I admire Katy Tur’s honesty and her persistent reporting of the facts despite being attacked as spreading “Fake News.” For over 500 days, Katy Tur covered the Trump Campaign. She filed over 3,800 live reports from 40 states and countless Trump rallies during the 2016 Election season. Katy Tur knows Trump better than most reporters. On Election Night, when Florida was called for Trump essentially sealing the victory for President, Katy Tur thinks, “They [the American voters] decided that this menacing, indecent, post-truth landscape is where they want to live for the next four years.” (p. 4)
Initially, Katy Tur figured she would be covering the Trump Campaign for about six weeks. No one took Trump seriously at the beginning. But before too long, Tur realized that something strange was happening. Following the wild debates, the ups and downs of the primaries, and Comey Factor, Katy Tur predicted Donald Trump would win the Election. “The Trump campaign was the most unlikely, exciting, ugly, trying, and all-around bizarre campaign in American History. It roiled American and with it, my little life. I won’t pretend to explain it. I will tell you what I saw.” (p. 6)
Katy Tur saw plenty and it’s all here between the covers. Journalism is just the first draft of History. This first draft reveals and highlights the events that brought us to this sad place. Did you think Trump would win? GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
AUTHOR’S NOTE xi
Prologue 1
1. “Katy Hasn’t Even Looked Up Once at Me.” 7
2. “You’ll Never Be President!” 21
3. “I Had to Grab Katy and Kiss Her.” 41
4. “She’s Back There, Little Katy.” 63
5. “Katy, It’s Donald.” 89
6. “Find That Asshole Tur!” 109
7. “Pop the Trunk. I’m Going to Run for It.” 131
8. “Look at Those Hands. Are They Small Hands?” 143
9. “Be Quiet. I Know You Want to, You Know, Save Her.” 169
10. “Donald Trump Doesn’t Lose.” 197
11. “Grab’em by the Pussy.” 219
12. “There Something Happening, Katy.” 255
Epilogue 283
Acknowledgements 287
George, as an ex-journalist I’d probably read this book. As a spectator from the other side of the globe, probably not. I keenly followed the campaign thinking Clinton’s win was a foregone conclusion. Now I read about Trump’s repulsive and deplorable behaviour, if only because I like to keep track of current and political events.
Prashant, Katy Tur shares what it’s like to be a journalist in the 21st Century. There’s a fair amount of journalistic trade-craft on display in this book. I’m sure you would enjoy it.
I work with a black teacher who kept telling me Trump was going to win. She basically told me I was naive enough to discount the level of visceral racism in our country. And she was so right! It was impossible for me to believe that Trump would win. A failure of imagination on my part. But, then again, almost forty years after the fact, I still find it hard to believe we elected Ronald Reagan.
Deb, I was shocked when Bush beat Gore in 2000. And look what we got for the next 8 years: 911, the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the collapse of the Economy.
I bet about a million more books by journalists covering the campaign will surface. But the best ever was THE BOYS ON THE BUS. Nice piece in THE NEW YORKER about Hillary.
Patti, I loved THE BOYS ON THE BUS! But I loved Hunter Thompson’s FEAR & LOATHING ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL even more.
The chapter titles are enough to see the progression of what happened on the campaign and should be a warning to what’s happening in this country. Freedom of the press is one of the most basic rights and one of the most essential. The turd’s constant cry of fake news has turned this country upside down. I remember feeling that Hillary wasn’t a shoe in, and was concerned about the outcome. (Election night, I went to dinner with some friends and we walked by a bar that had a view to a tv screen showing a big lead for HRC. When I got home, and checked the results, the lead had diminished, and I woke up to Hell on earth. Tur lived thru it and had a ringside seat to the insanity. I’m not a fan of HRC, but couldn’t vote any other way. I think if all those people whose “conscience” hadn’t let them vote for her had voted for her, we would be living in a much better place, not facing war with NoKorea.
I feel right now people are complacent about the latest attack on the ACA. I don’t trust Rand Paul to vote against it, and feel Murkowski must be encouraged to again vote against it, despite the gop giving more $$ to AK.
Maggie, the Russians, Comey, and the Right Wing Conservative media poisoned Hillary’s chances. Katy Tur presents the decent into political Hell chapter by chapter.
It wasn’t just thw right wing media. MSNBC, the Times and the Washington Post hammered on the emails as if she committed treason. Michael Schmitt of the Times has been doing terrific investigative journalism about Trump and all his sleazy people, but he was vicious towards Hillary and the emails.
Jackie
I don’t think any of us really thought he would win, especially New Yorkers who have seen his antics up close for decades. It is a sad, sad thing but it really shows you where a vocal minority of this country is today. (Roy Moore is only the latest example.)
I agree on the Crouse and Thompson books. I started out on the MAKING OF THE PRESIDENT books, but these days, I just do NOT want to relive this by reading any book about 2016. It’s tough enough living through this sh!t.
PS – Totally agree with Deb! I remember coming home from London in 1980 and overhearing a discussion between an expatriate coming home for a visit and a Reagan supporter. I remember thinking, “You have got to be kidding. Reagan?” But then, I also remember the nightmare of 1968.
I miss the old days, as Bill would say, but not those old days.
Jeff, I knew Carter would lose when that rescue mission to Iran failed.
What Jeff said: “these days, I just do NOT want to relive this by reading any book about 2016. It’s tough enough living through this sh!t.”
Plus, watching the Vietnam War film by Ken Burns, it’s tough to go through all that B.S. again, too.
It is, but I think they did a really good job.
Jeff, I agree. VIETNAM is a great documentary series. So many lies, so many mistakes, so much tragedy!
Rick, I completely agree with you on Ken Burns’s VIETNAM. I watched a few episodes, but it was painful
Two more nights to go. You’re right, they are doing a really good job. I remember most of it, and certainly all of the music, but I’m learning a lot that I didn’t know or that was kept from the public at the time.
Rick, the Vietnam War began the erosion of public trust in our Government.
As students in the 60s we were so angry about the US government – I remember a demonstration where we chanted:
hey, hey, LBJ – how many kids did you kill today?
But our “Christian” government wasn’t much better – and the the Social Democrats under Willy Brandt won the elections and we were happy!
Re Trump I don’t know what to say – never expected this!
Wolf, I was part of the student protests against the Vietnam war in the late 1960s. Trust with the Government was broken. A great deal has been lost because of lies and deception. Trump takes distrust to a new level!