Disappointment is not sufficient in describing how I felt reading this book.
I became aware of this book after it blew up in the media after some segments of the book were released early. It was the first book on the Trump administration from the inside. There was such a frenzy for this book I had to wait several weeks to get my hands on it because it was sold out everywhere.
I certainly had some preconceived notions before reading the book. I wasn't a fan of Trumps personality, governing style, or policy views, so of course a book that appeared critical of him peaked my interest. I also was curious if media accounts/leaks from random sources were true. Media often sensationalizes trivial things and by all reports, reality inside the White House couldn't be that chaotic.
To my disappointment, it was worse then what I could've imagined. There were many a time I had to reread a passage and rub my forehead in disbelief at the utter ineptitude of the president, his staff, and the game of thrones like power struggle to hold the presidents ear.
But, it is important to be critical of a book like this, especially when the administration says the book is "full of lies" and a "complete fabrication of fiction". So, the author
Michael Wolff
- Lifelong author and journalist with multiple books published
- Has received multiple journalism awards (one involving coverage of the Persian Gulf War and Iraq Wars)
- Wrote a book, The Man Who Owns the News about Rupuert Murdoch. (Conservative Media Giant). The book includes 50 hours of interviews with Murdoch and extensive access to his business.
- Was granted access to the White House by President Trump to document the administration and his presence was continually signed off by Steve Bannon. Was a "fly on the wall" for over 100 days.
From the very beginning Wolff acknowledges how difficult it was to document this White House and how he came to decide what was included in the book. "There were always at least 2 versions to every story and many times more. Each person lived in their own reality so it was very difficult to decipher the truth. Based on a variety of information I had in front of me, I had to sometimes decide which version of the truth was closer to reality and sometimes I presented both and let the reader decide".
Skeptics will say, "well he could still just make everything up". Well, he has audio and video recording of many interviews he conducted during his time in the administration, so anyone who refutes something specifically he can go back and prove he was telling the truth.
He talks about how surprised he was people talked to him. "Advisers and staff just approached me out of nowhere and disclosed/vented to me. I was the White House therapist, listening to all there grips and the stress/chaos that was working for Trump.
Administration Response
The Trump administration predictably responded angrily to the publishing of the book. They tried to induce a gag order, but this had no legal basis. They then took to trying to discredit Micheal Wolff and saying it was "all lies". This should be laughable to anyone with a brain because if they were lies, they could specifically say, "no this event didn't happen, or I didn't say that" and if they were right, Wolff's credibility would be called into question. And he couldn't forge the recordings.But they didn't because Wolff had recordings, so he could easily prove them lying and keep them honest. Yet, Trump supporters just blindly took the administrations word as a media conspiracy.
It's important to relate this to your daily life. If someone wrote a book about your work and had absolutely salacious and disturbing content in it, say "Everyone I talked to said he was completely ill suited for the job and completely incompetent. That his temperament was that of a child, he didn't read, didn't learn, didn't care and everyday was a full blown effort to keep him in control and protect the nation". Now, you would say, "they didn't say that, prove it". Then said author produced the recordings and caught you in a humiliating lie. If it was a lie, and the author couldn't prove it, then the writings and claims are suspect.
Points of fault
- Even though much of the information in this book I determine to be either entirely true or mostly true, there is still a bias based on who talked to him. There was a lot of Steve Bannon in this book and likely so, because he talked to Wolff the most. Many of the events are through that lens and not through the lens of say, Jared Kushner.
Summary
It chronicles Trumps campaign, the transition and a little over the first three months of the presidency. Michael Wolff wasn't present during those first two phases so he relied on interviews with Trump staff that was present during that period. It was incredible to read how no one except Steve Bannon had any belief they would win and how Trump and everyone else was already planning their next move. Trump wanted to use this as a publicity stunt to launch a TV or media show/company.
It moves onto the transition and then the presidency.
I won't even attempt a summary of how this book portrays Trump. It isn't even how he is portrayed, it is how he is. How he makes decisions, what information he bases it on, and the only things that matter to him.
I won't spend too much time on the summary, because people need to read this book for themselves and understand......how scary it is that this man is leading. This book will leave you utterly bewildered and disgusted.
It's stranger then fiction. This is a must read 5/5. If you are a Trump supporter, you can chose to read information conflicting with your point of view or you can continue to ignorant.
I will be putting my mind where my mouth is, as the next book I am reading is Killing the Deep State The Fight to Save President Trump.