Cliff Sims, former Special Assistant to the President, worked in the hellhole that is the Trump White House for a year and a half–an eternity by current Trump HR standards. Sims writes, “Lincoln famously had his Team of Rivals. Trump had his Team of Vipers. We served. We fought. We brought our egos. We brought out personal agendas and vendettas. We were ruthless. And some of us, I assume, were good people.”
This is another insider’s story of Life inside the Trump White House with its daily chaos, treachery, and deceit. I found it sad and depressing. So much time and energy is being wasted with one clique warring against another clique in the West Wing. Staff pursues personal interests and ignore growing national problems. Meanwhile, the country–and the world–seems to be spiraling out of control. American leadership in International Affairs is nowhere to be found. Terrorists and crazies are emboldened by the Power Vacuum. From the grim picture of the Trump White House that Cliff Sims presents, we’ll be cleaning up this mess for decades. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
AUTHOR’S NOTE xiii
Introduction: Election Night xiii
1. Slow Climb Aboard the Trump Train 1
2. The Deplorables 15
3. Fight or Flight 33
4. Size Matters 51
5. Early Days in the “Dump” 67
6. Twenty-one Days on Top of the World 91
7. The Professionals 107
8. Killers 126
9. The Mooch Is Loose 147
10. Better Angels 178
11. A Tale of Two Generals 204
12. Cut Cut Cut 227
13. Frenemies of the People 358
14. Black Eyes and Broken Glass 283
15. Disposable 307
Epilogue: Outside the Bubble 339
Acknowledgements 345
Index 347
“Some of us, I assume, were good people.”
…And I stopped reading right there.
Deb, Cliff Sims makes no secret of his admiration of Trump. But he does dislike most of the people in the White House.
It is sad and depressing, as is the total abdication of the Republican Party to any sense of self or history or supposed beliefs and standards.
I’ve seen this guy on television and have no intention of reading his book. He kept working for (and sucking up to) Trump for a year and a half, gathered enough material for a book, then moved on.
Jeff, I’m not a fan of Cliff Sims, either. Like most of the people who work in the Trump White House, Sims worked the System to his advantage. The Republicans have gone to the Dark Side.
I’ve reached the point where the only thing I’d be willing to read about Trump is an account of how he was removed from the White House.
Michael, I have hopes that the 2020 Election might remove Trump from the White House. But, with the Russians and Chinese and who knows who else helping Trump and his “base,” Trump could win again.
Waste of time.
Rick, I’m always interested in the “behind the scenes” stories of the White House, no matter who’s in it. TEAM OF VIPERS describes the in-fighting and backstabbing of the Trump staff. What a terrible work environment! No wonder there’s so much turnover!
A lifelong scam artist who idolizes tyrants . . . . advisors drawn from the scariest burrows of the far right . . . a sycophantic party weaned for the past half-century on Agnew, Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Fox News, Limbaugh, Paul Manifort, and Roger Stone . . . hey, what could possibly go wrong?
Fred, your analysis is right on the money!
Let’s get back to the days of honorable conduct and putting the country first, like it was during the Clinton years! Pffft! I can’t even type it with a straight face!
Bob, our country lacks leaders with honor and love of country. Greed rules!