The method to the madness : Donald Trump's ascent as told by those who were hired, fired, inspired--and inaugurated

Title:

Author:

Salkin, Allen, author.

ISBN:

9781250202802

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

xviii, 329 pages ; 25 cm.

Contents:

Part one: Reformed: 1999-2000 : at a crossroads, Trump test-markets Trump the political brand. Introduction: Yes, there is a method ; Tipster ; The tough and tireless Roger Stone ; Ross for boss ; The America we deserve ; The Trump RV ; Standing Pat ; I pledge I will not rename the White House ; The unreformed -- Part two: Playing the part: 2000-2010 : Trump finds a TV persona, sharpens his skills at attacking rivals, and grows in national stature. C.E.O. ; Bound for glory ; The N-word ; Trump ascendant ; Wolfgang does not have any recollection ; Below the belt ; Staying tuned -- Part three: Settling on a political voice: 2010-2013 : Trump builds a political team and slowly learns the power of social media. Creating a brain trust ; A party Trump likes the sound of ; Born in the USA ; Roasted ; The twitterer ; Remaining a player -- Part four: The race before the race: 2013-2014 : a productive detour onto the gubernatorial trail in New York. Sitting on the hood of a car ; Selling Trump to Trump ; Like a hurricane ; An enlightening distraction ; Staying sharp ; Flannel shirt -- Part five: To the escalator: 2014-2015 : A popularist politician emerges. Outwit, outplay, outlast ; Team of apprenti ; How the wall got built ; The announcement -- Epilogue: The centre cannot hold.

Personal Subject:

Trump, Donald, 1946-

Trump, Donald, 1946--Friends and associates.

Subject Term:

Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 2016.

Businessmen -- United States -- Biography.

Real estate developers -- United States -- Biography.

Television personalities -- United States -- Biography.

Billionaires -- United States -- Biography.

Presidents -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Politics and government -- 2017-2021

Genre:

Biographies

Added Author:

Short, Aaron (Journalist),

Summary:

To his critics, Donald Trump is an impulsive, undisciplined crackpot who accidentally lucked into the presidency. But in The Method to the Madness, reporters Allen Salkin and Aaron Short reveal that nothing could be further from the truth. This objective, nonpartisan oral history shows that Trump had carefully planned his bid for the presidency since he launched what many considered to be a joke candidacy in 1999. Between 2000 and 2015, when he announced his candidacy in the lobby of Trump Tower, Donald Trump identified an unserved political constituency, crafted a persuasive message that appealed to their needs, and learned how deliver it effectively, despite intense media opposition. Through candid conversations with more than 100 subjects close to the President, Salkin and Short make the case that Donald Trump's ostensibly erratic approach to politics is consistent with his carefully honed personal and professional style of information gathering, opinion seed-planting, and conclusion sharing. His business, media, and political dealings from this era serve as a guide for understanding the man, his mind-set, and his every action. The Method to the Madness brings readers into the private rooms where decisions are made, confidences are broken, strong words fly, and not all eyewitnesses see the same scene in quite the same way. --

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	973.933 SAL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	973.933 SAL	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A Rosetta Stone for understanding Donald Trump's style, mindset, and every action, made up of over one hundred interviews with his closest associates and adversaries over the last 15 years.

To his critics, Donald Trump is an impulsive, undisciplined crackpot who accidentally lucked into the presidency. But in The Method to the Madness, reporters Allen Salkin and Aaron Short reveal that nothing could be further from the truth. This objective, nonpartisan oral history shows that Trump had carefully planned his bid for the presidency since he launched what many considered to be a joke candidacy in 1999.

Between 2000 and 2015, when he announced his candidacy in the lobby of Trump Tower, he was able to identify an unserved political constituency, hone a persuasive message that appealed to their needs, and deliver it effectively, despite intense media opposition.

Through candid conversations with more than 100 subjects close to the President, Salkin and Short make the case that Donald Trump's ostensibly erratic approach to politics is consistent with his carefully honed personal and professional style of information gathering, opinion seed-planting, and conclusion sharing. His business, media, and political dealings from this era serve as a guide for understanding the man, his mindset, and his every action.

The Method to the Madness is an accessible and unbiased oral history that brings readers into the private rooms where decisions are made, confidences are broken, strong words fly, and not all eye-witnesses see the same scene in quite the same way. Full of scoops both large and small, this is the first book to bring Trump, the politician, into focus.

Author Notes

ALLEN SALKIN has reported on media, business and culture for Vanity Fair and the New York Times , among others. New York Post journalist AARON SHORT has reported on Donald Trump's political aspirations for over a decade.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this entertaining oral history, reporters Salkin and Short ask readers to accept an unconventional conclusion: that Donald Trump's rise to the presidency was "diligently" planned. A fixture on TV and in New York gossip columns, Trump had often floated the idea of running for president-but few ever took him seriously. In fact, the authors argue, Trump spent decades "puzzling out" politics, and waiting for the right "window of opportunity." In 1999, Trump nearly challenged Pat Buchanan for the 2000 Reform Party nomination, an aborted effort that they say first showcased Trump's raw political instincts (he branded Buchanan a "Hitler lover"). He also weighed a run for governor in New York in 2014. Trump's window of opportunity finally opened with the 2016 election. Buoyed by his TV celebrity ("The Apprentice recast him for the masses"); the rise of alt-right media outlets ("misinformation spread more quickly"); plummeting trust in government; and, of course, Trump's unique prowess on Twitter ("there's nothing wishy-washy about Donald Trump"), the stars had finally aligned for Trump and his brand of tribal politics. Stitching together extracts from more than 100 sources, this is a rollicking, insightful look at the political crucible in which the Trump presidency was forged. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

Two journalists team up, conduct more than 100 interviews with key figures in (and out of) Camp Trump, and conclude his decision to run for president was far from impulsive.In Hamlet, Polonius said of the prince's psychological state, "though this be madness, yet there is method in't." Salkin (From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, 2013, etc.) and Short, both of whom have written for the New York Post, set out to prove that the same is true of President Donald Trump. The text comprises snippets of interviews with a variety of sources, from Al Sharpton and Gloria Allred to Anthony Scaramucci and Steve Bannon. (The entire list of contributors, which includes journalists, political figures, and advisers, consumes eight pages.) The authors also chime in continually throughout the 32 chapters. They endeavor to show a different Trump than the one many imagine. Here is a man who takes notes during meetings (!), is a sharp questioner, often displays a long attention span, was willing to alter his positions to appeal to his base, and flirted with running for political office any number of times (including governor of New York) but who always changed his mind. The authors elicit praise from those who are/were close to him, such as Bannon and Tucker Carlson. Not every interview subject, of course, has fond memories, and readers with Trump fatigue should stay away. Some contributors comment about his arrogance (taking credit for "Make America Great Again"a slogan Ronald Reagan had used), fondness for attractive women, and thin skin. He was, for example, friendly with the Clintons until candidate Hillary seemed to blame his positions for the 2015 South Carolina church shooting. So the escalator ride down to his announcement was thoroughly planned, even inevitable. Other contributors include Katie Couric, David Cay Johnston, Glenn Beck, Ralph Nader, and Roger Stone.A more positive view of Donald Trump than most Americans havethough the text ends with the election. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

More than two years into Trump's presidency, it still seems to many that he just sprang fully fledged onto the political scene. In reality, running for president was something he had been considering since the late 1990s. After Trump's unexpected election in 2016, the public needed to learn if there was a difference between the persona and the person to determine if there was hypocrisy behind the hype. Veteran journalists Salkin and Short conducted candid and revelatory oral history interviews with 100 people, both on the periphery and at the center of Trump World, and those enabled them to chronicle Trump's endeavors as a business man, reality-TV host, and politician who became president without any prior governing experience. With complementary and contradictory views offered regarding the same occurrence, what emerges from these disparate voices is a deeper understanding of the fact that the Trump presidency was not a chimerical pursuit. With his 2020 re-election campaign underway, those who dismiss Trump as a one-hit wonder would do well to know the seriousness with which he pursued the previous campaign.--Carol Haggas Copyright 2019 Booklist

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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