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Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House Hardcover – January 5, 2018

by Michael Wolff (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 48,845 ratings
Editors' pick Best History
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#1 New York Times Bestseller

With extraordinary access to the West Wing, Michael Wolff reveals what happened behind-the-scenes in the first nine months of the most controversial presidency of our time in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

Since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, the country―and the world―has witnessed a stormy, outrageous, and absolutely mesmerizing presidential term that reflects the volatility and fierceness of the man elected Commander-in-Chief.

This riveting and explosive account of Trump’s administration provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office, including:
-- What President Trump’s staff really thinks of him
-- What inspired Trump to claim he was wire-tapped by President Obama
-- Why FBI director James Comey was really fired
-- Why chief strategist Steve Bannon and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner couldn’t be in the same room
-- Who is really directing the Trump administration’s strategy in the wake of Bannon’s firing
-- What the secret to communicating with Trump is
-- What the Trump administration has in common with the movie The Producers

Never before in history has a presidency so divided the American people. Brilliantly reported and astoundingly fresh, Fire and Fury shows us how and why Donald Trump has become the king of discord and disunion.

“Essential reading.”―Michael D’Antonio, author of Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success, CNN.com

“Not since Harry Potter has a new book caught fire in this way…[Fire and Fury] is indeed a significant achievement, which deserves much of the attention it has received.”―The Economist

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  1. Print length
    321 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Henry Holt and Co.
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6.45 x 1.12 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250158060
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250158062
  8. See all details
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  1. Donald Trump and his tiny band of campaign warriors were ready to lose with fire and fury. They were not ready to win.
    Highlighted by 7,193 Kindle readers
  2. The new politics was not the art of the compromise but the art of conflict.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, The Sunday Times, The Observer, and Financial Times

"What makes Fire and Fury important is that it is not just about Trump, but a product of the same culture that produced Trump: It is 'reality' journalism, in the same way that Trump is a 'reality' character." ―The Atlantic

"It is not a book. It is the book. If there is only one book Washington political reporters will read this year...then this is it.... [Wolff] is a wicked stylist and keen observer, with a justly earned reputation for approaching his subjects with fangs bared and talons sharpened.... A perfect karmic delivery system."―The Weekly Standard

"The pages of Wolff’s book are littered with insults and intrigue, backstabbing and dysfunction."―The Washington Post

"To the many ironies of Donald Trump’s presidency can be added the fact that a man who does not read books has helped cause a publishing sensation.... Mr Wolff’s muckraking skills, cattiness, cynicism and feel for human weakness, especially among the rich and famous, make him well-qualified for the job."―The Economist

"An undeniably juicy chronicle of a presidential administration that in just one year has been beset by numerous scandals and crises.... [Wolff] gives the reader a you-are-there sense of events without resorting to an unneeded dramatic writing style." ―The San Francisco Chronicle


"Wolff’s lasting achievement here is not his headline-grabbing revelations but the skillful, enthralling, and utterly terrifying way he depicts the unqualified, unprepared, and downright unusual characters to be found wandering the halls of the White House in the first half of 2017 as well as their near bloodsport-level conflicts." ―Entertainment Weekly

"What makes the book significant is its sly, hilarious portrait of a hollow man, into the black hole of whose needy, greedy ego the whole world has virtually vanished."―The Guardian

"The White House has naturally denied and decried Wolff's account, but even if it's only halfway accurate, it presents an appalling view of a frighteningly unqualified and unprepared gang that can't think straight."―Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Michael Wolff is the author of the bestselling, authoritative trilogy about the Trump White House: Fire and Fury, Siege, and Landslide. His other books include the seminal biography of Rupert Murdoch, The Man Who Owns the News. A two-time winner of the National Magazine Awards, he has been a columnist for New York magazine, Vanity Fair, British GQ, the Hollywood Reporter, and the Guardian. He lives in New York City with his family.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition (January 5, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250158060
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250158062
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.45 x 1.12 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 48,845 ratings

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Michael Wolff

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
48,845 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book interesting, engaging, and enjoyable. They say it provides good insight and context for some aspects of the early Trump presidency. Readers describe the humor as hilarious and laugh-out-loud funny. However, some find the story disappointing, boring, and dysfunctional. Opinions are mixed on the writing quality, with some finding it well-written and easy to understand, while others say it's riddled with errors and typos.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityInsightHumorWriting qualityAuthenticityScariness levelPacingStory quality
2,883 customers mention "Readability"2,808 positive75 negative

Customers find the book interesting, engaging, and enjoyable. They say it deserves a critical read by both pro- and anti-Trump readers. Readers also mention the story is fascinating, outrageous, and mesmerizing.

"...In this context, the author provides us with a remarkably vivid and generally coherent view of the inner workings of one of the saddest and most..." Read more

"...General Kelly.Positives:1. As interesting a book as you will find. A page turner.2...." Read more

"...It’s like reading about a Rugrats adventure. Totally enjoyable but wholly scary when its real...." Read more

"...His vignettes are so specific that one must suppose much of what he witnessed was actually recorded...." Read more

1,378 customers mention "Insight"1,203 positive175 negative

Customers find the book provides good insight for some aspects of the early Trump presidency. They say it's detail-oriented and helps them understand what was going on. Readers also mention the subject matter is timely and interesting.

"...With the exception of a remarkable,extended and highly enlightening tirade by Bannon over Chinese food towards the end of the book and a insult by..." Read more

"...Fire and Fury is such an interesting, insightful book not laced with prejudicial statements by the author either in favor the Trump or to deride the..." Read more

"...understandable prose, he highlights their absurdities and failings in a vivid, engaging manner that allows the reader to really see how bumbling,..." Read more

"...What is striking about the book is the degree of specificity, which sometimes beggars belief...." Read more

257 customers mention "Humor"189 positive68 negative

Customers find the humor in the book hilarious, witty, and frightening. They also describe it as a tragic comedy that's well-written.

"...Wolff's book provides excellent dialogue and "fight choreography" of a sort to put all that strange infighting on a very memorable..." Read more

"It is sometime terrific, funny and sad to see how dysfunctional this white house is...." Read more

"...It's utterly gross, and yet, like the proverbial train wreck, you CANNOT look away...." Read more

"...He's a witty and funny writer, so the pages go by fast...." Read more

1,717 customers mention "Writing quality"904 positive813 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book. Some mention it's well-written and understandable, while others say it's riddled with errors and typos. They also mention that the prose is inflated and laborious to read.

"...But even with the relationship based structure, the book reads well...." Read more

"...book, which Stephen Miller decried as “a pile of garbage... poorly written fiction,” is how plausible it all sounds...." Read more

"...The value of this book to me is that it gives a framework which seems to explain Trump’s behavior - even up through the present...." Read more

"...The man can't pay attention, he doesn't read. The great negotiator can't even lead...." Read more

711 customers mention "Authenticity"325 positive386 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the authenticity of the book. Some mention it's highly believable and an overall accurate retelling of Trump's first 9 months as President. However, others say most of the content is hearsay and fraudulent. They also mention there are glaring factual errors and dubious sourcing.

"...Five minute segment-opening disclaimers about lack of independent corroboration and surgical dissection of specific quotes, scenes and attributions..." Read more

"...Just watch the announcement from June 16, 2015, the excitement is palpable...." Read more

"...is the lack of supplementary material and the fact that most of the book is hearsay though I presume that some can be backed by recordings and..." Read more

"...so that America can return to being the dignified, wise, respectable, compassionate, considerate and cooperative land of brotherly love and..." Read more

413 customers mention "Scariness level"284 positive129 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the scariness level of the book. Some mention it's simultaneously horrifying and entertaining, while others say the matter is repetitive and boring.

"...This riveting and explosive account of Trump’s administration provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office, including:..." Read more

"...It’s raw, revealing, and jaw-dropping...." Read more

"...paper cover, featuring a red-faced portrait of an angry Trump, is most unsettling, and I finally removed it. That made for a better night’s sleep!)" Read more

"...I did NOT love it. Don't get me wrong, this book is well-written, captivating, and "I can't put it down" awesome, but I did not love..." Read more

225 customers mention "Pacing"125 positive100 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some mention it's approachable, fast-moving, and provides a full timeline. Others say it may be disorganized, incoherent, and repetitive.

"...2: A telling snapshot of the divisions within the Trump camp...." Read more

"...No organization (because he promotes people with no experience then reams them for not doing well)...." Read more

"...his command of a large vocabulary, incisive analysis and nuanced, fast moving, prose, as impressive in his expressive power as his primary subject..." Read more

"...The WH does appear like a dysfunctional organization, where loyalty means very little...." Read more

565 customers mention "Story quality"149 positive416 negative

Customers find the story boring, not quite the tale the book promises, and comically dysfunctional. They also say it's not enjoyable to read and fails to meet their expectations.

"...big picture literary notes-as Joe Scarborough noted, the narrative style is rather loose, free associating and stream of consciousness, which of..." Read more

"...at times riveting, occasionally shocking and often reads like a poorly edited novel...." Read more

"...Most importantly, this view comports very well with the collective narrative of an enormous volume of investigative reporting and other journalistic..." Read more

"...He is not only racist and misogynistic, but he is also a complete buffoon. Not even his own children respect him...." Read more

Written with a blowtorch
4 out of 5 stars
Written with a blowtorch
This is an extremely powerful book. It is also the first of the major exposes on the Trump Administration, and the book that caused Steve Bannon to be fired from the Trump White House for being too open with the author. It’s actually quite amazing since Bannon often comes out poorly in this book and is ridiculed as a “misanthropic” person who believes he lives “on a higher moral plane than all others.” (p. 172). And it goes on like this. This book also has one of the most unflattering portrays of Trump that I have ever seen, and that is no small statement. If 1/10 of this is true it’s absolutely frightening.Also, whatever its faults, the book is an absolute page turner or in the case of an audiobook a disk turner.
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Top reviews from the United States

Smooth Operator
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book is like being forced to eat an entire 5 gallon carton of ice cream
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
What can be said, that hasn't already been said about the President?

Nothing in this book will surprise anyone who has been following the trials and tribulations of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. His supporters will cry foul, and say some of it isn't true -- and some of it might not be -- but if even 10% of what is in this book is true, holy crap!

Reading this book is like being forced to eat an entire 5 gallon carton of ice cream in one sitting. It is yummy and you don't want to stop. And then you do want to stop but you can't, because the book has you roped in. You should feel good, but in reality you feel awful, because of what you just did to yourself.

So tread lightly, dear reader. You won't want to put the book down, but you won't be better off for reading it, either. If you don't like it, do something productive -- stop eating the ice cream and get off the couch. Make America AMERICA again!
17,200 people found this helpful
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Book Shark
4.0 out of 5 stars A Dirty Delight
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff

“Fire and Fury” is a gossipy insightful look into the unstable Trump White House. Best-selling author, Michael Wolff takes the reader inside the White House and with extraordinary access provides an eye-opening expose. This revealing 328-page book includes the following twenty-two chapters: 1. Election Day, 2. Trump Tower, 3. Day One, 4. Bannon, 5. Jarvanka, 6. At Home, 7. Russia, 8. Org Chart, 9. CPAC, 10. Goldman, 11. Wiretap, 12. Repeal and Replace, 13. Bannon Agonistes, 14. Situation Room, 15. Media, 16. Comey, 17. Abroad and at Home, 18. Bannon Redux, 19. Mika Who?, 20. McMaster and Scaramucci, 21. Bannon and Scaramucci, and 22. General Kelly.

Positives:
1. As interesting a book as you will find. A page turner.
2. In the Author’s Note, Wolff describes his methodology and in some instances acknowledges that some accounts are in conflict and lets you the reader be the judge.
3. The book is easy to follow as Wolff engages the reader with interesting stories and characters. Who knew we had a reality TV soap opera in the White House?
4. In spite of all that the press has leaked on the book, it is still worth reading.
5. This book is a gossip wonder fest, everybody has an opinion on everybody and it’s out in the open for you to read. “In Ivanka and Jared’s view, Conway was a cussed, antagonistic, self-dramatizing cable head, and Powell, they hoped, would be a deliberate, circumspect, adult guest on the Sunday morning shows.”
6. Interesting insights throughout. “As the campaign came to an end, Trump himself was sanguine. He had survived the release of the Billy Bush tape when, in the uproar that followed, the RNC had had the gall to pressure him to quit the race.”
7. Trump’s traits are here for the world to view. “Early in the campaign, in a Producers-worthy scene, Sam Nunberg was sent to explain the Constitution to the candidate: “I got as far as the Fourth Amendment before his finger is pulling down on his lip and his eyes are rolling back in his head.””
8. Get your soap out; it’s going to be a dirty ride. “Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”
9. Trump the president. “He had somehow won the race for president, but his brain seemed incapable of performing what would be essential tasks in his new job. He had no ability to plan and organize and pay attention and switch focus; he had never been able to tailor his behavior to what the goals at hand reasonably required. On the most basic level, he simply could not link cause and effect.”
10. Bannon’s views are the backbone of this book. Here is his philosophy. “Bannon’s strategic view of government was shock and awe. Dominate rather than negotiate. Having daydreamed his way into ultimate bureaucratic power, he did not want to see himself as a bureaucrat. He was of a higher purpose and moral order. He was an avenger. He was also, he believed, a straight shooter. There was a moral order in aligning language and action—if you said you were going to do something, you do it.”
11. The greatest asset of Trump the candidate. “The Apprentice, and embracing a theory that would serve him well during his presidential campaign: in flyover country, there is no greater asset than celebrity. To be famous is to be loved—or at least fawned over.”
12. Trumpism. “He is uncomfortable when the men around him are not wearing suit and ties. Formality and convention—before he became president, almost everybody without high celebrity or a billion dollars called him “Mr. Trump”—are a central part of his identity. Casualness is the enemy of pretense. And his pretense was that the Trump brand stood for power, wealth, arrival.” Bonus, “But not only didn’t he read, he didn’t listen. He preferred to be the person talking. And he trusted his own expertise—no matter how paltry or irrelevant—more than anyone else’s. What’s more, he had an extremely short attention span, even when he thought you were worthy of attention.”
13. The Russians! “On January 6, 2017—nearly six months to the day after Foer’s piece was published—the CIA, FBI, and NSA announced their joint conclusion that “Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election.””
14. Clever observations included. “It is an anomaly of Republican politics that young people motivated to work in the public sector find themselves working to limit the public sector.”
15. The three forces in the White House exposed. “Bannon was the alt-right militant. Kushner was the New York Democrat. And Priebus was the establishment Republican. “Steve wants to force a million people out of the country and repeal the nation’s health law and lay on a bunch of tariffs that will completely decimate how we trade, and Jared wants to deal with human trafficking and protecting Planned Parenthood.” And Priebus wanted Donald Trump to be another kind of Republican altogether.”
16. Jarvanka, better known as Jared and Ivanka. “What’s more, the success of the speech confirmed the Jared and Ivanka strategy: look for common ground. It also confirmed Ivanka’s understanding of her father: he just wanted to be loved.”
17. Wolff describes all the players in Trump’s world and their roles. “Hicks remained his closest and most trusted aide, with, perhaps, the single most important job in this White House: interpreting the media for him in the most positive way it could be interpreted, and buffering him from the media that could not be positively spun.”
18. Controversial and troublesome insights. “Shortly after Lewandowski, with whom Hicks had an on-and-off romantic relationship, was fired in June 2016 for clashing with Trump family members, Hicks sat in Trump Tower with Trump and his sons, worrying about Lewandowski’s treatment in the press and wondering aloud how she might help him. Trump, who otherwise seemed to treat Hicks in a protective and even paternal way, looked up and said, “Why? You’ve already done enough for him. You’re the best piece of tail he’ll ever have,” sending Hicks running from the room.”
19. Fake news! “All news was manipulated and designed, planned and planted. All news was to some extent fake—he understood that very well, because he himself had faked it so many times in his career. This was why he had so naturally cottoned to the “fake news” label. “I’ve made stuff up forever, and they always print it,” he bragged.”
20. The Comey fiasco explained. “On May 17, twelve days after FBI director Comey was fired, without consulting the White House or the attorney general, Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to oversee the investigation of Trump’s, his campaign’s, and his staff’s ties to Russia. If Michael Flynn had recently become the most powerful man in Washington for what he might reveal about the president, now Mueller arguably assumed that position because he had the power to make Flynn, and all other assorted Trump cronies and flunkies, squeal.”
21. The Trump doctrine. “In practice, the new foreign policy, an effective Trump doctrine, was to reduce the board to three elements: powers we can work with, powers we cannot work with, and those without enough power whom we can functionally disregard or sacrifice.”
22. Was there obstruction of justice? “The point could hardly have been clearer: if the president was pressuring the director because he feared that an investigation of Michael Flynn would damage him, then this was an obstruction of justice.”
23. Interesting insights that are in play right now. “In fact, said, Bannon, eyes rolling and mouth agape, it was the Jarvanka idea to try to trade off amnesty for the border wall.”
24. The military firewall. “Roger Stone, one of those people whose calls Kelly was now shielding the president from, spread the dark scenario that Mattis, McMaster, and Kelly had agreed that no military action would ever be taken unless the three were in accord—and that at least one of them would always remain in Washington if the others were away.”
25. In short, what do they have in common? “In the wake of the immolating news conference, all eyes were suddenly on Kelly—this was his baptism of Trump fire. Spicer, Priebus, Cohn, Powell, Bannon, Tillerson, Mattis, Mnuchin—virtually the entire senior staff and cabinet of the Trump presidency, past and present, had traveled through the stages of adventure, challenge, frustration, battle, self-justification, and doubt, before finally having to confront the very real likelihood that the president they worked for—whose presidency they bore some official responsibility for—didn’t have the wherewithal to adequately function in his job.”

Negatives:
1. No references, nor links to speak of.
2. A glossary of the players with short bios would have been helpful.
3. Lack of supplementary material like charts, graphs, photos or tables.
4. No formal bibliography.
5. How much of this is factual? It’s hard to tell but it seems that the author is willing to back up his claims with recordings.
6. Trump fans will be disappointed, that may actually be a positive.

In summary, let’s face it, this book is like a car wreck, you just can’t take your eyes off of it. Even if you don’t like politics this is just one of those books that are guaranteed to entertain. The biggest shortcoming of the book is the lack of supplementary material and the fact that most of the book is hearsay though I presume that some can be backed by recordings and confirming testimony. That said, this is worth reading based on entertainment value and its implications.

Further suggestions that will help you get acquainted with their views: “Devil’s Bargain” by Joshua Green, “Collusion” by Luke Harding, “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” by Bandy X. Lee, “Unbelievable” by Katy Tur, “What Happened” Hillary Rodham Clinton, “The Plot to Hack America” by Malcolm Nance, and “The Making of Donald Trump” by David Cay Johnston.
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Pseudo D
3.0 out of 5 stars It's all around us
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018
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Author Michael Wolff apparently gained access to the inner circle of the White House, most of whose members thought that Hope Hicks or someone else had authorized him to do so under a more positive title. Whatever. Last winter and all spring and summer this book has been probably the most talked about book about the current administration. Most of the portrayal of Donald is already well known to those who follow the news, and his circle of advisors is portrayed as holding him and each other in contempt, which is also unsurprising considering that there has been so much turnover. A couple of big picture literary notes-as Joe Scarborough noted, the narrative style is rather loose, free associating and stream of consciousness, which of course in some ways is appropriate to the subject matter! It takes an omniscient view, which reconstructs the words, thoughts and feelings of the characters quite vividly from the interviews given. And Wolff has a tendency to use obscure synonyms, which I guess is ok in this age of instant google and dictionary.com, but I tend to forget them immediately afterward, and it comes across a bit pretentious. One thing that the book hammered home was the frantic pace of this administration. He intended for the book to be about the first 100 days, but eventually settled on the transitions in August with the arrival of Kelly and the departure of Bannon as the end of the first phase. Many of the key players are now gone, and four years of this narrative would take an enormous amount of writing. For those who follow the news on a regular basis, it's easy to lose track of how exhausting the drama of this administration can be.

The main thing I learned about Trump himself was that he didn't expect to win. This is interesting because despite the polls, I really did believe that he had a chance. Nobody knows how the drama of the administration will end, and nobody knew how the drama of the campaign would end, except that many expected it to end in a Hillary Clinton presidency. My sense of the momentum was that just as Obama was the story in 2007-8, Trump was the story in 2015-16. Hillary did not inspire passion and a movement the way that Obama did, but Trump, to put it mildly, was a first in American politics. Kellyanne Conway, the veteran pollster who came on board in August, was also portrayed as expecting defeat despite her defiance in public. The contrast between her overzealous public defenses and behind the scenes ambivalence is surprising in a woman who has shown such consistent conviction since the late 90s, as one of the many blondes. As a side note, it was hilarious that Ann Coulter had to voice conventional wisdom, telling Trump that "apparently nobody's told you this, but you can't just hire your kids".

Much of the book is about Steve Bannon, who was probably the principal source. Presumably Wolff isn't crazy about Bannon, but he probably found him intellectually interesting. He is portrayed as very smart, and his predictions and observations more often than not turn out to be correct. He "won" the election in the sense that he focused the strategy on the upper Midwest states that were indeed won at last after several election cycles. Stephen Miller, on the other hand, seems to be underestimated both by Bannon and Wolff. Mike Flynn is a bit of an oddity, and the other generals are competent in their areas, but Bannon is portrayed as the most interesting. The main plot is the struggle between Bannon and Jared Kushner/Ivanka, with Reince Priebus as the third party representing the establishment and Paul Ryan. Apparently there's a lot more tension between Ivanka and Donald than I would have guessed. Just watch the announcement from June 16, 2015, the excitement is palpable. Another interesting character I didn't know about was Katie Walsh, who was an establishment normal Republican girl who just rose up and somehow got to the top of this oddball administration but wanted out within two months. She is presented as a smart, competent figure who would have functioned in any normal GOP environment. Hope Hicks was incredibly loyal to the President but even she is out by the second year. Toward the end of the book, Scaramucci is brought on by the Javanka faction and by then Bannon sees that things are just getting desperate and ridiculous. As Mika Brzezinski noted, probably the most irresponsible insinuation that Wolff made was the Nikki Haley angle, which I find doubtful until there is further evidence. She has risen as a star in spite of and against the President (note her response to Obama's last state of the union in 2016, where she bashed Trumpism) not because of him, and frankly she doesn't need him for her future.
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Jesús
5.0 out of 5 stars bien
Reviewed in Spain on August 23, 2023
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todo perfecto
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Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Important reading to understand today`s world
Reviewed in Brazil on February 12, 2018
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Obviously, there is bias in this book. And that is fine as long as you conscious of it and that you consider it while you read the book. I think it does give some inside view of how his government functions and most important what is motivating and driving the decisions made.
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Len
5.0 out of 5 stars A real life tale of palace intrigue with a terrible foreboding - a terrific read
Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2018
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Palace intrigue provides a particularly compelling form of story-telling. Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, and Game of Thrones all feature family conflict and a struggle for power as central themes to their stories.
Centre to the drama in "Fire and Fury" is Donald Trump as president. All other characters in our story curry favour except that he's like a "Delphic Oracle . . . throwing out prouncements that [have] to be interpreted." On one side of this battle for favour and correct interpretation stand his daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner and their cronies while Steve Bannon and his allies advance from the other.
Except for a few interviews on the his Breitbart show and ten minutes of conversation, Bannon didn’t know Trump at all before the election. He may have been instrumental to Trump becoming president however to think he could win a battle against the Donald's favourite and her husband is a mystery.
It makes me laugh to think that, during the transition period when Trump was elected and he became president, Bannon recommended that the Trump team read David Halberstam’s book The Best and the Brightest. The book is about the hiring of the best and brightest during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and the failure that resulted anyway. All these men were Ivy League university standouts. They were literally, the brightest is not the best. Steve Bannon certainly wouldn’t never have been included among that group. What he expected the rest of the team to get out of the book is a mystery because they too, were not among the best and the brightest.
Of this group of not so best and brightest, Michael Wolf concluded that, “of the dominant characters in the transition, neither Kushner, Priebus, nor Conway, and certainly not the president-elect; had the ability to express an kind of coherent perception or narrative. By default, everybody had to look to the voluble, aphoristic, shambolic, witty, off-the-cuff figure who was both ever present on the premises and who had, in an unlikely attribute, read a book or two.”
According to Mr. Wolf, Trump can’t or won’t read or even skim. He couldn't stand listening to Retired General Kelly, who he hired as Chief of Staff after firing Reince Priebus, because Kelly showed Powerpoint presentations that were long with a lot of information that bored him. But according to Katie Walsh, one of Wolf’s inside informers, “Steve is careful about what he says, and there is something, a timbre in his voice and his energy and excitement, that the president can really hone in on, blocking everything else out.”
Steve’s problem was that he could never have enough power. Even when “Time” put him on the front page of their magazine and an SNL sketch portrayed him as President Bannon, he still hadn’t had enough or headed the obvious maxim that no one should ever out-shine the boss, particularly one like Donald Trump.
Bannon went after the kids, Jared and Ivanka who he referred to collectively as Jarvanka. Likewise, Jarvanka went after Steve. The two groups were responsible for numerous press leaks to the press meant to discredit the other. When the Washington Post reported that Kushner and the Russian ambassador had talked about setting up a private communication channel while the president was in transition, Jaranka blamed Bannon.
The battle did not only involve a clash of personalities. It was also a philosophical one. Ivanka and Jared sought to moderate Donald’s extremism while Bannon wants only to encourage it. For example, the Donald chose to remove America from the Paris Climate agreement while Ivanka was trying to convince him to stay. Bannon sought a “radical isolationism, a protean protectionism, and a determined Keynesianism,” while Jarvanka attempted to moderate that inclination.
Bannon believed that Jared was behind Trump’s decision to fire James Comey which he thought would be stupid before it ever happened. Bannon warned the president that the Russian story was “third-tier” but if he fired Comey, it would become “biggest story in the world.” The warning didn’t matter. The Donald fired him anyway which Mr. Wolf considers perhaps “the most consequential move ever made by a modern president acting entirely on his own.”
Besides being an excellent tale of palace intrigue, it’s also a warning. The title of the book Fire and Fury comes from a speech made by Donald J Trump used to describe the form of retaliation North Korea can expect should it decide to attack the U.S. or one of its allies. The consequences of such an act would result in the death and injury of millions of people. If Trump is capable of acting on his own when making a decision on the firing of the Director of the FBI, would he do the same with the launching of a nuclear warhead?
Combined his impulsivity and the possibility of his diminished mental acuity, (if it was ever that great) Trump could be the world’s greatest military, political and environmental threat.
As Bannon puts it, “the debate . . . [is] not about whether the president’s situation [is] bad, but whether it [is] Twenty-Fifth- Amendment bad.” The 25th Amendment refers to the president’s physical and mental capacity to remain in his position.
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Piñon
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s our duty to buy this book...
Reviewed in Mexico on January 5, 2018
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I’m another one who bought this book to help prevent censorship. Since apparently the republican sycophants won’t impeach, until it’s to their benefit, of course, I think buying this book and helping to take it to a number one spot is almost our moral and civic duty. Money well spent.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly readable
Reviewed in India on September 28, 2018
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Well researched. Well written; the direct way of storytelling and the sense of humour are appealing. Amazing that someone of such (low) caliber can become President of the US. Americans have gone from Brilliance (Obama) to Rubbish (Trump) in a flash and Wolf captures it spectacularly.
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