What better way to celebrate PRESIDENTS’ DAY than to read a book about our current President, Donald J. Trump. And who better to report on the chaos in the White House than Washington Post national investigative reporter Carol Leonnig and White House bureau chief Philip Rucker, both Pulitzer Prize winners. Beyond the daily chaos of scandal, investigation, Impeachment, and constant lies, Rucker and Leonnig present a President bent on perpetuation of his own power, even when it means imperiling our Democracy.
From the early days of the Trump Administration through the Mueller Investigation to the run-up to Impeachment, A Very Stable Genius delivers a portrait of a man unhinged–the very opposite of a very stable genius. Readers of this book will come away with a wealth of inside information–Rucker and Leonnig somehow accessed key insiders who are terrified about what Trump might do next–and insight into the plans for the 2020 Election. Could our country survive another four years of this madness? Will Trump win again? Check out the Presidential ad below. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Authors’ Note xi
Prologue — 1
PART ONE
1. Building blocks — 11
2. Paranoia and pandemonium — 25
3. The road to obstruction — 19
4. A fateful firing — 52
5. The G-Man cometh — 66
PART TWO
6. Suiting up for battle — 81
7. Impeding justice — 95
8. A cover-up — 109
9. Shocking the conscience — 129
10. Unhinged — 147
11. Winging it — 162
PART THREE
12. Spygate — 183
13. Breakdown — 198
14. One-man firing squad — 211
15. Congratulating Putin — 225
16. A chilling raid — 236
PART FOUR
17. Hand grenade diplomacy — 257
18. The resistance within — 278
19. Scare-a-thon — 294
20. An ornery diplomat — 316
21. Gut over brains — 328
PART FIVE
22. Axis of enablers — 349
23. Loyalty and truth — 366
24. The report — 380
25. The show goes on — 395
EPILOGUE 412
Acknowledgements 419
Notes 427
Index 443
Reading anything about Trump would just make me madder. So I’ll pass. On the last Bill Maher show it was mentioned that Bloomberg has hired a specialist in narcissism and a comedy writer to create comments that will push Trump’s buttons. Great ad.
Steve, I thought that Presidential ad was classic. What a difference between former Presidents…and Trump!
George, I’d read this book because it’s written by two seasoned journalists and not because it’s about the man currently occupying the White House or that he could continue living there for another four years. The writing style would be of interest to me as well. I have always wondered how so much power can be vested in one individual. I don’t think any executive head of a democratic country wields that kind of power and authority as the US president does. It is scary.
Prashant, Lord Acton wrote: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.” The U.S. is experiencing a rise in corruption, abuse of power, and lawlessness. Our Democracy is under siege.
As John says repeatedly, Trump isn’t the problem—he’s the symptom— the problem is the people who follow him with slavish and uncritical devotion. It’s almost as if an American political party and its media apparatus spent forty years crafting an anti-government message full of racist/misogynistic/homophobic dog-whistles and then found the candidate willing to dial it up to beyond 11. But that would never happen, right?
I have a copy of this and hope to get to it soon. That Bloomberg commercial is great, and it points toward the nostalgia I’ve felt throughout the Trump administration for the time when I could go for days, even a week or so, without even thinking about who was president. That’s certainly no longer possible. I don’t know what’s more depressing–having a Fascist gangster in the White House or the 40+ percent of Americans who support him.
Michael, both conditions–the gangster and the 40% voter base–are necessary to produce the horrors our country finds itself facing daily. The Democrats don’t seem to understand the threats they face if Trump wins another four years.
Deb, John’s right that the conditions that brought Trump to power were years in the making. But now we’re facing another four years of an vengeful Trump who will want to settle scores. What a nightmare!
Yeah, but he is the problem too. So is Mitch McConnell, who held up Obama’s judges (up to the Supreme Court) and is shoveling the trash through right now. And the Senate Republicans need to be wiped off the face of the political Earth.
another problem is the dems attacking each other. I got out of the D party years ago. I just with they would put their egos aside and realize they are just
giving the IMPOTENT IMPOTUS ammunition to use against who ever gets the nom.
I have to confess that when I saw Donald’s first tweets i thought wtf is going on!
Doesn’t he have any advisors which look at that stuff before it goes out to several hundred million people?
Here in Europe most people are unsure what to think (or not to think …) and laughing.
Though we know of course that he’s a real danger for world peace. That he doesn’t like the European Union and his partners in NATO
but kind of adores Putin is really strange …
Wolf, anyone who had any influence over Trump and what he does is long gone from the White House. All that there are left are yes men.
Wolf, Trump loves dictators like Putin.
I loved when they asked Bloomberg about the fight between billionaires, and his answer was, “Who’s the other one?”
Clearly he is under Trump’s skin already, and should he get the nomination – a lot less unlikely than it was a few weeks ago – he will drive him up the wall.
The people who are attacking Bloomberg the most, either on his “buying” the election or Stop & Frisk – are clearly mostly Bernie supporters. If Bernie should somehow get the nomination – and who doesn’t want a 78 year old self-described Socialist who just had a heart attack? – Trump will have a Johnson/Nixon/Reagan style landslide.
Jeff, the Wall Street Journal estimates that if Bernie is the Democratic Presidential Candidate, he will lose 44 states.
And if he doesn’t get the nom, his supporters will do what they did in 2016 – stay home. The Dems need to also put country before party/selves (something the GOP didn’t do)
My favorite is Mayor Pete, but I will vote for whoever gets the dem. nomination I just sincerely hope it’s not Bernie or Warren I don’t think the bible belt will vote for Pete, but then they don’t have a problem with #45 and his sins, as long as he attacks abortions and immigrants. I am sure he paid for abortions (or his parents did) for himself and his sons, and wish those women would go public.
Why do the Dems have mainly old men as candidates, they’re obviously handicapped. (I know, I’m over 75 too …)
Pete Buttigieg is really refreshing – I never thought he would make it this far, wish him the best!
But when I read about the latest stupidities of Donald I feel ashamed that he’s of German descent …
Not with a ten foot pole.
Rick, the details of Trump’s transgressions fill A VERY STABLE GENIUS. Scary stuff.
The Democrats should have mobilized on November 9, 2016, with a clear, concerted strategy to regain the White House in 2020. Given that now we’re only months out from the election with a slate of unelectable contenders still devouring each other, we’re probably doomed. That isn’t even taking into account Putin’s state-supported SPECTRE network of computer hackers and AgitProp specialists.
Doomed is probably the right word, Fred. It’s a sad, scary, depressing situation.
Fred. the Democrats (and most Americans) have consistently underestimated Trump. Trump’s Super Power is the ability to Get-Away-With-Stuff no other politician can. Of course Putin and the Russians will interfere again in our Presidential Election. So will China, North Korea, and Iran. Our cyber defenses are pathetic.
That orange son of a bitch makes me yearn for the days of George W.
Jerry, plenty of us can agree with that statement!
Heh-heh-heh!