written although surely they must someday be written.
These books basically take a timeline (this one takes readers all the way back to the times Trump played with running for President and then pulled back) and overlay their reporting and/or their professional views of the performance of Trump and his government and his appointees. They offer extraordinary repetitions of conversations both public and private. Those written by authors who are reporters are spare and without colorful opinion.
Frankly provides a valuable narrative of the history of many participants in the inside Republican conversations, decisions, instructions, and drama, often as told here, high drama. It appears many of these participants are trying to clear their names of the damage they participated in over the last 20 years or the last six years. Every Republican elected official who facilitated this, every businessman who contributed or advised, every earnest young staffer who bought the lies, every professional like a physician who lied to the American people. Shame and dishonor on them each and every one.
Nonetheless, this is honest reporting, the most honest we will get on this group. Bender did a service to us for setting this information on the timeline.
Of particular value to me was the relationships Bender created and followed with Americans who are the most committed of Trump’s rabid “base”. I’ve had my share of deep commitments to political figures since the age of 12 and this story line with which Bender begins and continues to it’s very end is fascinating. I think the contrast it draws not only to the Republicans closest to Trump but also to the rest of America is important.
October 2, 2021
Although this purports to be a balanced report, and I’m sure for some strain of conservative it is that, Bender consistently downplays the dangers and destructiveness that Trump’s divisiveness has had on the country. As bad as the events related in this book are, the reality is that they were far worse, and Bender undercuts much of the good will he engenders in the early parts of the book with his “warts and all” account by significantly downplaying the insurrection of January 6th. You can’t ignore the attempted overthrow of the United States government and expect to be taken seriously.
Still, the admission that Trump and his cohort were not just dysfunctional but pathologically fucked up is telling for a Wall Street Journal reporter, a paper that’s only slightly less biased than Fox News. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, as both entities are owned by Rupert Murdoch. But I can’t really give much credit to someone who is really only acknowledging the bare minimum here.
Still, the admission that Trump and his cohort were not just dysfunctional but pathologically fucked up is telling for a Wall Street Journal reporter, a paper that’s only slightly less biased than Fox News. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, as both entities are owned by Rupert Murdoch. But I can’t really give much credit to someone who is really only acknowledging the bare minimum here.
October 11, 2024
This was another recent thrift store find that would probably have been better read when it was first released, but I figured I ought to read it now before it feels even more stale as the 2020 election fades further into history. And as much as I don’t particularly want to revisit the Trump years, the last election and its aftermath, this book really holds up as a recounting of everything we remember from that time, some details we didn’t know then, and a reminder of the endless chaos that we’re just a coin-flip election away from potentially inflicting on ourselves all over again.
Despite my best intentions, it’s already a bit difficult to review this dispassionately, even though it’s written in a rather dispassionate way - some reviewers seem to have considered that a flaw, while I mostly thought of it as a strength. Bender is a very good writer and storyteller who lets his narrative unfold without going overboard passing judgment or telling you what to think.
This is particularly true in his treatment of the “Front Row Joes,” a recurring element throughout the book. These are the die-hard Trump devotees who travel the country to be first in line for his campaign rallies, and their stories are weaved in throughout the narrative which otherwise focuses on Trump and his inner circle. While Bender doesn’t necessarily explore what exactly draws these people to Trump or what drives them to this level of devotion, he also doesn’t judge or condemn them. He just lets their stories play out, from the packed pre-Covid campaign rallies, to the pandemic-era events they attended despite the sometimes dire consequences, all the way through to January 6th, and it’s left to the reader to decide for themselves what to think of them. For me, I ended up feeling a little sad for them, like attending Trump rallies without really being able to articulate why, is somehow their main purpose in life.
The rest of the book, though, describes how the 2020 campaign played out from the Trump team’s perspective, in ways no one could have predicted. The good but comparatively dull Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency, which told the same story from the Biden team’s perspective, essentially recounted how Biden won by being the “anyone but Trump” choice. This book recounts how Covid and George Floyd’s death made “anyone but Trump” seem like a much more appealing choice for a majority of the country.
Anything a “normal” candidate would have done, like condemning violence, showing empathy, following expert advice on masks and social distancing, aspiring for unity or admitting error, Trump somehow did the exact opposite, for fear he’d appear “weak” to his base. The Front Row Joes might have eaten it up, but Trump’s actions come across as a series of self-inflicted wounds.
All of this we know, of course, but having it laid out in narrative form helps paint a fuller picture and connect all the dots. Bender is particularly strong in his detailed focus on key events like Trump’s controversial photo op at St. John’s Church, and his campaign’s disastrous rally in Tulsa.
The book is most compelling when it focuses on Trump himself, and Bender’s own interactions with him, while somewhat less so when focusing on the infighting among Trump’s campaign staff and other advisers, though that does help illustrate the type of people Trump surrounded himself with. Either way, it’s always fascinating and readable.
Entire books can and have been written about Trump’s post-election actions, and about January 6th. And to this day we’re still learning more details about each. So Bender doesn’t get into great detail about either, or tell us anything we don’t necessarily know, since that would be beyond the scope of this book. Instead, he summarizes the denouement of the 2020 election by observing how the “adults in the room” essentially checked out after the election (including micromanaging political dilettante Jared Kusher quickly accepting the loss, planning to move his family to Miami while Trump still believed he’d be staying in the White House, and eventually leaving the country before Inauguration Day just to get away). While cooler heads tried to give Trump “space” to process the loss, stolen-election true-believers merely filled the vacuum, got inside Trump’s head, and led to what Bender describes as the “horrifying but inevitable finale” that was January 6th.
There are some good lines and observations throughout the book: after George Floyd’s death, Bender writes how “the country had turned into a tinderbox. And inside the Oval Office was a president who liked playing with matches.” And while plotting a potential comeback in 2024, he describes Trump as seeming “more interested in the idea of his political power than in actually putting together any plans to wield it.”
So while the events in this book are fading further into history, the book itself remains very relevant and readable as we head into the final days of the 2024 campaign. The 2020 election may seem like old news, but four years later - and beyond - the story of that election, its aftermath and its implications are far from over.
Despite my best intentions, it’s already a bit difficult to review this dispassionately, even though it’s written in a rather dispassionate way - some reviewers seem to have considered that a flaw, while I mostly thought of it as a strength. Bender is a very good writer and storyteller who lets his narrative unfold without going overboard passing judgment or telling you what to think.
This is particularly true in his treatment of the “Front Row Joes,” a recurring element throughout the book. These are the die-hard Trump devotees who travel the country to be first in line for his campaign rallies, and their stories are weaved in throughout the narrative which otherwise focuses on Trump and his inner circle. While Bender doesn’t necessarily explore what exactly draws these people to Trump or what drives them to this level of devotion, he also doesn’t judge or condemn them. He just lets their stories play out, from the packed pre-Covid campaign rallies, to the pandemic-era events they attended despite the sometimes dire consequences, all the way through to January 6th, and it’s left to the reader to decide for themselves what to think of them. For me, I ended up feeling a little sad for them, like attending Trump rallies without really being able to articulate why, is somehow their main purpose in life.
The rest of the book, though, describes how the 2020 campaign played out from the Trump team’s perspective, in ways no one could have predicted. The good but comparatively dull Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency, which told the same story from the Biden team’s perspective, essentially recounted how Biden won by being the “anyone but Trump” choice. This book recounts how Covid and George Floyd’s death made “anyone but Trump” seem like a much more appealing choice for a majority of the country.
Anything a “normal” candidate would have done, like condemning violence, showing empathy, following expert advice on masks and social distancing, aspiring for unity or admitting error, Trump somehow did the exact opposite, for fear he’d appear “weak” to his base. The Front Row Joes might have eaten it up, but Trump’s actions come across as a series of self-inflicted wounds.
All of this we know, of course, but having it laid out in narrative form helps paint a fuller picture and connect all the dots. Bender is particularly strong in his detailed focus on key events like Trump’s controversial photo op at St. John’s Church, and his campaign’s disastrous rally in Tulsa.
The book is most compelling when it focuses on Trump himself, and Bender’s own interactions with him, while somewhat less so when focusing on the infighting among Trump’s campaign staff and other advisers, though that does help illustrate the type of people Trump surrounded himself with. Either way, it’s always fascinating and readable.
Entire books can and have been written about Trump’s post-election actions, and about January 6th. And to this day we’re still learning more details about each. So Bender doesn’t get into great detail about either, or tell us anything we don’t necessarily know, since that would be beyond the scope of this book. Instead, he summarizes the denouement of the 2020 election by observing how the “adults in the room” essentially checked out after the election (including micromanaging political dilettante Jared Kusher quickly accepting the loss, planning to move his family to Miami while Trump still believed he’d be staying in the White House, and eventually leaving the country before Inauguration Day just to get away). While cooler heads tried to give Trump “space” to process the loss, stolen-election true-believers merely filled the vacuum, got inside Trump’s head, and led to what Bender describes as the “horrifying but inevitable finale” that was January 6th.
There are some good lines and observations throughout the book: after George Floyd’s death, Bender writes how “the country had turned into a tinderbox. And inside the Oval Office was a president who liked playing with matches.” And while plotting a potential comeback in 2024, he describes Trump as seeming “more interested in the idea of his political power than in actually putting together any plans to wield it.”
So while the events in this book are fading further into history, the book itself remains very relevant and readable as we head into the final days of the 2024 campaign. The 2020 election may seem like old news, but four years later - and beyond - the story of that election, its aftermath and its implications are far from over.
September 11, 2021
This political non-fiction book is quite recent and includes quite a bit of new info from 'behind the scenes' in the Trump White House, yet the overall themes and such are the same as most "Trump books"; because it's the same cast of characters, you know? Had I READ this, I'd be going to give this a 3. BUT the audio had good narration, and the POV changed often, and well, it all became MUCH more entertaining in this format, leading to the rating of 4. --Jen from Quebec :0)
July 24, 2021
This is a fun book about a frustrating election. Reading it, one should shake his or her head, and then become cross eyed trying to understand how anyone can still support Trump, one of the least likeable historical figures in American History.
Most of these books are little more than bubble gum history, and this really wasn't an exception. I look forward to a serious historical analysis of this era from a lens thirty years out. Although I will be dead by then.
Most of these books are little more than bubble gum history, and this really wasn't an exception. I look forward to a serious historical analysis of this era from a lens thirty years out. Although I will be dead by then.
November 22, 2021
I settled myself into a comfy chair and picked this book up. I expected a car crash narrative of hubris, disorganisation and incompetence of Trump’s last year.
The book certainly delivered but all I felt was increasing depression with little of the cynical voyeuristic cheap thrills I was hoping for.
As it turns out reading about incompetence again and again is tedious.
More dammingly for me is that the author apart from a few nods largely ignores the real life consequences of this bunch. The whole time its a bit the keystone kops take over the White House and there is a lot of yuks and tut tutting. The profound immorality of what happens is swept under the carpet. I guess the book delivered to the cynic in me but bypassed the outraged citizen.
The book certainly delivered but all I felt was increasing depression with little of the cynical voyeuristic cheap thrills I was hoping for.
As it turns out reading about incompetence again and again is tedious.
More dammingly for me is that the author apart from a few nods largely ignores the real life consequences of this bunch. The whole time its a bit the keystone kops take over the White House and there is a lot of yuks and tut tutting. The profound immorality of what happens is swept under the carpet. I guess the book delivered to the cynic in me but bypassed the outraged citizen.
December 19, 2021
The Donald Gaslights Himself
Review of the Grand Central Publishing hardcover (2021)
At this point I think I've read a few too many of the Trump post-mortem books and this one took me the full 3 weeks of library loan time to get through it. In comparison, the Michael Wolff Landslide and the Bob Woodward Peril were a breeze. Leonnig/Rucker's I Alone Can Fix It was also a bit of a slog, but at 592 pages most anything would be.
I didn't get the sense that there was anything much new in this one. Its one unique feature was several interviews with various so-called "Front Row Joes", Trump mega-fans who attended as many Trump election rallies as possible during the campaign i.e. dozens and in States all across the country. The fact that they were so deluded by the huckster isn't exactly new information though, but they are at least a representation of the 75 Million others. One quote really stood out though.
The other standout is minor, but it is the single acknowledgement by Trump that he had lost the election that I have ever seen. It wasn't public however, but was mentioned in what was likely a national security briefing which was attended by General Mark A. Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump apparently asked to skip over one item in the meeting's agenda and the reason given was:
Similar to the conclusions of Wolff's Landslide and Leonnig & Rucker's I Alone..., Bender interviews Trump at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort for his Epilogue. He also finds him basking in the glow of the attention of his associates and still defiant.
It is a fairly recent entry, so Frankly, We Did Win This Election currently (as of mid December 2021) does not yet appear on the Trump Tell-Alls Listopia (251 books and counting) or the Books About, By or Involving Donald Trump Listopia (497 books and counting) on Goodreads.
I read Frankly, We Did Win this Election as part of my reading survey of various books in relation to the 2020 American Election and ongoing events. As a Canadian I’ve generally ignored American politics and elections in past years, but the drama of the situation in 2020 and 2021 has heightened my interest.
Review of the Grand Central Publishing hardcover (2021)
One of the truisms in Trump World held that the constant chaos and plot twists were always surprising but never shocking. The absurdity of it all always seemed to make sense. And Trump's insurrection was the ultimate coda - a horrifying but inevitable finale. He'd spent four years insisting that the media was lying, that elected officials weren't to be believed, and that the courts weren't to be trusted. He'd spent his entire presidency gaslighting the country with a version of reality in which he'd never lost, he'd never be convicted and he'd never really go away. ... He vowed to keep fighting to deliver "American greatness" across the country. He described the MAGA movement as "historic, patriotic and beautiful."
"There has never been anything like it." Trump said, offering a rare understatement. - a selection from the concluding paragraphs of Frankly, We Did Win This Election
At this point I think I've read a few too many of the Trump post-mortem books and this one took me the full 3 weeks of library loan time to get through it. In comparison, the Michael Wolff Landslide and the Bob Woodward Peril were a breeze. Leonnig/Rucker's I Alone Can Fix It was also a bit of a slog, but at 592 pages most anything would be.
I didn't get the sense that there was anything much new in this one. Its one unique feature was several interviews with various so-called "Front Row Joes", Trump mega-fans who attended as many Trump election rallies as possible during the campaign i.e. dozens and in States all across the country. The fact that they were so deluded by the huckster isn't exactly new information though, but they are at least a representation of the 75 Million others. One quote really stood out though.
"It just looked so neat,” she said. “We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government” - 'Front Row Joe' Saundra about the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capital.
The other standout is minor, but it is the single acknowledgement by Trump that he had lost the election that I have ever seen. It wasn't public however, but was mentioned in what was likely a national security briefing which was attended by General Mark A. Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump apparently asked to skip over one item in the meeting's agenda and the reason given was:
"We'll leave that for the next guy," Trump said.
Similar to the conclusions of Wolff's Landslide and Leonnig & Rucker's I Alone..., Bender interviews Trump at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort for his Epilogue. He also finds him basking in the glow of the attention of his associates and still defiant.
It is a fairly recent entry, so Frankly, We Did Win This Election currently (as of mid December 2021) does not yet appear on the Trump Tell-Alls Listopia (251 books and counting) or the Books About, By or Involving Donald Trump Listopia (497 books and counting) on Goodreads.
I read Frankly, We Did Win this Election as part of my reading survey of various books in relation to the 2020 American Election and ongoing events. As a Canadian I’ve generally ignored American politics and elections in past years, but the drama of the situation in 2020 and 2021 has heightened my interest.
August 5, 2021
An excellent detailed description of the inside workings of the Trump administration in its last year. An unvarnished look at the most corrupt and incompetent presidency in modern times by a journalist of the Wall Street Journal, a publication known for its favorable editorial bias towards republican administrations. But a competent journalist should uncover the facts, so chaos, disorganization, pettiness, duplicity, stupidity is all laid out bare for us. In his last year Trump sought to replace the oath to the Constitution by a personal loyalty oath to himself, and it is still going on. He came close to succeeding with a coup and he has not given up; he is surrounded by accomplices who cultivate a Big Lie that Goebbels would be proud of. This book will be welcomed by the political analysts, then the political scientists and eventually historians as the examination of the Trump presidency will become a cottage industry no doubt. Having quality works like this at their disposal to provide facts and sources that will make their life easier.
July 15, 2021
I had always promised myself that I wouldn’t buy a Trump book, but after reading excerpts, I was not disappointed. The author takes you inside the last year of the Trump White House, and it is a wild ride. As horrible as I thought it was, I was not even close to imaging what the author describes. Any reader will find this book to be an even-handed and thoughtful account with the author working diligently to avoid bias. Highly recommend!
July 30, 2021
I chose this book in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the Trump presidency. Frankly, We Did Win the Election was written by a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. I wanted facts and not Democratic or Republican spin.
Author Michael C. Bender presents a detailed, riveting, and disturbing behind-the-scenes look at President Trump’s last year in office, the advisors he surrounded himself with, and his campaign for reelection. Frankly, We Did Win the Election, is based on 150 interviews with Trump administration insiders, a few interviews with the president himself, and written and broadcast news reports.
The focus of the book is a narrow one—why the incumbent lost the election. The reader can guess it was because of COVID, the handling of the pandemic, the riots touched off by the homicide of George Floyd, and Trump’s personality. Of course, that is what happened, but in Bender’s book the reader gets to see how each individual decision or lack of decision led to the outcome. What emerges from the facts is a grim picture that leaves the reader shaking his head.
Because the purpose of the book is to figure out why Trump lost, Bender focuses on the bad decisions while ignoring what might have been done right. However, for me, that triggered questions about possible author political bias.
As a former newspaper reporter (who covered government), I can tell you that the media skews liberal and over the decades has become extremely liberal. Political bias is reflected not just in the angle or slant of a story, but what story the reporter choses to pursue. It includes the tone of the article or broadcast, the questions asked, the sources interviewed, the selection “facts,” and by what is consciously or unconsciously not covered.
For example, Bender goes to great length to detail how Trump downplayed and mishandled the pandemic, but he leaves out the early measures Trump initiated to combat the virus. The most egregious omission is that Bender never once mentions “Operation Warp Speed,” in which Trump fast-tracked the development of the COVID vaccines--the same vaccines used by the Biden Administration. Those vaccines were released before Trump left office. The vaccine was Trump's greatest accomplishment, and it’s never mentioned.
Bender also fails to mention Trump dispatching Navy hospital ships and building a field hospital at the Javits Center when New York City was hit hard by the virus early in the pandemic. Nor does the author report how Trump used the Defense Production Act to mobilize U.S. companies to produce desperately needed ventilators and other PPE.
Bender mentions and apparently interviewed the “Front Row Joes,” Trump’s campaign groupies, his most diehard supporters who show up at every rally. When so many people hate Trump, why do they love him so much? What do they see/hear that resonates with them? That question was either not asked or their answers were omitted.
Also not mentioned as a possible contributing factor to the election results was the disparate media coverage. For Biden, the press was 90% favorable. For Trump, it was 90% unfavorable. You can say that Trump deserved it. But there were unfavorable issues raised about Biden that the media either glossed over or completely ignored. The treatment of the two candidates was not the same. How did that affect voter perceptions of Trump?
Trump is the man people love to hate, and Frankly, We Did Win This Election doesn’t make Trump look good. But the omissions I caught make me wonder what else might have been left out of the equation.
However, I do recommend the book. Democrats will take it as validation of what they’ve always believed, while Republicans may come to question some of their assumptions. Either way, it’s a fascinating read.
Author Michael C. Bender presents a detailed, riveting, and disturbing behind-the-scenes look at President Trump’s last year in office, the advisors he surrounded himself with, and his campaign for reelection. Frankly, We Did Win the Election, is based on 150 interviews with Trump administration insiders, a few interviews with the president himself, and written and broadcast news reports.
The focus of the book is a narrow one—why the incumbent lost the election. The reader can guess it was because of COVID, the handling of the pandemic, the riots touched off by the homicide of George Floyd, and Trump’s personality. Of course, that is what happened, but in Bender’s book the reader gets to see how each individual decision or lack of decision led to the outcome. What emerges from the facts is a grim picture that leaves the reader shaking his head.
Because the purpose of the book is to figure out why Trump lost, Bender focuses on the bad decisions while ignoring what might have been done right. However, for me, that triggered questions about possible author political bias.
As a former newspaper reporter (who covered government), I can tell you that the media skews liberal and over the decades has become extremely liberal. Political bias is reflected not just in the angle or slant of a story, but what story the reporter choses to pursue. It includes the tone of the article or broadcast, the questions asked, the sources interviewed, the selection “facts,” and by what is consciously or unconsciously not covered.
For example, Bender goes to great length to detail how Trump downplayed and mishandled the pandemic, but he leaves out the early measures Trump initiated to combat the virus. The most egregious omission is that Bender never once mentions “Operation Warp Speed,” in which Trump fast-tracked the development of the COVID vaccines--the same vaccines used by the Biden Administration. Those vaccines were released before Trump left office. The vaccine was Trump's greatest accomplishment, and it’s never mentioned.
Bender also fails to mention Trump dispatching Navy hospital ships and building a field hospital at the Javits Center when New York City was hit hard by the virus early in the pandemic. Nor does the author report how Trump used the Defense Production Act to mobilize U.S. companies to produce desperately needed ventilators and other PPE.
Bender mentions and apparently interviewed the “Front Row Joes,” Trump’s campaign groupies, his most diehard supporters who show up at every rally. When so many people hate Trump, why do they love him so much? What do they see/hear that resonates with them? That question was either not asked or their answers were omitted.
Also not mentioned as a possible contributing factor to the election results was the disparate media coverage. For Biden, the press was 90% favorable. For Trump, it was 90% unfavorable. You can say that Trump deserved it. But there were unfavorable issues raised about Biden that the media either glossed over or completely ignored. The treatment of the two candidates was not the same. How did that affect voter perceptions of Trump?
Trump is the man people love to hate, and Frankly, We Did Win This Election doesn’t make Trump look good. But the omissions I caught make me wonder what else might have been left out of the equation.
However, I do recommend the book. Democrats will take it as validation of what they’ve always believed, while Republicans may come to question some of their assumptions. Either way, it’s a fascinating read.
July 26, 2021
“We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government.”
I really enjoyed this book and I think Bender did a fine job of conveying the insanity and the stupidity at the heart of the Trump political machine. The anecdotes about the “Front Row Joe’s” were especially interesting.
I think he jumped around too often and the sloppy transitions sometimes made the narrative difficult to follow, but overall this was a good book and a fine piece of reporting.
I really enjoyed this book and I think Bender did a fine job of conveying the insanity and the stupidity at the heart of the Trump political machine. The anecdotes about the “Front Row Joe’s” were especially interesting.
I think he jumped around too often and the sloppy transitions sometimes made the narrative difficult to follow, but overall this was a good book and a fine piece of reporting.
July 31, 2021
Well-organized, just the right length (not full of fluff like many new political releases) and surprisingly impartial given the subject matter. Michael C. Bender writes in a curt, dry-humored manner that brings to mind Dave Weigel's style. You may think you know the 2020 election and are quite tired of it, but think again - read this, and finally get closure on what the hell happened. It's an incredible story of dysfunction and disaster on its own merits.
July 30, 2022
Balanced insider view of Trump’s 2020 campaign
This book is my third read this month on the 2020 election from an insider perspective. Michael Bender, a Wall Street Journal Reporter who covered President Trump for 5 years, provides a unique view not seen in the other two books I read. At first his presentation appeared to be ultra-unique, so it grabbed my attention right away, but he didn’t capitalize on his advantage which caused me to lower its overall rating.
Because of his unique position covering the Trump campaign in 2016 and 2020, Bender had a lot of close contacts inside the Trump administration. This included Trump himself, who seemed to like him, telling Bender’s young daughter once that her Daddy was 80% accurate as a reporter — high praise considering who said it. Trump even granted him interview for this book, even after the election. Bender had that access because of his reputation for balanced coverage in his reporting. That is very evident in this book. While he sees the flaws in the Trump campaign and administration, he recognizes a lot of it is due to in-fighting between rivals who nurse intense grudges, which don’t always serve the administration to its fullest. Not that the President comes off looking like a sweetheart. He holds grudges (often permanently), has intense anger issues, and was notoriously indecisive at times, all which are well documented in several books, not just this one. But this book shows how deeply ineffective and amateur his campaign was in 2020. Considering it raised more money than any campaign in history, its overspending was out of control, and deeply flawed in target marketing with a muddled message that couldn’t clearly get out to voters. That coupled with the dynamics of 2020 tragedy with the pandemic put a damper on campaign effectiveness that they couldn’t escape.
What made this book initially stand out was that Bender covered a group of campaign rally groupies called the Front Row Joes. These were every day people who were enamored of Trump traveling to 20 to 50 of his rallies — camping out out for days to get in so they could get front row seats. This promised to offer something the other books don’t offer. It would have been fascinating to learn what drove these voters to such a passionate embrace of Trump. Yet that insight was almost unrealized in this book. The people were brought up throughout the book, but only in the case of one person do we learn some of why she was so keen on Trump. Enough so that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, so to hear her perspective was important. That however was in the last pages of the book, and the other Joes weren’t covered with that kind of depth. It was a major opportunity lost.
The other flaw was that Bender jumped around a lot in his chronological narrative, without warning. So it became confusing at times and a bit irritating because sometimes clear transitions weren’t there.
I walk away from this book in awe that so many people who had a horrible personal relationship with Trump, still worked passionately on his campaign to win a second term for him. It is beyond my understanding as they saw his vitriolic tirades at nearly everyone in his administration, yet they still remained deeply committed to what he stood for, though I doubt they are committed as strongly to him as a human being.
In the last three weeks, I’ve now read Bob Woodward’s and Robert Costa’s “Peril.” Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker’s “I Alone Can Fix It,” and now Bender’s book. Peril had the overall best and most thorough reporting — telling a more complete account of 2020 and the aftermath. It also had both Trump and Biden campaign/administration insights. Leonnig and Rucker had a more detailed account in some ways, but I felt they were sometimes a little too negative in word choices about the Trump presidency that broke their impartiality a bit too much. Bender presents more of a moderate perspective that respects the Republican view — trying to understand the campaign yet being flummoxed because of its organization. He was even contacted at one point by Trump people with evidence about Hunter Biden’s alleged “foreign deals”, but the Wall Street Journal investigated the “evidence” and none panned out, was suspicious in origin, and was factually irrelevant. This shows he was trusted by Trump and associates, but he has a more cautious eye about what these people showed him.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it. I would recommend all three actually. Someone who really wants to learn about these events would find overlap in all three, but each has their unique and insightful niche that shines a spotlight on this crucial election.
This book is my third read this month on the 2020 election from an insider perspective. Michael Bender, a Wall Street Journal Reporter who covered President Trump for 5 years, provides a unique view not seen in the other two books I read. At first his presentation appeared to be ultra-unique, so it grabbed my attention right away, but he didn’t capitalize on his advantage which caused me to lower its overall rating.
Because of his unique position covering the Trump campaign in 2016 and 2020, Bender had a lot of close contacts inside the Trump administration. This included Trump himself, who seemed to like him, telling Bender’s young daughter once that her Daddy was 80% accurate as a reporter — high praise considering who said it. Trump even granted him interview for this book, even after the election. Bender had that access because of his reputation for balanced coverage in his reporting. That is very evident in this book. While he sees the flaws in the Trump campaign and administration, he recognizes a lot of it is due to in-fighting between rivals who nurse intense grudges, which don’t always serve the administration to its fullest. Not that the President comes off looking like a sweetheart. He holds grudges (often permanently), has intense anger issues, and was notoriously indecisive at times, all which are well documented in several books, not just this one. But this book shows how deeply ineffective and amateur his campaign was in 2020. Considering it raised more money than any campaign in history, its overspending was out of control, and deeply flawed in target marketing with a muddled message that couldn’t clearly get out to voters. That coupled with the dynamics of 2020 tragedy with the pandemic put a damper on campaign effectiveness that they couldn’t escape.
What made this book initially stand out was that Bender covered a group of campaign rally groupies called the Front Row Joes. These were every day people who were enamored of Trump traveling to 20 to 50 of his rallies — camping out out for days to get in so they could get front row seats. This promised to offer something the other books don’t offer. It would have been fascinating to learn what drove these voters to such a passionate embrace of Trump. Yet that insight was almost unrealized in this book. The people were brought up throughout the book, but only in the case of one person do we learn some of why she was so keen on Trump. Enough so that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, so to hear her perspective was important. That however was in the last pages of the book, and the other Joes weren’t covered with that kind of depth. It was a major opportunity lost.
The other flaw was that Bender jumped around a lot in his chronological narrative, without warning. So it became confusing at times and a bit irritating because sometimes clear transitions weren’t there.
I walk away from this book in awe that so many people who had a horrible personal relationship with Trump, still worked passionately on his campaign to win a second term for him. It is beyond my understanding as they saw his vitriolic tirades at nearly everyone in his administration, yet they still remained deeply committed to what he stood for, though I doubt they are committed as strongly to him as a human being.
In the last three weeks, I’ve now read Bob Woodward’s and Robert Costa’s “Peril.” Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker’s “I Alone Can Fix It,” and now Bender’s book. Peril had the overall best and most thorough reporting — telling a more complete account of 2020 and the aftermath. It also had both Trump and Biden campaign/administration insights. Leonnig and Rucker had a more detailed account in some ways, but I felt they were sometimes a little too negative in word choices about the Trump presidency that broke their impartiality a bit too much. Bender presents more of a moderate perspective that respects the Republican view — trying to understand the campaign yet being flummoxed because of its organization. He was even contacted at one point by Trump people with evidence about Hunter Biden’s alleged “foreign deals”, but the Wall Street Journal investigated the “evidence” and none panned out, was suspicious in origin, and was factually irrelevant. This shows he was trusted by Trump and associates, but he has a more cautious eye about what these people showed him.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it. I would recommend all three actually. Someone who really wants to learn about these events would find overlap in all three, but each has their unique and insightful niche that shines a spotlight on this crucial election.
August 17, 2021
This is a pretty comprehensive look at Trump's final year in office, from the first impeachment to the second, and all the events in between. The focus is on the reelection campaign, and the factors that influenced the outcome of the election. Many of those factors were self-inflicted errors, with the various factions in the Trump orbit at war with one another, led by the Donald himself.
What emerges is a story of unbelievably unqualified sycophants and hangers-on running the most powerful office in the world. The advantages of the office and the bully pulpit it provides makes it amazing that they lost the election for a second term, but such was the level of incompetence all around.
The book definitely has more behind-the-scenes names that are mentioned than you normally hear about, such as campaign personnel and White House staffers that typically were not in the news. As one of the first post-presidency retrospectives, this is a very timely and interesting read. And as you would expect, it is terrifying to think that the keys to the administration was handed to this bunch. Strange days indeed.
What emerges is a story of unbelievably unqualified sycophants and hangers-on running the most powerful office in the world. The advantages of the office and the bully pulpit it provides makes it amazing that they lost the election for a second term, but such was the level of incompetence all around.
The book definitely has more behind-the-scenes names that are mentioned than you normally hear about, such as campaign personnel and White House staffers that typically were not in the news. As one of the first post-presidency retrospectives, this is a very timely and interesting read. And as you would expect, it is terrifying to think that the keys to the administration was handed to this bunch. Strange days indeed.
July 13, 2021
Michael C. Bender has done a commendable job presenting his insider look on how DJT came to lose the 2020 election. He spends a good portion of the book discussing Trump’s motivation from before he ran in 2016 as well as that first campaign. Without expressing his personal opinions, Bender makes his POV very clear with this carefully laid pathway.
Just about every person you’ve ever heard of associated with Trump makes an appearance in this volume. What’s surprised me is how few of his opponents were given voice, Pelosi especially. Then again, that’s what raised my option of this book as DJT & NP barely interacted for the last 2 years of his presidency. There were others that did and are silent in this book.
Basically, I found this volume to be free from media drama and hype but also missing a sharp reporter’s edge. Bender is a great writer and this book is easy to read and engaging for casual readers. For those who are looking for unique insights that his special access should have provided, I’m afraid it’s just not here📚
Just about every person you’ve ever heard of associated with Trump makes an appearance in this volume. What’s surprised me is how few of his opponents were given voice, Pelosi especially. Then again, that’s what raised my option of this book as DJT & NP barely interacted for the last 2 years of his presidency. There were others that did and are silent in this book.
Basically, I found this volume to be free from media drama and hype but also missing a sharp reporter’s edge. Bender is a great writer and this book is easy to read and engaging for casual readers. For those who are looking for unique insights that his special access should have provided, I’m afraid it’s just not here📚
October 20, 2021
In a perfect example of reality being stranger than fiction, Michael C. Bender’s first book takes an in-depth look at the inner workings of an administration and campaign in which chaos was the operating principle.
A few memorable moments…
———
“We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government.” — Saundra Kiczenski, one of a group of die-hard Trump rallygoers known as the Front Row Joes, on the intent of those who participated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection
———
“There’s a brand of black Republican who thinks demeaning black people by calling them ‘brainwashed by Democrats’ or ‘stuck on the plantation’ will somehow resonate, but it doesn’t. It only resonates with white people because it’s sh*t they can’t say.” — Katrina Pierson, a senior Trump campaign advisor, in a quote that seems to take aim at Candace Owens
———
Exchange between Donald Trump and John Kelly, a retired US Marine Corps general and then White House Chief of Staff, during a 2018 visit to Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of World War I:
Kelly: [Provides impromptu history lesson, reminding the president which countries were on which side during the conflict and connecting the dots between the First World War to the Second World War and all of Hitler’s atrocities.]
Trump: “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.”
Kelly: [Tells the President he is wrong.]
Trump: [Undeterred, emphasizes the German economic recovery under Hitler.]
Kelly, after pushing back and arguing that the German people would have been better off poor than subjected to the genocidal Nazi regime: “You cannot ever say anything supportive of Adolf Hitler. You just can’t.”
A few memorable moments…
———
“We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government.” — Saundra Kiczenski, one of a group of die-hard Trump rallygoers known as the Front Row Joes, on the intent of those who participated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection
———
“There’s a brand of black Republican who thinks demeaning black people by calling them ‘brainwashed by Democrats’ or ‘stuck on the plantation’ will somehow resonate, but it doesn’t. It only resonates with white people because it’s sh*t they can’t say.” — Katrina Pierson, a senior Trump campaign advisor, in a quote that seems to take aim at Candace Owens
———
Exchange between Donald Trump and John Kelly, a retired US Marine Corps general and then White House Chief of Staff, during a 2018 visit to Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of World War I:
Kelly: [Provides impromptu history lesson, reminding the president which countries were on which side during the conflict and connecting the dots between the First World War to the Second World War and all of Hitler’s atrocities.]
Trump: “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.”
Kelly: [Tells the President he is wrong.]
Trump: [Undeterred, emphasizes the German economic recovery under Hitler.]
Kelly, after pushing back and arguing that the German people would have been better off poor than subjected to the genocidal Nazi regime: “You cannot ever say anything supportive of Adolf Hitler. You just can’t.”
August 31, 2022
This was a good summary of the final few months of the Trump presidency, showing how at the start of 2020, his chances seemed good. A litany of issues, both external and self-inflicted, combined to make this less and less likely as the year went on.
While not the focus of the book, I felt the election period and it’s immediate aftermath was a bit neglected and I’d have liked to see more emphasis placed on Trump’s refusal to accept his loss.
While not the focus of the book, I felt the election period and it’s immediate aftermath was a bit neglected and I’d have liked to see more emphasis placed on Trump’s refusal to accept his loss.
December 31, 2021
Very well-written account of the last few months of 2020... a lot of great information, but less information during parts that I'd wanted to learn more... either way, it was very good
August 28, 2021
This was a captivating behind the scenes look at the Trump White House and beyond after the election. It’s written by a well known journalist from the Wall Street Journal. Whether you agree or disagree with Trump, (I’m not interested in talking politics here), the details of presidential life are fascinating. 3.5 stars because it runs long.
July 19, 2021
Great read.
Great read. A very interesting perspective on the Front Row Joes....I really wanted to understand them. A very well written & researched book.
Great read. A very interesting perspective on the Front Row Joes....I really wanted to understand them. A very well written & researched book.
July 15, 2021
This was a coherent account of a very incoherent administration. It’s well-written and eminently readable, and actually deserves a higher rating …. but it unfortunately brought on a bit of PTSD related to living through the Trump Presidency.
June 21, 2024
I read this book immediately after I Alone Can Fix It. Each book is revelatory & eye-opening, but in different ways. This book focuses more on the behind the scenes of 45s dysfunctional WH, his reelection campaign, & the Front Row Joes who follow him around the country. It's best summed up by the following quote:
Enough Said.
“We weren’t there to steal things. We weren’t there to do damage. We were just there to overthrow the government.”
Enough Said.
September 22, 2021
I learned a lot in this book but at times was confused by the use of first names during the recounting of incidents. The author would refer to someone who was mentioned earlier in the book and, frankly, because there are so many identical white males surrounding Trump, it was hard to keep it straight. Other than that, great recounting of a shit show.
July 26, 2021
Michael Bender covered the White House for the Wall Street Journal and, in this finely detailed book, he provides an enlightening account of the year leading up to the 2020 election, with a lot of history regarding the 2016 election as a backdrop. I certainly suspected the WH was a madhouse under Trump before I read this book but still I was pretty shocked to learn just how messed up it was. Surrounded by sycophants and fawning family members, Trump was allowed to run amok, creating crisis after crisis with his crazy tweets and rallies. The complete mishandling of the COVID pandemic, with a WH divided over whether or not people should wear masks and social distance, defies belief.
One thing, though, that surprised me was that Trump was capable of showing emotion and, in fact, he was visibly moved and appalled when he viewed the George Floyd tape. But his fear of appearing weak governed every single decision he made - above all, weakness was not an acceptable trait to be shown - ever. Wear a mask? Nope, weak. Show compassion? Nope, only sissies do that. Caution citizens to be careful and social distance? Nope, strong people can beat the disease.
A part of me wonders if there is any point to reading about the national nightmare we just went through. I mean, why relive it? But then again, my desire to hear any new detail takes over. This book was well worth reading.
One thing, though, that surprised me was that Trump was capable of showing emotion and, in fact, he was visibly moved and appalled when he viewed the George Floyd tape. But his fear of appearing weak governed every single decision he made - above all, weakness was not an acceptable trait to be shown - ever. Wear a mask? Nope, weak. Show compassion? Nope, only sissies do that. Caution citizens to be careful and social distance? Nope, strong people can beat the disease.
A part of me wonders if there is any point to reading about the national nightmare we just went through. I mean, why relive it? But then again, my desire to hear any new detail takes over. This book was well worth reading.
July 21, 2021
Perhaps a bit unlike the other Trump-centric books released at the same time, this book is relatively light on salacious, outrageous tales and anecdotes. It's principal mission is to report on the nuts and bolts of the actual Trump campaign: the revolving door of personnel, campaign fundraising, strategies, etc. In telling this story, Bender makes it clear that Trump was his own worst enemy.
There are, of course, a number of anecdotes showing how incompetent a President and terrible a person Trump was (and is). Perhaps more interesting are the glimpses we get of the inner circle around him. For the most part, they were consistently unwilling to speak truth to him, hiding bad news, frefusing to criticize him when he misbehaved or screwed up, encouraging his worst instincts (although not always). Particularly horrible: Mark Meadows and Giuliani. Ivanka and Jared are portrayed as upon occasion trying to convince himself to do the right thing. I'm skeptical of this, of course, since both were notorious for selectively leaking information that would make them look good.
Bender starts the book off with a pasage about the "First Row Joes", people (mostly middle-age and above and entirely white) who travelled to many Trump rallies. He comes back to these people throughout the book. Bender clearly sympathizes with them; just as clearly, their not entirely mentally balanced.
There are, of course, a number of anecdotes showing how incompetent a President and terrible a person Trump was (and is). Perhaps more interesting are the glimpses we get of the inner circle around him. For the most part, they were consistently unwilling to speak truth to him, hiding bad news, frefusing to criticize him when he misbehaved or screwed up, encouraging his worst instincts (although not always). Particularly horrible: Mark Meadows and Giuliani. Ivanka and Jared are portrayed as upon occasion trying to convince himself to do the right thing. I'm skeptical of this, of course, since both were notorious for selectively leaking information that would make them look good.
Bender starts the book off with a pasage about the "First Row Joes", people (mostly middle-age and above and entirely white) who travelled to many Trump rallies. He comes back to these people throughout the book. Bender clearly sympathizes with them; just as clearly, their not entirely mentally balanced.
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