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The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021
From top journalists and bestselling authors of The Man Who Ran Washington, the first history and assessment of the full Trump presidency, based on unprecedented access to key players, including the man himself
Revered journalists Peter Baker of the New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker tell the inside story of the four years when Donald Trump went to war with Washington and the institutions of American democracy, from its chaotic beginning to its violent finale. While other books have looked at parts of the Trump era, this is the only history of the entire disruptive Trump presidency, recounting not just what happened during his dramatic final days in office but the four years that led up to them.
Trump was an X-ray for America's soul, and Baker and Glasser reveal the behind-closed-doors moments of a president who defied all norms and the moral struggles of those who worked with and for him. Their book is based on unprecedented access to key players from President Trump himself to Cabinet officers, military generals, close advisers, Trump family members, congressional leaders, foreign officials and others, some of whom have never told their story until now.
Revered journalists Peter Baker of the New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker tell the inside story of the four years when Donald Trump went to war with Washington and the institutions of American democracy, from its chaotic beginning to its violent finale. While other books have looked at parts of the Trump era, this is the only history of the entire disruptive Trump presidency, recounting not just what happened during his dramatic final days in office but the four years that led up to them.
Trump was an X-ray for America's soul, and Baker and Glasser reveal the behind-closed-doors moments of a president who defied all norms and the moral struggles of those who worked with and for him. Their book is based on unprecedented access to key players from President Trump himself to Cabinet officers, military generals, close advisers, Trump family members, congressional leaders, foreign officials and others, some of whom have never told their story until now.
752 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2022
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3124 people want to read
About the author
Peter Baker
116 books234 followersThere is more than one author with this name in the database.
Peter Baker has been a journalist for the Washington Post and the New York Times. He covered President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, resulting in the book The Breach. As the Post's Moscow bureau chief, he wrote the book Kremlin Rising. He is married to the journalist Susan Glasser.
Peter Baker has been a journalist for the Washington Post and the New York Times. He covered President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, resulting in the book The Breach. As the Post's Moscow bureau chief, he wrote the book Kremlin Rising. He is married to the journalist Susan Glasser.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
October 4, 2022
I keep reading these Trump disaster books. It’s like poking a wound, but I can’t seem to resist them. This book is very long and well-researched, but didn’t really present anything new. There were a few additional details about generals scrambling around to protect the nation from its diabolical commander in chief. It also showed the infighting among the incompetent sycophants. I am still amazed that Trump actually agrees to be interviewed by all of these authors who are just going to trash him. He’s such a delusional narcissist that he thinks they are going to believe his lies. Guess again. At least these books force me to remember something that can never be allowed to happen again. We can’t forget that Trump’s base is still very much with us, and Trump clones are salivating in the wings.
December 2, 2023
“After Napoleon reclaimed the throne and was finally defeated once and for all at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the victorious British general, the Duke of Wellington, summed up the twelve-hour fight. It was, he wrote a friend, ‘the nearest-run thing you ever saw.’ John Kelly thought of Waterloo when he would tell the story about the time Trump almost blew up the NATO alliance at a Brussels summit less than twenty miles away from where the famous battle took place. ‘That was a very close-run thing,’ Kelly would say. Mark Milley thought of the famous quote about Waterloo when he considered how nearly the country came to losing its democracy altogether. ‘It was a very close-run thing,’ he told an associate. After it was all done and over, Milley believed that Trump had tried something never tried before in the 230 years of the republic—to illegitimately hold on to power. ‘They shook the very republic to the core,’ Milley would eventually reflect. ‘Can you imagine what a group of people who are much more capable could have done?’”
— The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021
Getting your head around Trump’s presidency, from the get-go to the last painful minute, is a daunting task if not an impossible one. Maybe it’s possible to figure out how it happened but answering the why is the difficult part. The difficulty lies in the fact that the Trumpian-era is not really history yet and therefore the accounts cannot be truly dispassionate and this book is not an exception. It’s logical to say that his violent term was the culmination of the conservative movement which started around the time of Barry Goldwater’s primacy and then was calcified and reified during Reagan’s two terms. But that kind of historical analysis falls short in taking Trump the person into account; his comically petulant behavior; his incomprehension of the responsibilities of his office and his despotic abuse of power and the people around him which has transformed the Republican party, probably for good. As the authors fittingly point out in the epilogue, “There will be no return to the pre-Trump era of American politics”.
Susan Glasser and Peter Baker can definitely help you better understand what happened inside the White House from 2017 to 2021. The Divider is mostly a narrative comprised of reports, quotes and back-and-forths and it is the result of numerous interviews that the authors have conducted over the past few years. I knew their style so I wasn’t disappointed that the book feels like a very long report but their writing style is smooth and the structure of the book helps a lot in not getting overwhelmed; they covered Vladimir Putin’s rise in pretty much the same way.
It’s around 700 pages but still feels too short for properly tackling its subject. The most sections of the book revolve around the inside dynamics and rivalries of the White House and the almost constant reshuffling of the staff. Trump’s dealings with foreign leaders and his foreign policy — or lack thereof — are also discussed at some length which kind of makes this book more comprehensive than other similar titles. Baker and Glasser are by no way nonpartisan authors but they don’t let the narrative drift to partisan brawling and for the most part, they retain their objectivity while throwing some sharp judgements here and there.
The internal resistance to Trump was much more serious than what it looked like from the outside as the book tries to showcase. From John Kelly to John Bolton, from advisors to DOJ officials, they felt that resigning would pave the way for Trump to bring more sycophantic aides and staff to the White House and they thought (with some conceit at times) that they should resist the president and his silly orders as long as they could. Not all of them felt that way and some eventually became more Trumpist than the Commander in Chief himself. But even those who did fight him, refrained from saying that much against him publicly (doing so would have got them fired by a man that loved to fire people of course) which gave a superficial validity to a presidency that didn’t deserve that much in the first place.
The book doesn’t reveal any new facts about Trump’s presidency but the chronological structure helps you get a better sense of how it all unraveled and how an absurd presidency changed the United States and its image in the world — especially in the eyes of its allies.
※※※
Many Iranians are ardent supporters of Donald J. Trump and his policies toward the Islamic Republic and they praise him for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC commander of the Quds Force. Even though their admiration arises from the fact that he took a hard stance against the Islamic Regime and can be even understandable, what they don't take into account is that Trump did it to appear strong not because he had a working strategy to deal with Iran. If anything, his order to take out Soleimani should count as one of his more serious blunders, which ultimately shattered any possible hope (at least for a long while) for a renewal of the JCPOA — not that a new nuclear agreement can change the nature of a theocratic regime that has proven its remarkable incapacity for change over and over, but it might prevent further instability in the region. At the same time, it can be argued that a new agreement is akin to turning a blind eye to the brutality of the regime toward its population and its handling of the domestic unrest. There are no good choices for U.S policy makers at this point and the middle-east future seems murkier by the minute.
※※※
دوره ریاست جمهوری ترامپ از ژانویه 2017 تا ژانویه 2021، از آشفتهترین دورههاییه که کاخ سفید و ایالات متحده توی 50 سال اخیر به خودش دیده. حتا قبل از انتخابات 2016 هم درگیریها شروع شده بود و مدارکی که از زندگی شخصی ترامپ رو شد، رسانهها رو شوکه کرد و آتیش درگیریها شعلهور شد. پرسر و صداترینش، اکسس هالیوود تِیپ بود که صدای رکورد شده ترامپ از 2005 بود. دانالدِ گرامی، طی مکالمهای که با رفیقش داشت، به تواناییش در آزادانه لمس کردن آلت زنهای اطرافش میبالید و گفت وقتی یه ستاره باشی، میذارن اینکارو بکنی باهاشون. خیلی سر و صدا کرد و جدای از اینکه چقدرش واقعیت بوده و چقدرش چاخان، حتی بعضی از جمهوریخواهها هم فکر کردن که دیگه کار ترامپ تمومه؛ ولی سخت در اشتباه بودن. طرفدارهای ترامپ واسشون مهم نبود که کاندیدای مورد علاقشون شاید رفتار شخصی درستی نداشته باشه. همین که حرف دلشون رو میزد واسشون کافی بود. همین که خشمشون رو بدون سانسور علیه دمکراتهای شهرنشین و دم اقیانوس ابراز میکرد، براشون لذتبخش بود. سیاستهاش هم ساختاریافته نبود؛ همون حرفهای تکراریِ راستگراهای جمهوریخواه رو تکرار میکرد. ولی لحنشو و حرفایی که توی کمپینهاش و مناظرههاش میزد چیزایی بودن که اونو از بقیه جدا میکردن. از بیانات ضد مکزیکی و «آمریکا فِرست» گرفته تا هر حرف دیگهای که فکر میکرد برای طرفداراش جذاب باشه. آخرش توی انتخابات با اینکه در تعداد رأی کل شکست خورد از هیلاری کلینتون، ولی رأی الکتورال رو برد و ریاستجمهوری رو بدست آورد.
کتاب پیتر بیکر و سوزان گلسر در مورد این چهار سال ریاست جمهوریِ سرگردان و داغونه که آمریکا رو بیش از پیش دوقطبی کرد؛ چهارسالی که نشون داد ترامپ هرکاری هم بکنه، طرفداراش پشتش میمونن و این قضیه در ژانویه 2021 با حمله طرفدارانش به کنگره به نقطه اوجش رسید.
هیاهویی که ریاست جمهوری ترامپ و سیاستهاش ایجاد کرد باعث شده فهمیدن اینکه توی این چهار سال واقعن چی شد سخت بشه. توی این کتاب که در مجموع با یادداشتهای آخر کار 700 صفحه میشه، نویسندگان عزیز سعی کردن روشن کنن که داخل کاخ سفید چی گذشت و چی شد. از درگیری ترامپ با کابینه و وزراش مفصل میگه. ترامپ تقریبن هرسال یه خونهتکونی کامل توی کابینهش انجام میداد، از بس که مشکل پیدا میکرد با اطرافیانش. شخصیت بچهگانه و بینهایت خودشیفتهش، شده بود شکل دهنده سیاستهاش؛ برنامه درمانی اوباما رو تلاش کرد از بین ببره تا بجاش یه برنامه جدید با اسم خودش ایجاد کنه؛ گزارشات امنیتی رو نمیخونده مگر یه ربطی به خودش داشته یا اسم خودش توی گزارشات ذکر شده بوده؛ بجای گزارشات امنیتی و اطلاعاتی، کانالهای تلویزونی رو میدیده و دائم فاکسنیوز گوش میداده. خیلی از حرفهایی رو که میزده همون روز از زبون یکی از مجریهای فاکسنیوز شنیده بوده. دیدار برگذار کرد با رهبر کره شمالی و رفت باهاش دست داد و گفته بود من آمادهام با هرکسی دیدار کنم. بعد که جیم جونگ اون رفتار بچهگانه نشون داد، ترامپ ازش کم نیورد و میخواست «آتش و خشمی» نشون بده که دنیا به چشم خودش ندیده. هر قسمت از ریاستجمهوری ترامپ رو که میخونی، یه پنج دقیقه شوک میشی اولش. مگه داریم؟ مگه میشه؟ یه بچه لوس تازه به بلوغ رسیده انقدر احمقانه رفتار نمیکنه. توی کشور خودمون هم دانالد ترامپ طرفدارهای خودش رو داره و داشته. این تلاشش برای قوی نشون دادن خودش و آمریکا و «فشار حداکثری»ش خیلی هارو جذب خودش کرده. سوالی که باید اینجا بپرسیم اینه که پشت این حرفهای گنده و پوچش، سیاست سازندهای هم داشت یا نه؟ بیکر و گلسر بخوبی نشون میدن که هیچ سیاستگذاری ساختار یافتهای توی دولت ترامپ وجود نداشته. هرکسی هرجور زورش میرسیده تلاش میکرده به منافع خودش برسه و یه چیزی از ترامپ و کاخ سفید واسه خودش راست و ریس کنه. داماد ترامپ جرد کوشنر از بهترین نمونههاست. بخاطر داماد ترامپ بودن، مسئول «ایجاد صلح در خاور میانه» شد بدون اینکه هیچ تجربهای توی این زمینه داشته باشه. خود ترامپ تلاش کرد از ناتو بیاد بیرون بخاطر اینکه میگفت آمریکا داره بیشتر پولش رو میده و آلمان سهمش رو نمیده درست؛ بیشتر بخاطر این بود که آنجلا مرکل باهاش سرد و جدی رفتار کرده بود و مثل بقیه تحویلش نگرفته بود. همین باعث شد اتحادیه اروپا تاحدی فاصله بگیره از آمریکا و سعی کنه روی پای خودش وایسه ولی به قیمت اینکه آمریکا نفوذش رو تاحدی از دست داد. ازون طرف ترامپ همیشه خیلی مثبت از پوتین حرف زده و ازش تعریف هم کرده. حمله روسیه به اوکراین در 2014 رو بیشتر تقصیر اوکراین و ناتو مینداخت تا قدرتطلبی و ناسیونالیسمِ نکبتِ پوتین.
بهنظرم این کتاب میتونه کمک کنه به این که بهتر ترامپ رو بشناسیم. این که کوچکترین بررسی و تحلیل درست و حسابیای قبل از تصمیمگیری نمیکرده و این که توی لحظه تصمیماتش رو عوض میکرده نشون میده که چقدر سادهانگارانه است که از ترامپ انتظار داشته باشی سیاستخارجی سازندهای داشته باشه.
دستور قتل قاسم سلیمانی رو خود ترامپ صادر کرد و افتخار میکرد که این کارو کرده بدون اینکه هیچ سیاستی پشتش داشته باشه. بعد از قتل سلیمانی، آمریکاییها مواضعشون رو ترک کردن توی عراق چون ترامپ دیگه نمیخواست درگیریها بیشتر بشه؛ مشاورانش بهش گفتن که خطر جنگ منطقهای زیاد میشه و تو همیشه قول داده بودی که آمریکا رو دیگه درگیر جنگ نکنی. آخرش پاپس کشید. الکی فقط زد آتیش منطقه رو زیاد کرد بدون اینکه دستآوردی واسش داشته باشه. کسی که انقدر بالا و پایین شدیدی توی تصمیمگیری داره، بیشتر به یه ناظم عصبانی و بیمنطق دبستان میخوره تا فرمانده کل نیروهای ایالات متحده و تحت کنترل داشتن زرادخانه هستهای آمریکا. کلاهکهایی که میتونه زندگی در دنیا رو (حداقل به شکل کنونیش که عادت کردیم بهش) به پایان برسونه.
انتخابات 2024 نزدیکه و باز طرفدارای ترامپ سفت و سخت پشتش وایسادن. خیلی فساد و کثافتکاریهای دیگه هم از ترامپ رو شده ولی بازم واسشون مهم نیست. آینده آمریکا به 2024 بستگی داره و خیلیها احتمال شورش و حتا جنگ داخلی رو میدن. ببره یا ببازه آمریکا اوضاعش وخیمه. ببینیم چی میشه.
— The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021
Getting your head around Trump’s presidency, from the get-go to the last painful minute, is a daunting task if not an impossible one. Maybe it’s possible to figure out how it happened but answering the why is the difficult part. The difficulty lies in the fact that the Trumpian-era is not really history yet and therefore the accounts cannot be truly dispassionate and this book is not an exception. It’s logical to say that his violent term was the culmination of the conservative movement which started around the time of Barry Goldwater’s primacy and then was calcified and reified during Reagan’s two terms. But that kind of historical analysis falls short in taking Trump the person into account; his comically petulant behavior; his incomprehension of the responsibilities of his office and his despotic abuse of power and the people around him which has transformed the Republican party, probably for good. As the authors fittingly point out in the epilogue, “There will be no return to the pre-Trump era of American politics”.
Susan Glasser and Peter Baker can definitely help you better understand what happened inside the White House from 2017 to 2021. The Divider is mostly a narrative comprised of reports, quotes and back-and-forths and it is the result of numerous interviews that the authors have conducted over the past few years. I knew their style so I wasn’t disappointed that the book feels like a very long report but their writing style is smooth and the structure of the book helps a lot in not getting overwhelmed; they covered Vladimir Putin’s rise in pretty much the same way.
It’s around 700 pages but still feels too short for properly tackling its subject. The most sections of the book revolve around the inside dynamics and rivalries of the White House and the almost constant reshuffling of the staff. Trump’s dealings with foreign leaders and his foreign policy — or lack thereof — are also discussed at some length which kind of makes this book more comprehensive than other similar titles. Baker and Glasser are by no way nonpartisan authors but they don’t let the narrative drift to partisan brawling and for the most part, they retain their objectivity while throwing some sharp judgements here and there.
The internal resistance to Trump was much more serious than what it looked like from the outside as the book tries to showcase. From John Kelly to John Bolton, from advisors to DOJ officials, they felt that resigning would pave the way for Trump to bring more sycophantic aides and staff to the White House and they thought (with some conceit at times) that they should resist the president and his silly orders as long as they could. Not all of them felt that way and some eventually became more Trumpist than the Commander in Chief himself. But even those who did fight him, refrained from saying that much against him publicly (doing so would have got them fired by a man that loved to fire people of course) which gave a superficial validity to a presidency that didn’t deserve that much in the first place.
The book doesn’t reveal any new facts about Trump’s presidency but the chronological structure helps you get a better sense of how it all unraveled and how an absurd presidency changed the United States and its image in the world — especially in the eyes of its allies.
※※※
Many Iranians are ardent supporters of Donald J. Trump and his policies toward the Islamic Republic and they praise him for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC commander of the Quds Force. Even though their admiration arises from the fact that he took a hard stance against the Islamic Regime and can be even understandable, what they don't take into account is that Trump did it to appear strong not because he had a working strategy to deal with Iran. If anything, his order to take out Soleimani should count as one of his more serious blunders, which ultimately shattered any possible hope (at least for a long while) for a renewal of the JCPOA — not that a new nuclear agreement can change the nature of a theocratic regime that has proven its remarkable incapacity for change over and over, but it might prevent further instability in the region. At the same time, it can be argued that a new agreement is akin to turning a blind eye to the brutality of the regime toward its population and its handling of the domestic unrest. There are no good choices for U.S policy makers at this point and the middle-east future seems murkier by the minute.
※※※
دوره ریاست جمهوری ترامپ از ژانویه 2017 تا ژانویه 2021، از آشفتهترین دورههاییه که کاخ سفید و ایالات متحده توی 50 سال اخیر به خودش دیده. حتا قبل از انتخابات 2016 هم درگیریها شروع شده بود و مدارکی که از زندگی شخصی ترامپ رو شد، رسانهها رو شوکه کرد و آتیش درگیریها شعلهور شد. پرسر و صداترینش، اکسس هالیوود تِیپ بود که صدای رکورد شده ترامپ از 2005 بود. دانالدِ گرامی، طی مکالمهای که با رفیقش داشت، به تواناییش در آزادانه لمس کردن آلت زنهای اطرافش میبالید و گفت وقتی یه ستاره باشی، میذارن اینکارو بکنی باهاشون. خیلی سر و صدا کرد و جدای از اینکه چقدرش واقعیت بوده و چقدرش چاخان، حتی بعضی از جمهوریخواهها هم فکر کردن که دیگه کار ترامپ تمومه؛ ولی سخت در اشتباه بودن. طرفدارهای ترامپ واسشون مهم نبود که کاندیدای مورد علاقشون شاید رفتار شخصی درستی نداشته باشه. همین که حرف دلشون رو میزد واسشون کافی بود. همین که خشمشون رو بدون سانسور علیه دمکراتهای شهرنشین و دم اقیانوس ابراز میکرد، براشون لذتبخش بود. سیاستهاش هم ساختاریافته نبود؛ همون حرفهای تکراریِ راستگراهای جمهوریخواه رو تکرار میکرد. ولی لحنشو و حرفایی که توی کمپینهاش و مناظرههاش میزد چیزایی بودن که اونو از بقیه جدا میکردن. از بیانات ضد مکزیکی و «آمریکا فِرست» گرفته تا هر حرف دیگهای که فکر میکرد برای طرفداراش جذاب باشه. آخرش توی انتخابات با اینکه در تعداد رأی کل شکست خورد از هیلاری کلینتون، ولی رأی الکتورال رو برد و ریاستجمهوری رو بدست آورد.
کتاب پیتر بیکر و سوزان گلسر در مورد این چهار سال ریاست جمهوریِ سرگردان و داغونه که آمریکا رو بیش از پیش دوقطبی کرد؛ چهارسالی که نشون داد ترامپ هرکاری هم بکنه، طرفداراش پشتش میمونن و این قضیه در ژانویه 2021 با حمله طرفدارانش به کنگره به نقطه اوجش رسید.
هیاهویی که ریاست جمهوری ترامپ و سیاستهاش ایجاد کرد باعث شده فهمیدن اینکه توی این چهار سال واقعن چی شد سخت بشه. توی این کتاب که در مجموع با یادداشتهای آخر کار 700 صفحه میشه، نویسندگان عزیز سعی کردن روشن کنن که داخل کاخ سفید چی گذشت و چی شد. از درگیری ترامپ با کابینه و وزراش مفصل میگه. ترامپ تقریبن هرسال یه خونهتکونی کامل توی کابینهش انجام میداد، از بس که مشکل پیدا میکرد با اطرافیانش. شخصیت بچهگانه و بینهایت خودشیفتهش، شده بود شکل دهنده سیاستهاش؛ برنامه درمانی اوباما رو تلاش کرد از بین ببره تا بجاش یه برنامه جدید با اسم خودش ایجاد کنه؛ گزارشات امنیتی رو نمیخونده مگر یه ربطی به خودش داشته یا اسم خودش توی گزارشات ذکر شده بوده؛ بجای گزارشات امنیتی و اطلاعاتی، کانالهای تلویزونی رو میدیده و دائم فاکسنیوز گوش میداده. خیلی از حرفهایی رو که میزده همون روز از زبون یکی از مجریهای فاکسنیوز شنیده بوده. دیدار برگذار کرد با رهبر کره شمالی و رفت باهاش دست داد و گفته بود من آمادهام با هرکسی دیدار کنم. بعد که جیم جونگ اون رفتار بچهگانه نشون داد، ترامپ ازش کم نیورد و میخواست «آتش و خشمی» نشون بده که دنیا به چشم خودش ندیده. هر قسمت از ریاستجمهوری ترامپ رو که میخونی، یه پنج دقیقه شوک میشی اولش. مگه داریم؟ مگه میشه؟ یه بچه لوس تازه به بلوغ رسیده انقدر احمقانه رفتار نمیکنه. توی کشور خودمون هم دانالد ترامپ طرفدارهای خودش رو داره و داشته. این تلاشش برای قوی نشون دادن خودش و آمریکا و «فشار حداکثری»ش خیلی هارو جذب خودش کرده. سوالی که باید اینجا بپرسیم اینه که پشت این حرفهای گنده و پوچش، سیاست سازندهای هم داشت یا نه؟ بیکر و گلسر بخوبی نشون میدن که هیچ سیاستگذاری ساختار یافتهای توی دولت ترامپ وجود نداشته. هرکسی هرجور زورش میرسیده تلاش میکرده به منافع خودش برسه و یه چیزی از ترامپ و کاخ سفید واسه خودش راست و ریس کنه. داماد ترامپ جرد کوشنر از بهترین نمونههاست. بخاطر داماد ترامپ بودن، مسئول «ایجاد صلح در خاور میانه» شد بدون اینکه هیچ تجربهای توی این زمینه داشته باشه. خود ترامپ تلاش کرد از ناتو بیاد بیرون بخاطر اینکه میگفت آمریکا داره بیشتر پولش رو میده و آلمان سهمش رو نمیده درست؛ بیشتر بخاطر این بود که آنجلا مرکل باهاش سرد و جدی رفتار کرده بود و مثل بقیه تحویلش نگرفته بود. همین باعث شد اتحادیه اروپا تاحدی فاصله بگیره از آمریکا و سعی کنه روی پای خودش وایسه ولی به قیمت اینکه آمریکا نفوذش رو تاحدی از دست داد. ازون طرف ترامپ همیشه خیلی مثبت از پوتین حرف زده و ازش تعریف هم کرده. حمله روسیه به اوکراین در 2014 رو بیشتر تقصیر اوکراین و ناتو مینداخت تا قدرتطلبی و ناسیونالیسمِ نکبتِ پوتین.
بهنظرم این کتاب میتونه کمک کنه به این که بهتر ترامپ رو بشناسیم. این که کوچکترین بررسی و تحلیل درست و حسابیای قبل از تصمیمگیری نمیکرده و این که توی لحظه تصمیماتش رو عوض میکرده نشون میده که چقدر سادهانگارانه است که از ترامپ انتظار داشته باشی سیاستخارجی سازندهای داشته باشه.
دستور قتل قاسم سلیمانی رو خود ترامپ صادر کرد و افتخار میکرد که این کارو کرده بدون اینکه هیچ سیاستی پشتش داشته باشه. بعد از قتل سلیمانی، آمریکاییها مواضعشون رو ترک کردن توی عراق چون ترامپ دیگه نمیخواست درگیریها بیشتر بشه؛ مشاورانش بهش گفتن که خطر جنگ منطقهای زیاد میشه و تو همیشه قول داده بودی که آمریکا رو دیگه درگیر جنگ نکنی. آخرش پاپس کشید. الکی فقط زد آتیش منطقه رو زیاد کرد بدون اینکه دستآوردی واسش داشته باشه. کسی که انقدر بالا و پایین شدیدی توی تصمیمگیری داره، بیشتر به یه ناظم عصبانی و بیمنطق دبستان میخوره تا فرمانده کل نیروهای ایالات متحده و تحت کنترل داشتن زرادخانه هستهای آمریکا. کلاهکهایی که میتونه زندگی در دنیا رو (حداقل به شکل کنونیش که عادت کردیم بهش) به پایان برسونه.
انتخابات 2024 نزدیکه و باز طرفدارای ترامپ سفت و سخت پشتش وایسادن. خیلی فساد و کثافتکاریهای دیگه هم از ترامپ رو شده ولی بازم واسشون مهم نیست. آینده آمریکا به 2024 بستگی داره و خیلیها احتمال شورش و حتا جنگ داخلی رو میدن. ببره یا ببازه آمریکا اوضاعش وخیمه. ببینیم چی میشه.
September 21, 2022
There are two types of political books. The first are written by politicians and their staff members and appointed officials. Ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, and the like. As mostly non-professional writers, the quality of these books vary. An exception might be the memoir written by Obama’s aide David Axelrod, who’s a lyrical writer. Most memoirs of these people, however, are not particularly well-written. For well-written books, you have to read the second type of political books; those investigated and written by professional writers.
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, both reporters (and married) have written “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021”. They contend that Donald Trump was the most divisive president in our history. Their book brings up example after example of his time in the White House where his words and deeds were destructive to many, many people. The divide between Blue America and Red America grew over four years into what seems to be a permanent divide.
Glasser and Baker are superb writers. The reader has no doubt about their political leanings, but they’re actually quite subtle writers. We need that in books that define historical events. I’ve basically stopped reading political memoirs - the first type - unless I know the authors are good writers. I won’t stop reading the second type, however.
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, both reporters (and married) have written “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021”. They contend that Donald Trump was the most divisive president in our history. Their book brings up example after example of his time in the White House where his words and deeds were destructive to many, many people. The divide between Blue America and Red America grew over four years into what seems to be a permanent divide.
Glasser and Baker are superb writers. The reader has no doubt about their political leanings, but they’re actually quite subtle writers. We need that in books that define historical events. I’ve basically stopped reading political memoirs - the first type - unless I know the authors are good writers. I won’t stop reading the second type, however.
September 20, 2022
Per the book - "[Trump]... exploited the fissures in American society to gain, wield, and hold on to power." Peter Baker is always impressive. I am thankful, beyond words, for the reporters who have uncovered and documented what has gone on in the past six+ years. I feel we have to face all of these disturbing events and revelations no matter how much we want to bury our heads in the sand. Trump and his cult are too dangerous and immoral to ignore.
March 28, 2023
This week I have tackled Peter Baker and Susan Glasser’s exceptional account of the Trump administration, THE DIVIDER: TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE, 2017-2021. As I was reading the book I tried not to pay attention to the news of an impending indictment of the former president, but it was impossible. Baker and Glasser’s narrative are almost encyclopedic in its detail and as I pushed on words describing the Trump presidency kept going through my mind; scary, unimaginable, unprecedented, unbelievable, inconceivable, overwhelming, mind-boggling, etc. Today I find myself comparing events and comments related to the Trump presidency with the barrage of racist, anti-Semitic tropes that the former president is currently bombarding the airwaves and it seems he is willing to foster violence and say or do anything that will protect him. It is the Roy Cohn playbook on steroids and there is no daylight concerning Trump as president and Trump as a possible defendant in the Maro-Lago documents case, the Georgia election obstruction case, the special prosecutor’s investigation into January 6th, and the hush money paid to a porn star grand jury in New York. All the descriptive words mentioned above apply.
After reading THE DIVIDER one should not be surprised by Trump’s current behavior. The authors dig into all aspects of the Trump presidency, be it how the White House was run, domestic policy, foreign policy, and of course Trump’s behavior. The cast of characters is long, and concerning based on how people were chosen for government positions and how frequently they were fired or left based on their own concerns. The authors repeatedly point out that people like James Mattis, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, H. R. McMaster and numerous others took positions in the administration and remained long after they wanted to as a means of protecting the country, but all would be gone within a year. The authors point to March 2018 as the watershed moment as Trump relieved himself of anyone who could control him and now was able to do as he pleased, not necessarily for the betterment of the country, but for the betterment of Donald J. Trump. It is clear, no matter what your opinion of Donald Trump is, America has never experienced such a presidency and post-presidency.
Baker and Glasser’s narrative can easily be framed beginning with Trump’s “American Carnage” speech given at his inauguration on January 6, 2021 encouraging his followers to march on the capitol and overturn his election defeat. The authors base their work on assiduous research culled from over 300 interviews, private diaries, contemporaries notes, emails, texts, along with personal access to many of the players inside and outside the Trump administration. For Baker and Glasser Trump was a rogue president who took the country closer to conflict with Iran, North Korea, and to the brink of blowing up NATO even as Russia prepared to use force to redraw the map of Europe. His erratic behavior and belief in his own instincts saw him vindictively pullout thousands of troops from Germany because he was mad at Angela Merkel who refused to kowtow to his ego. He tried to buy Greenland after a billionaire friend suggested it to him. He secretly sought to abolish a federal appeals court that ruled against him. He privately expressed admiration for Hitler’s generals, while calling his own generals “fucking losers,” and subjecting them and others to racist rants that made it clear his “shithole countries” commentary was not an aberration.
Trump was consumed by his own image on television and twitter and both forms of communication dominated his presidency. Whether dealing with FOX “news” and their minions, a daily barrage of tweets, Trump needed to dominate the airwaves with his worldview. From the outset of the administration people like Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Steven Miller, and Kellyanne Conway fought for control of the White House. The polarization based on constant lies and personality conflict dominated policy decisions. In addition to exploring these personalities and others, Baker and Glasser delve into the Trump family. It is clear that Ivanka and Melania had no love lost for each other, Donald Trump had no use for his son Don, Jr. until after the 2020 election defeat, and it appears that a dysfunctional family greatly contributed to a dysfunctional presidency, a White House in chaos.
From the outset the announcement of the Muslim “travel ban,” the hiring and firing of Michael Flynn as National Security advisor, the firing of James Comey to avoid an investigation into Trump ties to Russia, Trump’s obsession with destroying any remnant of the Obama administration, the role of FOX “news” and Rupert Murdoch, and threatening to withdraw from NATO are on full display. The authors spend a great deal of time discussing “the Axis of Adults,” Mattis, McMaster, and Tillerson who worked to achieve some sort of normality reassuring overseas allies that things would work out, but at the first NATO summit Trump refused to reaffirm Article 5 of the alliance, a portent of the future.
Reading this book was like reliving a nightmare, particularly the chapter dealing with Roy Cohn who mentored Trump in New York and whose playbook of “take-no-prisoners approach to business and politics would define the 45th president.” Trump admired Cohn’s underhanded ways and educated Trump into the “netherworld of sordid quid pro quos” that defined Cohn. The authors describe a president who was his own worst enemy as he pursued self-destructive policies. A case in point is firing FBI head , James Comey because he would not stop his investigation of Russia’s role in the 2016 election and pay fealty to Trump. Advisors begged him not to do it abruptly, if at all, but they could not control him and by doing so he obstructed justice by interfering in a federal investigation.
The authors put forth numerous examples of Trump’s self-destructive approach whether backing racist, incompetent candidates for office, condemning the American intelligence community in Helsinki in front of Vladimir Putin, his bromance with Kim Jong-un, withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, and of course his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. For Trump it was all about wielding power and promoting his support for autocrats worldwide – perhaps his own jealousy of the power employed by the likes of Putin, Orbán in Hungary and Erdogan in Turkey was the reason he wanted to create an image of the all-powerful ruler.
Baker and Glasser have the knack of integrating comments by important characters into their narrative which are shocking and at times bizarre. A good example is their discussion of Mike Pompeo’s quest to be Secretary of State. Using his perch at the CIA, Pompeo attached himself to Trump’s hip and finally was able to gain the appointment. According to one American ambassador who worked with Pompeo, he was “like a heat-seeking missile for Trump’s ass.” Another example pertains to the convoluted relationship with Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham. McCain, a war hero, despised Trump and could not get over the fact his close friend, Graham “sucked up to him.” The story has been told many times how McCain got even with Trump over the Obamacare vote and the exclusion of the president from the family funeral, however the account of Trump’s refusal to put federal flags at half staff after McCain’s death further reflects the depths of Trump’s inhumanity and insensitivity. Trump’s comments went public, “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser.” Trump would finally give in, but not before he stated to John Kelly, “I don’t know why you think all these people who get shot down are heroes but do what you want to do.” Perhaps one of the most demented remarks uttered by Trump to John Kelly as he grew tired of “his generals” taking principled stands against him; “You fucking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals…..Which generals?....The German generals in World War II.” This was the model he craved. Trump’s audacity knew no bounds, pressuring Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize! Baker and Glasser’s inclusion of conversations/arguments was priceless as Nancy Pelosi confronted Trump at their last meeting; “all roads lead to Putin, you gave Russia Ukraine and Syria.”
Perhaps the second important watershed period for Trump was following the 2018 congressional elections when the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives. According to Baker and Glasser, Trump felt liberated and believed he could move on and do what he saw fit. This would lead to the final firing of John Kelly as Chief of Staff and replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Bill Barr. Further he would replace Joe Dunford as head of the Joint Chiefs with Mark Milley and make it so intolerable that James Mattis would resign. Next, Mick Mulvaney became Chief of Staff, and his approach was simple and disastrous, “Let Trump be Trump.” This would become a disaster for democracy and the rule of law.
The dive into the Russia investigation is fascinating. It is clear that Putin worked to undermine Hillary Clinton’s run for the White House seeking and gaining revenge for her approach as Secretary of State dealing with Crimea and sanctions among other grievances. Baker and Glasser unearth many interesting aspects of the probe including the fact that White House Counsel Don McGahn was feeding the Mueller investigation a great deal of information and Mueller’s belief that he could not prove in a court of law a Trump-Russian conspiracy. However, they did believe that they could gain a conviction over obstruction of justice, but Justice Department protocols against indicting a sitting president disallowed such an action.
Baker and Glasser devote a considerable amount of attention to the conduct of American foreign policy under Trump. The dysfunction of the administration in the national security realm is on full display with the arrival of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and John Bolton as National Security advisor. Though both men had similar views theirs was a relationship that was bound to fail. Trump’s “love affair” with Kim Jung-un is well told as are the machinations within the White House, State and Defense Departments over policy.
By February 2019, Bolton began implementing his agenda by arranging the withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, one of the last remnants of Cold War agreements. Further he laid the groundwork to pull out of the Open Skies Treaty of 1992 and pushed Trump to quit the United Nations Human Rights Council. Bolton continued his onslaught by pushing for regime change in Venezuela replacing General Nicolas Maduro with opposition leader Juan Guaido. The initiative would fail no matter how hard Pompeo and Bolton pushed. If this was not enough Iran was clearly in their sights. In June 2019, the Iranians shot down an American drone over the Gulf of Hormuz. What followed was the usual Trumpian bluster resulting in the canceling of a major American response as Trump could not make up his mind. Throughout the infighting and dysfunction reflected an administration which was incompetent in the conduct of foreign policy.
Ukraine would reemerge as an issue as Rudy Giuliani convinced Trump that Ukraine had interfered with the 2016 election not Russia. This was another flashpoint for Trump because any questions surrounding Russian interference in the election delegitimized his victory in 2016 and his presidency. Baker and Glasser take the reader through attempts to blackmail Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky over American military and economic aid linking the Biden family to corruption in Ukraine, and the firing of American Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. This would culminate in the “perfect phone call” between Trump and Zelensky and the former president’s first impeachment trial which the authors carefully detail including the various personalities and why they pursued the course they did.
The result, by following the “Clinton playbook” from the nineties of deny, deny, deny worked well, despite the fact that Trump released a transcript of his phone conversation with Zelensky which was direct evidence of a quid pro quo in return for an investigation of the Bidens. For Trump foreign aid was a normal cudgel to be employed to get what he wanted from foreign leaders. He had done it with the Palestinians, Pakistan, Central American countries, and of course Ukraine. The fact it was illegal was immaterial, especially for Republicans.
The authors do not shy away from the successes of the Trump administration. They spend a good amount of time discussing Jared Kushner’s accomplishments in achieving the Abraham Accords that brought recognition by Arab states for Israel and left open the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining later. Kushner was able to take advantage of fears of Iran and disenchantment by certain Arab states with the Palestinians. The vaunted Trump tax cut that was geared toward the rich, the renegotiation of NAFTA, and a few other successes are detailed.
The Covid-19 crisis gets a fair hearing and a number of important points are presented. The Trump-Fauci falling out was due to the former president’s jealousy of Fauci’s popularity and his constant advice that Trump disagreed with. Though nothing discussed is new the emphasis on treating the pandemic in the context of his reelection and looking tough led to a further bifurcation of America culture over the use of masks, vaccines, and shut downs. Deborah Birx, the White House response coordinator has said there was little the United States could have done to prevent the first 100,000 deaths from Covid, but the next 900,000 certainly would have been much lower had the Trump administration followed a rational path. Trump’s lack of empathy for those who passed and his laser vision on reelection ultimately cost hundreds of thousands of American lives.
Baker and Glasser rehash the details of Trump’s election defeat, his refusal to concede, his war on election denials leading to the January 6th insurrection, and the final impeachments of Trump. Each issue is covered with the same detail and sourcing as other topics in the book and the ultimate conclusion is that as even certain Republicans and administration members stated, Trump was “crazy” and was destroying democracy. That may have been the case, but the Kevin McCarthys and Lindsay Grahams of the world found it easy to return to the good side of the Napoleon of Mara-la-go.
It is a credit to the authors that they manage to include the culture wars, corruption, demagogy, autocratic-love, palace intrigue and public tweets, the pandemic and impeachment in one well written volume. THE DIVIDER reconstructs all aspects of the Trump White House and the impact of decision-making and events. What is clear is that Trump may have left office in January, 2020 but his legacy of obstruction, promoting violence and hatred still plays out each day.
After reading THE DIVIDER one should not be surprised by Trump’s current behavior. The authors dig into all aspects of the Trump presidency, be it how the White House was run, domestic policy, foreign policy, and of course Trump’s behavior. The cast of characters is long, and concerning based on how people were chosen for government positions and how frequently they were fired or left based on their own concerns. The authors repeatedly point out that people like James Mattis, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, H. R. McMaster and numerous others took positions in the administration and remained long after they wanted to as a means of protecting the country, but all would be gone within a year. The authors point to March 2018 as the watershed moment as Trump relieved himself of anyone who could control him and now was able to do as he pleased, not necessarily for the betterment of the country, but for the betterment of Donald J. Trump. It is clear, no matter what your opinion of Donald Trump is, America has never experienced such a presidency and post-presidency.
Baker and Glasser’s narrative can easily be framed beginning with Trump’s “American Carnage” speech given at his inauguration on January 6, 2021 encouraging his followers to march on the capitol and overturn his election defeat. The authors base their work on assiduous research culled from over 300 interviews, private diaries, contemporaries notes, emails, texts, along with personal access to many of the players inside and outside the Trump administration. For Baker and Glasser Trump was a rogue president who took the country closer to conflict with Iran, North Korea, and to the brink of blowing up NATO even as Russia prepared to use force to redraw the map of Europe. His erratic behavior and belief in his own instincts saw him vindictively pullout thousands of troops from Germany because he was mad at Angela Merkel who refused to kowtow to his ego. He tried to buy Greenland after a billionaire friend suggested it to him. He secretly sought to abolish a federal appeals court that ruled against him. He privately expressed admiration for Hitler’s generals, while calling his own generals “fucking losers,” and subjecting them and others to racist rants that made it clear his “shithole countries” commentary was not an aberration.
Trump was consumed by his own image on television and twitter and both forms of communication dominated his presidency. Whether dealing with FOX “news” and their minions, a daily barrage of tweets, Trump needed to dominate the airwaves with his worldview. From the outset of the administration people like Jared Kushner, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Steven Miller, and Kellyanne Conway fought for control of the White House. The polarization based on constant lies and personality conflict dominated policy decisions. In addition to exploring these personalities and others, Baker and Glasser delve into the Trump family. It is clear that Ivanka and Melania had no love lost for each other, Donald Trump had no use for his son Don, Jr. until after the 2020 election defeat, and it appears that a dysfunctional family greatly contributed to a dysfunctional presidency, a White House in chaos.
From the outset the announcement of the Muslim “travel ban,” the hiring and firing of Michael Flynn as National Security advisor, the firing of James Comey to avoid an investigation into Trump ties to Russia, Trump’s obsession with destroying any remnant of the Obama administration, the role of FOX “news” and Rupert Murdoch, and threatening to withdraw from NATO are on full display. The authors spend a great deal of time discussing “the Axis of Adults,” Mattis, McMaster, and Tillerson who worked to achieve some sort of normality reassuring overseas allies that things would work out, but at the first NATO summit Trump refused to reaffirm Article 5 of the alliance, a portent of the future.
Reading this book was like reliving a nightmare, particularly the chapter dealing with Roy Cohn who mentored Trump in New York and whose playbook of “take-no-prisoners approach to business and politics would define the 45th president.” Trump admired Cohn’s underhanded ways and educated Trump into the “netherworld of sordid quid pro quos” that defined Cohn. The authors describe a president who was his own worst enemy as he pursued self-destructive policies. A case in point is firing FBI head , James Comey because he would not stop his investigation of Russia’s role in the 2016 election and pay fealty to Trump. Advisors begged him not to do it abruptly, if at all, but they could not control him and by doing so he obstructed justice by interfering in a federal investigation.
The authors put forth numerous examples of Trump’s self-destructive approach whether backing racist, incompetent candidates for office, condemning the American intelligence community in Helsinki in front of Vladimir Putin, his bromance with Kim Jong-un, withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, and of course his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. For Trump it was all about wielding power and promoting his support for autocrats worldwide – perhaps his own jealousy of the power employed by the likes of Putin, Orbán in Hungary and Erdogan in Turkey was the reason he wanted to create an image of the all-powerful ruler.
Baker and Glasser have the knack of integrating comments by important characters into their narrative which are shocking and at times bizarre. A good example is their discussion of Mike Pompeo’s quest to be Secretary of State. Using his perch at the CIA, Pompeo attached himself to Trump’s hip and finally was able to gain the appointment. According to one American ambassador who worked with Pompeo, he was “like a heat-seeking missile for Trump’s ass.” Another example pertains to the convoluted relationship with Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham. McCain, a war hero, despised Trump and could not get over the fact his close friend, Graham “sucked up to him.” The story has been told many times how McCain got even with Trump over the Obamacare vote and the exclusion of the president from the family funeral, however the account of Trump’s refusal to put federal flags at half staff after McCain’s death further reflects the depths of Trump’s inhumanity and insensitivity. Trump’s comments went public, “What the fuck are we doing that for? Guy was a fucking loser.” Trump would finally give in, but not before he stated to John Kelly, “I don’t know why you think all these people who get shot down are heroes but do what you want to do.” Perhaps one of the most demented remarks uttered by Trump to John Kelly as he grew tired of “his generals” taking principled stands against him; “You fucking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals…..Which generals?....The German generals in World War II.” This was the model he craved. Trump’s audacity knew no bounds, pressuring Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize! Baker and Glasser’s inclusion of conversations/arguments was priceless as Nancy Pelosi confronted Trump at their last meeting; “all roads lead to Putin, you gave Russia Ukraine and Syria.”
Perhaps the second important watershed period for Trump was following the 2018 congressional elections when the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives. According to Baker and Glasser, Trump felt liberated and believed he could move on and do what he saw fit. This would lead to the final firing of John Kelly as Chief of Staff and replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Bill Barr. Further he would replace Joe Dunford as head of the Joint Chiefs with Mark Milley and make it so intolerable that James Mattis would resign. Next, Mick Mulvaney became Chief of Staff, and his approach was simple and disastrous, “Let Trump be Trump.” This would become a disaster for democracy and the rule of law.
The dive into the Russia investigation is fascinating. It is clear that Putin worked to undermine Hillary Clinton’s run for the White House seeking and gaining revenge for her approach as Secretary of State dealing with Crimea and sanctions among other grievances. Baker and Glasser unearth many interesting aspects of the probe including the fact that White House Counsel Don McGahn was feeding the Mueller investigation a great deal of information and Mueller’s belief that he could not prove in a court of law a Trump-Russian conspiracy. However, they did believe that they could gain a conviction over obstruction of justice, but Justice Department protocols against indicting a sitting president disallowed such an action.
Baker and Glasser devote a considerable amount of attention to the conduct of American foreign policy under Trump. The dysfunction of the administration in the national security realm is on full display with the arrival of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and John Bolton as National Security advisor. Though both men had similar views theirs was a relationship that was bound to fail. Trump’s “love affair” with Kim Jung-un is well told as are the machinations within the White House, State and Defense Departments over policy.
By February 2019, Bolton began implementing his agenda by arranging the withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, one of the last remnants of Cold War agreements. Further he laid the groundwork to pull out of the Open Skies Treaty of 1992 and pushed Trump to quit the United Nations Human Rights Council. Bolton continued his onslaught by pushing for regime change in Venezuela replacing General Nicolas Maduro with opposition leader Juan Guaido. The initiative would fail no matter how hard Pompeo and Bolton pushed. If this was not enough Iran was clearly in their sights. In June 2019, the Iranians shot down an American drone over the Gulf of Hormuz. What followed was the usual Trumpian bluster resulting in the canceling of a major American response as Trump could not make up his mind. Throughout the infighting and dysfunction reflected an administration which was incompetent in the conduct of foreign policy.
Ukraine would reemerge as an issue as Rudy Giuliani convinced Trump that Ukraine had interfered with the 2016 election not Russia. This was another flashpoint for Trump because any questions surrounding Russian interference in the election delegitimized his victory in 2016 and his presidency. Baker and Glasser take the reader through attempts to blackmail Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky over American military and economic aid linking the Biden family to corruption in Ukraine, and the firing of American Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. This would culminate in the “perfect phone call” between Trump and Zelensky and the former president’s first impeachment trial which the authors carefully detail including the various personalities and why they pursued the course they did.
The result, by following the “Clinton playbook” from the nineties of deny, deny, deny worked well, despite the fact that Trump released a transcript of his phone conversation with Zelensky which was direct evidence of a quid pro quo in return for an investigation of the Bidens. For Trump foreign aid was a normal cudgel to be employed to get what he wanted from foreign leaders. He had done it with the Palestinians, Pakistan, Central American countries, and of course Ukraine. The fact it was illegal was immaterial, especially for Republicans.
The authors do not shy away from the successes of the Trump administration. They spend a good amount of time discussing Jared Kushner’s accomplishments in achieving the Abraham Accords that brought recognition by Arab states for Israel and left open the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining later. Kushner was able to take advantage of fears of Iran and disenchantment by certain Arab states with the Palestinians. The vaunted Trump tax cut that was geared toward the rich, the renegotiation of NAFTA, and a few other successes are detailed.
The Covid-19 crisis gets a fair hearing and a number of important points are presented. The Trump-Fauci falling out was due to the former president’s jealousy of Fauci’s popularity and his constant advice that Trump disagreed with. Though nothing discussed is new the emphasis on treating the pandemic in the context of his reelection and looking tough led to a further bifurcation of America culture over the use of masks, vaccines, and shut downs. Deborah Birx, the White House response coordinator has said there was little the United States could have done to prevent the first 100,000 deaths from Covid, but the next 900,000 certainly would have been much lower had the Trump administration followed a rational path. Trump’s lack of empathy for those who passed and his laser vision on reelection ultimately cost hundreds of thousands of American lives.
Baker and Glasser rehash the details of Trump’s election defeat, his refusal to concede, his war on election denials leading to the January 6th insurrection, and the final impeachments of Trump. Each issue is covered with the same detail and sourcing as other topics in the book and the ultimate conclusion is that as even certain Republicans and administration members stated, Trump was “crazy” and was destroying democracy. That may have been the case, but the Kevin McCarthys and Lindsay Grahams of the world found it easy to return to the good side of the Napoleon of Mara-la-go.
It is a credit to the authors that they manage to include the culture wars, corruption, demagogy, autocratic-love, palace intrigue and public tweets, the pandemic and impeachment in one well written volume. THE DIVIDER reconstructs all aspects of the Trump White House and the impact of decision-making and events. What is clear is that Trump may have left office in January, 2020 but his legacy of obstruction, promoting violence and hatred still plays out each day.
September 27, 2022
I’ve been a news junkie and follower of politics since childhood, so I expected to have heard of and know about the machinations of Donald J. Trump, yet experiencing their chronology from that walk down the gold escalator to the final impeachment hearings creates an overwhelming experience that both shocks and surprises. There’s not much new information here. What the book offers is a timeline, as well as information about the chaos and behind-the-scenes efforts to keep Trump’s wild plans in check. I found myself judging Mark Esper and others less harshly and had my disdain for Mark Meadows and others confirmed. Read or listen to the book as an exercise in learning history but not w/the expectation of revelations about Trump’s dysfunctional presidency.
July 26, 2024
I have once again decided to embark on a mission to read a number of books on subjects that will be of great importance to the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Election. This was a great success as I prepared for 2020, with an outcome at the polls (and antics by both candidates up to Inauguration Day) that only a fiction writer might have come up with at the time! Many of these will focus on actors and events intricately involved in the US political system over the last few years, in hopes that I can understand them better and, perhaps, educate others with the power to cast a ballot. I am, as always, open to serious recommendations from anyone who has a book I might like to include in the process.
With the events of July 21, 2024, when Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, the challenge has become harder to properly reflect the Democratic side. I will do the best I can to properly prepare and offer up books that can explore the Biden Administration, as well as whomever takes the helm into November.
This is Book #15 in my 2024 US Election Preparation Challenge.
In a piece that seeks to explore the entire arc of the Trump presidency, two esteemed journalists seek to piece the entire term together. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser explore Trump as he was, is, and likely ever will be in this tome, pulling no punches, but also amassing a number of key interviews to shed light on the man and how he ran the country. Their story is not new, as many of the anecdotes and vignettes have been reported many times before, but the exploration and support of their stories is key to showing that these were not ‘Deep State fabrications’, but rather the foundation by which the man lived and the way he handled running the country. What’s included may not shock too many, but it should act as a harbinger of what could be to come, should someone hand the keys over to this man once again.
There is no doubt that Donald Trump never expected to be president. His outlandish ways and ideas were never those of a man who thought that he would end up in the Oval Office, or that he would be able to control everything. However, as many around him have said, he did not want to be the predictable man. He never sought to rule the country in the traditional way. Rather, he wanted to break all the moulds and show America that he could govern by his own playbook. That this playbook would include cozying up to autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, while trying to mirror their styles, was surely in the hidden section.
Trump had his own way of doing things that never sought to align with others, nor did he ever feel as though he ought to try to open the doors to gain the largest possible group for support. Many will likely say that the Democrats were less than open to him as well, which cannot be denied. There was a sense of us versus them, not between parties, but rather with groups of Americans. As former President George W. Bush once said, “you’re either with us or against us,”, which is how Trump ran the country. He would gladly vilify those who were not in line with his views and use scare or bully tactics to ensure complete allegiance. Politicians, world leaders, segments of the populations... they all felt the wrath of Trump and this book is aptly named, as he sought to divide people to get his way.
The authors examine many examples of this, from the immigration policy that sought to keep Muslims out and children separated at the border, through to funds for a wall that would ensure that only the best and brightest made it across the border, and even fiscal policies that would ensure that those with significant funds never lost them. Trump wanted his base to love him and would do whatever was needed to show them tat he could be trusted, but do not stray too far or face his wrath. His most vicious rants wold come in 140 character Tweets, where he delivered not only news but fired people at will. To run a country through a social media platform seemed silly and almost fictional, yet it was happening on many occasions.
The authors explore some of his foreign policy situations throughout the term he served. Many baffle the modern reader as they see Trump aligning himself with those who might have helped put him in the Oval Office, writing oddly semi-amorous letters to one of the most ruthless dictators in the world, and mocking those he ought to have been closest to on the world stage. Trump did not care and would always do what suited him best, even when the American system took a hit for it. In the end, if it worked for Trump, others could learn to make it work for them too.
Trump found himself in hot water from the get-go. There were whispers that he was backed by the Russians in the 2016 election and that levers were being pulled from within. This led to a large probe in his activities, as Robert Mueller III explored his connections to Russia. The authors explore how things went and the limited scope they were given, with the end result spun or redacted in places. But Trump was also investigated twice by Congress and impeached for his actions. It was predominantly Democratic in his support, but one has to wonder if this was scare tactic to ensure Republicans fell into line. Many Trump supporters fell into line and called the actions unnecessary, though they chose to allow themselves to be lulled into a state of pacivity, then denied it when questioned.
Trump’s greatest downfall was the sentiment that the world did not love him. He appeared unable to accept that he would not be rather revered man that cold keep the country running and that the people would laud him, event after his first term. The 2020 election was anything but typical, marred by COVID-19’s outbreak and the new age thinking to ensure that as many Americans could safely vote. Trump planted the idea of conspiracy even before the ballots were cast, citing that if he were to lose, it would be due to fraud. Almost blanketing himself in the forcefield of what might happen and how to explain it away. While Trump led for part of the election night tallies, when all was said and done, he lost to Joe Biden, bit would not accept it. Fraudulent voting machines or stuffed ballots became to new mantra, as Trump was sure that there was no way he could actually lose the election fairly. For a man who chose to win on the sly four years before, this action was unnerving, but all in line with how Trump acted.
Refusing the cede the election became the theme of the last months of Trump’s time in office, but I was only the beginning. He would refuse to acknowledge the results and turned things into his own mantra of stolen elections, going so far as the concoct a means of ensuring that the change of power could not occur. The insurrections of January 6th, 2021, where Trump called on people to show their displeasure at their Capitol, as the election results were being finalized, turned into mayhem, something that Trump denies being a part of from the outset. He called on his supporters and politicians of his ilk to stop the count and to rein things in so that the true leader, Trump, could stay in power. Torn out of a page of his wn autocratic means of ruling, if ever there was one. Trump wanted less to do with democratic power than to hold onto control no matter what. The people saw it and many noticed a dictator who could not be stopped. Those who praised his actions had their reasons, though I have yet to find one who can justify events without turning sycophantic and denying their beloved Trump was involved at all.
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser offer up a stunning account of Trump’s White House and his years running the country. That Donald Trump left a stink on American democracy is clear, from his entry into the presidency through to its end. They sought not to depict him as a ruthless or clueless leader, but did not shy away when he showed those tendencies. In well-plotted chapters, Baker and Glasser offered up some strong arguments to show its how one-minded Trump could be accepting those who sought to praise him and vilifying anyone who would speak out against his views. This showed his divisive side and the narrative builds throughout, supported by many within his circle, to show just how he wanted things done. As the stink has lingered, America has been forced to shake itself off, though there remains tat lingering stench on the right. Will the country embrace it once more or turn to a new and exciting leader to try something new? That remains to be seen, though I am sure journalists will not have the same fodder when writing about the next four years, unless someone shuffles the deck and a new Trump card emerges.
Kudos, Mr. Baker and Madam Glasser, for this insightful book tat pulls no punches and offers some of the best documented proof of events as they happened.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
With the events of July 21, 2024, when Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, the challenge has become harder to properly reflect the Democratic side. I will do the best I can to properly prepare and offer up books that can explore the Biden Administration, as well as whomever takes the helm into November.
This is Book #15 in my 2024 US Election Preparation Challenge.
In a piece that seeks to explore the entire arc of the Trump presidency, two esteemed journalists seek to piece the entire term together. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser explore Trump as he was, is, and likely ever will be in this tome, pulling no punches, but also amassing a number of key interviews to shed light on the man and how he ran the country. Their story is not new, as many of the anecdotes and vignettes have been reported many times before, but the exploration and support of their stories is key to showing that these were not ‘Deep State fabrications’, but rather the foundation by which the man lived and the way he handled running the country. What’s included may not shock too many, but it should act as a harbinger of what could be to come, should someone hand the keys over to this man once again.
There is no doubt that Donald Trump never expected to be president. His outlandish ways and ideas were never those of a man who thought that he would end up in the Oval Office, or that he would be able to control everything. However, as many around him have said, he did not want to be the predictable man. He never sought to rule the country in the traditional way. Rather, he wanted to break all the moulds and show America that he could govern by his own playbook. That this playbook would include cozying up to autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, while trying to mirror their styles, was surely in the hidden section.
Trump had his own way of doing things that never sought to align with others, nor did he ever feel as though he ought to try to open the doors to gain the largest possible group for support. Many will likely say that the Democrats were less than open to him as well, which cannot be denied. There was a sense of us versus them, not between parties, but rather with groups of Americans. As former President George W. Bush once said, “you’re either with us or against us,”, which is how Trump ran the country. He would gladly vilify those who were not in line with his views and use scare or bully tactics to ensure complete allegiance. Politicians, world leaders, segments of the populations... they all felt the wrath of Trump and this book is aptly named, as he sought to divide people to get his way.
The authors examine many examples of this, from the immigration policy that sought to keep Muslims out and children separated at the border, through to funds for a wall that would ensure that only the best and brightest made it across the border, and even fiscal policies that would ensure that those with significant funds never lost them. Trump wanted his base to love him and would do whatever was needed to show them tat he could be trusted, but do not stray too far or face his wrath. His most vicious rants wold come in 140 character Tweets, where he delivered not only news but fired people at will. To run a country through a social media platform seemed silly and almost fictional, yet it was happening on many occasions.
The authors explore some of his foreign policy situations throughout the term he served. Many baffle the modern reader as they see Trump aligning himself with those who might have helped put him in the Oval Office, writing oddly semi-amorous letters to one of the most ruthless dictators in the world, and mocking those he ought to have been closest to on the world stage. Trump did not care and would always do what suited him best, even when the American system took a hit for it. In the end, if it worked for Trump, others could learn to make it work for them too.
Trump found himself in hot water from the get-go. There were whispers that he was backed by the Russians in the 2016 election and that levers were being pulled from within. This led to a large probe in his activities, as Robert Mueller III explored his connections to Russia. The authors explore how things went and the limited scope they were given, with the end result spun or redacted in places. But Trump was also investigated twice by Congress and impeached for his actions. It was predominantly Democratic in his support, but one has to wonder if this was scare tactic to ensure Republicans fell into line. Many Trump supporters fell into line and called the actions unnecessary, though they chose to allow themselves to be lulled into a state of pacivity, then denied it when questioned.
Trump’s greatest downfall was the sentiment that the world did not love him. He appeared unable to accept that he would not be rather revered man that cold keep the country running and that the people would laud him, event after his first term. The 2020 election was anything but typical, marred by COVID-19’s outbreak and the new age thinking to ensure that as many Americans could safely vote. Trump planted the idea of conspiracy even before the ballots were cast, citing that if he were to lose, it would be due to fraud. Almost blanketing himself in the forcefield of what might happen and how to explain it away. While Trump led for part of the election night tallies, when all was said and done, he lost to Joe Biden, bit would not accept it. Fraudulent voting machines or stuffed ballots became to new mantra, as Trump was sure that there was no way he could actually lose the election fairly. For a man who chose to win on the sly four years before, this action was unnerving, but all in line with how Trump acted.
Refusing the cede the election became the theme of the last months of Trump’s time in office, but I was only the beginning. He would refuse to acknowledge the results and turned things into his own mantra of stolen elections, going so far as the concoct a means of ensuring that the change of power could not occur. The insurrections of January 6th, 2021, where Trump called on people to show their displeasure at their Capitol, as the election results were being finalized, turned into mayhem, something that Trump denies being a part of from the outset. He called on his supporters and politicians of his ilk to stop the count and to rein things in so that the true leader, Trump, could stay in power. Torn out of a page of his wn autocratic means of ruling, if ever there was one. Trump wanted less to do with democratic power than to hold onto control no matter what. The people saw it and many noticed a dictator who could not be stopped. Those who praised his actions had their reasons, though I have yet to find one who can justify events without turning sycophantic and denying their beloved Trump was involved at all.
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser offer up a stunning account of Trump’s White House and his years running the country. That Donald Trump left a stink on American democracy is clear, from his entry into the presidency through to its end. They sought not to depict him as a ruthless or clueless leader, but did not shy away when he showed those tendencies. In well-plotted chapters, Baker and Glasser offered up some strong arguments to show its how one-minded Trump could be accepting those who sought to praise him and vilifying anyone who would speak out against his views. This showed his divisive side and the narrative builds throughout, supported by many within his circle, to show just how he wanted things done. As the stink has lingered, America has been forced to shake itself off, though there remains tat lingering stench on the right. Will the country embrace it once more or turn to a new and exciting leader to try something new? That remains to be seen, though I am sure journalists will not have the same fodder when writing about the next four years, unless someone shuffles the deck and a new Trump card emerges.
Kudos, Mr. Baker and Madam Glasser, for this insightful book tat pulls no punches and offers some of the best documented proof of events as they happened.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 20, 2022
Out of all the people Melania Trump could have said "You know I love you?" to, I'm astonished that (according to the authors) she said it to . . . Chris Christie.
This is a superb book. It's well sourced, convincing, and deeply interesting. The pages just flew by. And I don't understand why I read it. I lived through the Trump administration, and I've already read a ton of books about it. I've read books by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Jeffrey Toobin, Joshua Green, Michael Wolff, Michael Cohen, Mary Trump, and Rick Wilson. I read the Stephanie Grisham memoir. My goodness, that woman cared more about UFOs than about her DUIs. I read part of the Sarah Huckabee Sanders memoir. My goodness, for a woman who grew up in a governor's mansion, she's easily impressed by hamburgers and chandeliers. ANYWAY. There was no need to read another Trump-related book, and I did. I guess I still can't believe it happened? And I'm scared it will happen again.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is president, and he's led a fascinating life, and I have zero interest in reading even one book about him. And I haven't read anything by either Obama. Go figure.
This book is larded with insults, but this one may be my favorite: "After one too many entreaties from Sean Spicer, who served in the Navy Reserve, Mattis reportedly told him, 'Sean, I’ve killed people for a living. If you call me again, I’m going to fucking send you to Afghanistan. Are we clear?'"
This is a superb book. It's well sourced, convincing, and deeply interesting. The pages just flew by. And I don't understand why I read it. I lived through the Trump administration, and I've already read a ton of books about it. I've read books by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Jeffrey Toobin, Joshua Green, Michael Wolff, Michael Cohen, Mary Trump, and Rick Wilson. I read the Stephanie Grisham memoir. My goodness, that woman cared more about UFOs than about her DUIs. I read part of the Sarah Huckabee Sanders memoir. My goodness, for a woman who grew up in a governor's mansion, she's easily impressed by hamburgers and chandeliers. ANYWAY. There was no need to read another Trump-related book, and I did. I guess I still can't believe it happened? And I'm scared it will happen again.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is president, and he's led a fascinating life, and I have zero interest in reading even one book about him. And I haven't read anything by either Obama. Go figure.
This book is larded with insults, but this one may be my favorite: "After one too many entreaties from Sean Spicer, who served in the Navy Reserve, Mattis reportedly told him, 'Sean, I’ve killed people for a living. If you call me again, I’m going to fucking send you to Afghanistan. Are we clear?'"
November 22, 2022
The authors must really hate President Trump. Through cherry-picking they succeed in painting a very bad portrait. While President Trump has some severe personality flaws he was laser-focused on fulfilling his campaign promises. His remarkable success in fulfilling those promises, despite the unrelenting opposition of Democrats and the media, should be recognized, regardless of how one feels about said promises.
October 8, 2022
Husband and wife team Peter Baker and Susan Glass have written a definitive history of the Trump administration, which captures the chaos that made the years of Trump so utterly exhausting. The 45th president became embroiled in controversy early and often, beginning several years before he actually ran for office, and he remains embroiled almost two years after he left Washington early on Jan 20, 2021 to avoid looking like a loser . He lied exaggerated and misinformed throughout his time in the White House, starting with crowd size and ending with the Big Lie and the attempted coup. In between, Trump created chaos and ignored established norms and procedures to the detriment of policy and performance. His goal was to turn the United States into an autocracy and to upend virtually every established norm, treaty, and alliance. To this end, he insulted friendly world leaders, and threatened abrupt changes like instituting tariffs and travel bans, while praising and favoring authoritarian leaders like Putin, Orban, Bolsinaro, and the Middle Eastern dictators, MBS and MBZ. He announced he would pull out of Iran, Afghanistan and Syria, and would move the American Embassy to Jerusalem. He flirted with North Korea. Having gravely upset allied heads of state, he then moved on to abuse and vilify the people he had appointed to run his government, replacing heads of departments who kept him on a relatively tight leash with nonentities and incompetents who could not control him at all. After a while, he didn't even pretend to want Senate confirmation for many of his new hires. He fired a number of the inspector generals who enforce order in the departments, and replaced U.S. attorneys who represented a threat to his criminal activities or those of his friends.
He ran roughshod over presidential records requirements, stealing or losing (or perhaps flushing) papers, classified or unclassified. The incompetence of the Trump administration was evident in every misspelled memo, every transparent lie, every act of corruption, every leak of classified information, every mishandled emergency, real or imagined (think Covid, kids in cages, and the caravan). They got caught so often in lies and mistakes that it we were too distracted to noticed how Trump was changing the way our government functions. From his inaugural speech entitled "American Carnage" to his last operation against the government, which involved an armed insurrection, threats to election workers, judges, and elected officials, Trump has brought the United States to the brink of losing our democracy.
I think this will be a foundational book about the Trump era. If you only have time for one good book on this administration, this could be it.
He ran roughshod over presidential records requirements, stealing or losing (or perhaps flushing) papers, classified or unclassified. The incompetence of the Trump administration was evident in every misspelled memo, every transparent lie, every act of corruption, every leak of classified information, every mishandled emergency, real or imagined (think Covid, kids in cages, and the caravan). They got caught so often in lies and mistakes that it we were too distracted to noticed how Trump was changing the way our government functions. From his inaugural speech entitled "American Carnage" to his last operation against the government, which involved an armed insurrection, threats to election workers, judges, and elected officials, Trump has brought the United States to the brink of losing our democracy.
I think this will be a foundational book about the Trump era. If you only have time for one good book on this administration, this could be it.
January 7, 2023
So much coverage of the last administration which does reveal new reporting. Why do I keep reading about the rude, narcissistic buffon whose only concern is saving his own hide. Yet, there's one more on my iPad. So far, if I were to recommend one book on 45 of all that I've read, this would be the one since I feel it is the most complete.
September 5, 2023
We all know how we feel about the subject matter of the book, we don't need to be prodded and with that in mind I appreciated the authors' lack of snark and sarcasm in retelling the events of 2017-2021. The book is well constructed, the events flow smoothly and the material is well supported. I believe it's all very accurate.
Best audience might be decades away when the events are, hopefully, less raw. I had sworn off these kinds of books but was having a particularly bad day a few weeks ago and thought it would be the right book for the moment. It was.
Years ago I read Baker's excellent book about the Bush/Cheney administration Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House and was so impressed I felt he was worth revisiting.
Best audience might be decades away when the events are, hopefully, less raw. I had sworn off these kinds of books but was having a particularly bad day a few weeks ago and thought it would be the right book for the moment. It was.
Years ago I read Baker's excellent book about the Bush/Cheney administration Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House and was so impressed I felt he was worth revisiting.
October 2, 2022
The first full history of the Trump Administration. A solid read presenting the facts by reporters who covered all 4 years. Many reviews says it has an agenda and that’s likely true, however, the facts are what they are and they laid out and well-sourced. I recommend this to anyone wanting to slip further into the Trump Era.
Read
November 14, 2024Trump gave multiple interviews for this book as did hundreds of other Trump administration officials. This is probably more biased than the Bakers’ other work, but I wouldn’t say it’s partisan since the book was written based on pretty much totally Republican interviews.
November 5, 2022
I was a little shocked to realize that "The Divider: Trump in the White House 2017-2021" is the 10th book I've read in the last five years about you-know-who. My increased adult beverage consumption is probably just a coincidence. At least I've haven't started smoking. That said, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser's book is a well-written if depressingly comprehensive recounting of Trump's four-year reign of terror/error. Alienation of longtime U.S. allies while fawning over Vladimir Putin and other dictators? Check. Historically dysfunctional administration and dismantling of governmental norms? Check. Unhinged tweets? Check. Bungled handling of a pandemic? Check. Impeachment? Unprecedented attempt to overturn an election? Violent insurrection? Second impeachment? Check, check ... well, you get the idea. Hardly a fun read but a well-sourced and essential reminder of what's in store if the Sociopath-in-Chief and his minions ever regain power.
November 2, 2022
Like the NPR review said—even if you paid close attention during the Trump Presidency, it’s still a riveting read. (Who doesn’t like being a fly on the wall?)
I can’t help peeking at car wrecks *or* reading about this guy, but I finally felt satiated after reaching the last (652nd) page.
I can’t help peeking at car wrecks *or* reading about this guy, but I finally felt satiated after reaching the last (652nd) page.
December 6, 2022
Rather than the feel of the gossipy, headline-grabbing books of the Trump Era, this 650-page book is thoughtful, measured, and analytical. Reports the facts without grandiose assertions/assumptions. Plus, it has a real thesis behind it rather than jus serving as a tell-all.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
December 19, 2022
Right up there with the best accounts of the whole Trump insanity, with the benefit of having been written with the full picture to look at. Comprehensive, well sourced and well enough written to keep one engaged despite being exhaustingly familiar with most of the material.
October 11, 2022
Sad story of a dysfunctional man.
October 5, 2022
I read these books for insights into what our military leaders are/were thinking. I know many of these military leaders so to read about 3 stars vs 4 stars and all the thought processes in between is fascinating. Like all leaders - some military leaders broke my heart and some gave me hope.
November 14, 2023
Having unfortunately and inexplicably read over two dozen accounts of the Trump presidency, I think this is the only one a sane person would need to suffer through.
January 22, 2023
En der bør læses.
May 24, 2023
An extremely engaging and important book.
One of my main intellectual interests is the "cultural backlash" i.e. how globalization in the 2010s created a populist and authoritarian backlash which manifested itself in everything from Trump to Le Pen and Brexit. In that regard I have read multiple books on the structural factors that led to this backlash. However, I felt that I lacked an actor-oriented understanding. Who are the people that responded to this backlash and what did they do. This is where this book comes in.
In this book, husband and wife Peter Baker and Susan Glaser provide a comprehensive narrative overview of Trump's time in the White House. With an impressive amount of sources and informants, they provide a deep dive into the discussions and thought-processes that took place within the White House during seminal (and not so seminal) episodes of the Trump presidency. The core of their narrative is personnel. They focus on the persons Trump hired (and often quickly fired) and their relationship with the president and how they responded to and acted to key events during his presidency. Though not explicitly looking for patterns, some do emerge. The primary attribute Trump was looking for was loyalty, not competence, and loyalty meant supporting his policies and statements, no matter whether they were legal or not. Many employees were fired for lack of loyalty or resigned. Baker and Glaser portray the anguish of how many people wanted to resign their job, but felt forced to stay, fearing their replacement would be a complete yes-man/woman. Few could say directly "no" to Trump, but many of them believed they had the ability to steer the president (often mistakenly so).
Through the book, the authors trace the successes and failures (mostly failures) of the Trump presidency. What is made clear in this book is how ineffective Trump was as a president. His two main policy "successes", lowering the taxes and the Abraham-accords in the Middle East were done either by Congress or by Kushner, with little input from the President. Other than this, Trump enacted few policies and overall, fulfilled none of his campaign goals. Trump's claims of being the "most effective" president is not just hyperbole but outright lies (like so many other of the things he said).
All in all, a highly readable and important book. Usually, I am more interested in analytical books, especially those that look at structural factors and changes. This book is not that. The authors focus almost exclusively on the events and the persons in Trump's presidency, almost in the fashion of a chronicle. As far as they put it in a larger context, they focus on Trump's role as the "divider", creating and exploiting divisions in American society and also among the people with which he worked. Yet, the book is still highly interesting and an understanding of the actual events is crucial for deeper analysis and understanding. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Trump, his presidency or the broader forces and structures which he represents.
One of my main intellectual interests is the "cultural backlash" i.e. how globalization in the 2010s created a populist and authoritarian backlash which manifested itself in everything from Trump to Le Pen and Brexit. In that regard I have read multiple books on the structural factors that led to this backlash. However, I felt that I lacked an actor-oriented understanding. Who are the people that responded to this backlash and what did they do. This is where this book comes in.
In this book, husband and wife Peter Baker and Susan Glaser provide a comprehensive narrative overview of Trump's time in the White House. With an impressive amount of sources and informants, they provide a deep dive into the discussions and thought-processes that took place within the White House during seminal (and not so seminal) episodes of the Trump presidency. The core of their narrative is personnel. They focus on the persons Trump hired (and often quickly fired) and their relationship with the president and how they responded to and acted to key events during his presidency. Though not explicitly looking for patterns, some do emerge. The primary attribute Trump was looking for was loyalty, not competence, and loyalty meant supporting his policies and statements, no matter whether they were legal or not. Many employees were fired for lack of loyalty or resigned. Baker and Glaser portray the anguish of how many people wanted to resign their job, but felt forced to stay, fearing their replacement would be a complete yes-man/woman. Few could say directly "no" to Trump, but many of them believed they had the ability to steer the president (often mistakenly so).
Through the book, the authors trace the successes and failures (mostly failures) of the Trump presidency. What is made clear in this book is how ineffective Trump was as a president. His two main policy "successes", lowering the taxes and the Abraham-accords in the Middle East were done either by Congress or by Kushner, with little input from the President. Other than this, Trump enacted few policies and overall, fulfilled none of his campaign goals. Trump's claims of being the "most effective" president is not just hyperbole but outright lies (like so many other of the things he said).
All in all, a highly readable and important book. Usually, I am more interested in analytical books, especially those that look at structural factors and changes. This book is not that. The authors focus almost exclusively on the events and the persons in Trump's presidency, almost in the fashion of a chronicle. As far as they put it in a larger context, they focus on Trump's role as the "divider", creating and exploiting divisions in American society and also among the people with which he worked. Yet, the book is still highly interesting and an understanding of the actual events is crucial for deeper analysis and understanding. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Trump, his presidency or the broader forces and structures which he represents.
February 4, 2024
The sobering story of the Presidency of Donald Trump by those who were there. It’s exactly what you’d expect. A man who is only concerned with himself, continually empowered by the Republican Party.
December 26, 2022
This is a perfectly good book. Well written and full of details. I recommend it highly if you weren't obsessively listening to political podcasts, following pundits on twitter, or more relevantly, watching the Jan 6 hearings. Maybe you were sick of living it, or even believed in Trump, and you chose not to follow the details as it was happening. This book is for you. But at this point in the game, though the insider details can be interesting, they only serve to confirm what you already suspected...
*SPOILER ALERT*
...it was a chaotic, toxic administration, lacking morals, ethics, or effective leadership. Said leader's only concern was power, popularity, and personal gain and not even the most experienced advisors or inexperienced sycophants could rein him in.
*SPOILER ALERT*
...it was a chaotic, toxic administration, lacking morals, ethics, or effective leadership. Said leader's only concern was power, popularity, and personal gain and not even the most experienced advisors or inexperienced sycophants could rein him in.
January 1, 2024
Perhaps the best analysis of the Trump White House.
September 25, 2022
Terrific read. This will be the definitive chronicle of the tRump years with all of its shocking, reckless, grossly incompetence, and traitorous ending.
did-not-finish
October 15, 2022Going to have to finish at a later date, my library loan time came due and I'll have to wait again. Huge book, lots of great tidbits and trivia, but perhaps I'm trumped out?
October 10, 2022
For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com
The Divider: Trump in the White 2017 – 2021 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser is a comprehensive overview of President Donald J. Trump’s administration. Mr. Baker and Mrs. Glasser are journalists, and a happily married to each other.
The book is a compelling narrative of an administration steeped in non-stop scandal, much of it its own doing. Touching almost every headline generated from the oval office, and many generated about it. From the Muslim ban to the border wall, to the election and the attempt to overturn the results.
The book paints Trump as a President who thinks he knows everything. This is not unique to American Presidents. Teddy Roosevelt was known to preach to experts, Nixon of course thought he knew more than anyone, among others. The difference, as many knew at the time, is that President Trump was so convinced he knew everything better than everyone and simply refused to listen to other opinions. I’ve read several articles about why that is, but that is not relevant to this book.
We’ve heard this before: Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy. There’s nothing earth-shattering about the book, and I don’t know why some of the stories were included instead of policy discussion. And yet, this is a comprehensive, extremely well-researched, readable, and fascinating book.
The Divider Peter Baker and Susan Glasser does a good job, however, detailing how the GOP became the Party of Trump. Much like in Thank You for Your Servitude, it chronicles how party leaders just sat back and let Trump take it over, ideology be damned as long as there’s a win at the end of the election. The main beneficiary of this was Mitch McConnel’s agenda, but the price was high. A political party with no platform, agenda, or position other than “we stand with Trump”, as the 2020 RNC’s platform blatantly stated.
I do disagree with some of the assessments, for example:
“Trump seemed to believe that he could win again by replicating the polarizing strategy that worked in 2016, however much of a fluke its success has been.”
Was it really a fluke?
Divide and conquer has been a winning strategy for a long time, and has been honed to a fine science by Karl Rove. If anything, winning by inclusivity is a fluke.
The authors point out, over and over again, that Trump’s biggest foe was himself. His need for enemies, real or imagined, as well as pitting advisors and staff against one another, were the biggest obstacles. Jared Kushner, however, comes across as a competent administrator, who learned quickly how to manage his father-in-law (I am looking forward to reading his book at some point).
The most sobering aspect of this book was how many highly educated people in high office were willing to overturn an election, lie, and cheat because their side lost. As the authors point out, the threat to the United States is not only Trump but those willing to pick up his anti-Democratic mantle.
As the authors point out, a comprehensive, detailed account of the Trump administration has not been published. If history is any indicator, we have about two decades to wait.
If you’re leaning to the left, center, or right you’ll probably like this book. If you’re a MAGA Republican, probably not so much. However, it is packed with first-hand quotes, as well as great information, so I do feel that it has a lot of value.
The Divider: Trump in the White 2017 – 2021 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser is a comprehensive overview of President Donald J. Trump’s administration. Mr. Baker and Mrs. Glasser are journalists, and a happily married to each other.
The book is a compelling narrative of an administration steeped in non-stop scandal, much of it its own doing. Touching almost every headline generated from the oval office, and many generated about it. From the Muslim ban to the border wall, to the election and the attempt to overturn the results.
The book paints Trump as a President who thinks he knows everything. This is not unique to American Presidents. Teddy Roosevelt was known to preach to experts, Nixon of course thought he knew more than anyone, among others. The difference, as many knew at the time, is that President Trump was so convinced he knew everything better than everyone and simply refused to listen to other opinions. I’ve read several articles about why that is, but that is not relevant to this book.
We’ve heard this before: Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy. There’s nothing earth-shattering about the book, and I don’t know why some of the stories were included instead of policy discussion. And yet, this is a comprehensive, extremely well-researched, readable, and fascinating book.
The Divider Peter Baker and Susan Glasser does a good job, however, detailing how the GOP became the Party of Trump. Much like in Thank You for Your Servitude, it chronicles how party leaders just sat back and let Trump take it over, ideology be damned as long as there’s a win at the end of the election. The main beneficiary of this was Mitch McConnel’s agenda, but the price was high. A political party with no platform, agenda, or position other than “we stand with Trump”, as the 2020 RNC’s platform blatantly stated.
I do disagree with some of the assessments, for example:
“Trump seemed to believe that he could win again by replicating the polarizing strategy that worked in 2016, however much of a fluke its success has been.”
Was it really a fluke?
Divide and conquer has been a winning strategy for a long time, and has been honed to a fine science by Karl Rove. If anything, winning by inclusivity is a fluke.
The authors point out, over and over again, that Trump’s biggest foe was himself. His need for enemies, real or imagined, as well as pitting advisors and staff against one another, were the biggest obstacles. Jared Kushner, however, comes across as a competent administrator, who learned quickly how to manage his father-in-law (I am looking forward to reading his book at some point).
The most sobering aspect of this book was how many highly educated people in high office were willing to overturn an election, lie, and cheat because their side lost. As the authors point out, the threat to the United States is not only Trump but those willing to pick up his anti-Democratic mantle.
As the authors point out, a comprehensive, detailed account of the Trump administration has not been published. If history is any indicator, we have about two decades to wait.
If you’re leaning to the left, center, or right you’ll probably like this book. If you’re a MAGA Republican, probably not so much. However, it is packed with first-hand quotes, as well as great information, so I do feel that it has a lot of value.
February 28, 2023
Another reviewer said they keep reading these book, and it's like picking at a wound. I so get that. I have an entire shelf here of #IndividualOne books...I've read 45 -- 46 with this one. Do I aim to get to that round number, or put this time in our history to bed finally? If I do decide to stop, this is the book to stop with.
I was telling my walking buddy that this was the best-researched of any of my Trump books...she replied, "Well, you should certainly be the one to know that!" Ha. Truth.
It appears that Baker and Glasser (husband and wife journalists) sat back and waited...observed, read, researched. They obviously read many of the books about this time. They conducted interviews...but only two with Trump. They managed to make this book more about the chaos he created than the man himself. And that point of view gave, to me, a new story. The hubris of all the career folks who assumed they could 'manage' this man...that they could be the adults in the room, give him context, rationally explain. Yeah, right. He ran roughshod over them all. He encouraged infighting and back-biting. He loved watching people argue...he relished conflict.
He ran off all the adults in the room. He outlasted them all. At the end, people were just trying to control the damage, and they did it poorly. There are new stories...funny, outrageous, juicy stories. But that is not the focus.
Ukraine ran thru this administration like a thread, from the very beginning...since before election, with Manafort. Russia ran thru this administration like a thread...from the very beginning. Baker and Glasser pull those threads and show us how close we came.
They go behind the scenes of the two (count 'em, two) impeachments...the strategy, the conflicts, the goals. A draft of the second impeachment was written on JANUARY 6 at 10pm! They were ready.
The last days and the horrors, the questions, the tensions, was reliving the fear we all had of a civil war led by a toddler-man who was mad because his plaything had been ripped from him. He was told, time and again, but he chose to listen to those who wanted to give him back his toy.
No one is coming to save us. Not Mueller, not the impeachment teams. Not GA, not NY. He may never be held accountable by anyone but the voters.
The starkest line in the book, full of warnings and close-calls, is this: "Even if he were not to run again, he would leave behind a Republican Party reborn in his image." If he returns to the White House, there will be no guardrails...he will take control of all the levers of power, not out of political strategy, but out of cunning and revenge. But it matters little, because we have more Trumpists to deal with, several sniffing around for their chance to run.
I was telling my walking buddy that this was the best-researched of any of my Trump books...she replied, "Well, you should certainly be the one to know that!" Ha. Truth.
It appears that Baker and Glasser (husband and wife journalists) sat back and waited...observed, read, researched. They obviously read many of the books about this time. They conducted interviews...but only two with Trump. They managed to make this book more about the chaos he created than the man himself. And that point of view gave, to me, a new story. The hubris of all the career folks who assumed they could 'manage' this man...that they could be the adults in the room, give him context, rationally explain. Yeah, right. He ran roughshod over them all. He encouraged infighting and back-biting. He loved watching people argue...he relished conflict.
He ran off all the adults in the room. He outlasted them all. At the end, people were just trying to control the damage, and they did it poorly. There are new stories...funny, outrageous, juicy stories. But that is not the focus.
Ukraine ran thru this administration like a thread, from the very beginning...since before election, with Manafort. Russia ran thru this administration like a thread...from the very beginning. Baker and Glasser pull those threads and show us how close we came.
They go behind the scenes of the two (count 'em, two) impeachments...the strategy, the conflicts, the goals. A draft of the second impeachment was written on JANUARY 6 at 10pm! They were ready.
The last days and the horrors, the questions, the tensions, was reliving the fear we all had of a civil war led by a toddler-man who was mad because his plaything had been ripped from him. He was told, time and again, but he chose to listen to those who wanted to give him back his toy.
No one is coming to save us. Not Mueller, not the impeachment teams. Not GA, not NY. He may never be held accountable by anyone but the voters.
The starkest line in the book, full of warnings and close-calls, is this: "Even if he were not to run again, he would leave behind a Republican Party reborn in his image." If he returns to the White House, there will be no guardrails...he will take control of all the levers of power, not out of political strategy, but out of cunning and revenge. But it matters little, because we have more Trumpists to deal with, several sniffing around for their chance to run.
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