The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021

Description

“The most comprehensive and detailed account of the Trump presidency yet published."—The Washington Post The inside story of the four years when Donald Trump went to war with Washington, from the chaotic beginning to the violent finale, told by revered journalists Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker—an ambitious and lasting history of the full Trump presidency that also contains dozens of exclusive scoops and stories from behind the scenes in the White House, from the absurd to the deadly serious. The bestselling authors of The Man Who Ran Washington argue that Trump was not just lurching from one controversy to another; he was learning to be more like the foreign autocrats he admired. The Divider brings us into the Oval Office for countless scenes both tense and comical, revealing how close we got to nuclear war with North Korea, which cabinet members had a resignation pact, whether Trump asked Japan’s prime minister to nominate him for a Nobel Prize and much more. The book also explores the moral choices confronting those around Trump—how they justified working for a man they considered unfit for office, and where they drew their lines. The Divider is based on unprecedented access to key players, from President Trump himself to cabinet officers, military generals, close advisers, Trump family members, congressional leaders, foreign officials and others, some of whom have never told their story until now. Introduction: The Calling Card of a Presidency I. American Carnage 1. Ready, Set, Tweet 2. Team of Amateurs 3. Never Put Rupert Murdoch on Hold! 4. Allies and Adversaries 5. The Ghost of Roy 6. My Generals 7. The Adhocracy II. You’re Fired 8. I Like Conflict 9. Heat-Seeking Missile 10. Russia, Russia, Russia 11. The Eighty-five Percenter 12. Shut It Down 13. The Adults Have Left the Building III. Catch Me if You Can 14. Going Full Napoleon 15. Split Screen in Hanoi 16. King Kong Always Wins 17. John Bolton’s War 18. The Summer of Crazy 19. Fucking Ukraine 20. The Age of Impeachment IV. Divided We Fall 21. Love Your Enemies 22. Game Changer 23. You’re Blowing This 24. The Battle of Lafayette Square 25. The Divider 26. Secretary of Everything 27. The Altar of Trump V. Trumperdämmerung 28. Art of the Steal 29. Can Anyone Land This Plane? 30. All Hell Is Going to Break Loose 31. Trial by Combat 32. This Uncivil War Epilogue: A Close-Run Thing Illustrations Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index