A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America

With so many books out about Trump and more to come, he will soon be competing with Hitler, Napoleon, Jesus, and Alexander the Great for the most number of publications in print to appear about a single individual. I will leave it up to others to decide which one he should most likely be compared to. Until now I felt that the two books written by Michael Wolff were the best overall presentation of Donald J. Trump and his administration whose presidency has already altered the fabric of that office forever - or at least until everyone on the face of this planet today has passed away along with an additional three generations to follow. (Assuming we still have one given the denial of Climate Change and Science that currently emanates from the WH.) Having already read far more than I ever expected to regarding The Donald as well as Javanka, I still decided to purchase this book based upon its authorship. Rucker and Leonnig have made multiple appearances on MSNBC and have never disappointed. With the publication of A VERY STABLE GENIUS they have only added to their collective and individual reputations. Given the length of this book - well over 400 pages - and a recent promise by its authors that there will probably be more "Epilogues" to come it is a most difficult task to pick and choose what sectors of this book to talk about or emphasize. Even with its lavish depth, Trump's "reptilian" ability (in the words of one critic) to protect himself and hide key information one way or another makes it almost impossible to fully penetrate the veil of secrecy that surrounds him despite the best efforts of the aforementioned two authors. Tax information has still been withheld; exact specificity of monetary loan sources remains obscure; what was said in private meetings with Putin is still unknown; the Mueller Report was so tarnished prior to its official release by Trump's latest henchman - William Barr - that its focus still expounds the falsehood that he "was totally exonerated"; etc., etc. In an attempt not to duplicate what others have already stated, I shall present my own summary analysis of Trump and his Presidency based upon what I read in AVSG in addition to my own observations of these past three+ years. At the outset I will say that it is not a pleasant task. Diving into a full latrine is a fair comparison. Indeed. While reading AVSG, there were times when I laughed, cried, cursed, and just plain wanted to scream. Its authors have exposed what is already known, thought to be known, unknown, and unknowing. However, they have brought a clarity and depth to their expose which is astounding. Just consider the sheer number of interviews! This book is a "hot potato". Hopefully, it should give one pause and make one think before "flying off the handle". The rhetoric and language used during commentator debating says it all. Now for some particulars: The title of this book is a direct quote from the mouth of its subject - Donald J. Trump. Yet anyone who has to call himself that, and more than once, is the exact opposite. Trump is neither "stable" nor a "genius", unless you put the word "evil" before the latter. His constant temper tantrums, quixotic decisions, perpetual paranoia, and willful lying put the "lie" to that first word. According to those in the know, Trump was a poor student. He has demanded that his college transcript be kept secret or he'll sue (something he constantly threatens which also is indicative of instability). Trump gives the impression that, because he went to the Wharton School of Business, he holds some kind of business degree. He doesn't! Trump possesses a degree in economics and anthropology (of all things) which he probably took to fulfill his science requirement. He is fundamentally uninformed and impaired when it comes to basic history, geography, and culture. This is clearly delineated in this book. The subject of nepotism is delved into. The crudity that exists in the WH with the "F" word being the most frequently used is highlighted. No surprise there given what Trump says on his various campaigns. LOYALTY above all else is always being considered, questioned, tested, and criticized. There is even an entire chapter titled "Loyalty and Truth" which deals with the likes of M. Cohen, W. Barr, M. Mulvaney, R. Mueller, et al. Like the others, this may sound familiar but with more detail. The chapter titled "Axis of Enablers" is especially enticing. It clearly shows how Trump can be manipulated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. I cannot remember what office they were elected to. Mitch McConnell is another story. He has run defense for Trump as if he were an entire football team protecting a quarterback. He and Barr are the perfect present day Cardinal Richelieu for Trump's Louis XIII. Twenty-five chapters, an Epilogue, and 16 detailed pages in small print constitute the End Notes which are highly informative in their own right. All in all, for now, this book in my opinion is the crowning achievement for the literary tsunami that continues to flood the publishing market involving the 45th President of the United States.

I've been reading this book while watching the impeachment "trial" in the Senate. It's a very good time to be living on the West Coast! A Very Stable Genius is brilliantly and masterfully written, researched, and edited. Every word packs a punch, and the book reads like a political thriller. The authors chronicle the Trump administration. It appears the f-bomb might be the most favorite word in the White House. I read hundreds of books each year, and I rarely give a book 5 stars. This one deserves 10. It's that good. As I read this quote from former Chief of Staff John Kelly in the wee hours this morning, I wished I could compel every Senator listening the the "trial" to read it: "This is the eleventh time I've taken this oath to defend the Constitution and I want everybody here to know I'm here to defend the Constitution and to defend the rule of law. . .[the oath] doesn't say anything in there about being loyal to the president. It doesn't say anything in there about the GOP being more important than your integrity."

The two prior books this person read were, "Too Much and Never Enough" & "The Room Where It Happened". With this reading I found little additional information and not contained in many other books. For this person all information is valuable making the book a worthwhile read. While a very quick read I appreciated John Bolton's style and appreciated his offering how he thinks. What "A Very Stable Genius " accomplished was illustrated the defeatist thinking that has not allowed common sense to allow for successful conclusion. While I share no common thread with the president it is sad there could not have been willingness to actually negotiate. Consider all the things continuously unresolved. Personally the book is sad and dark. It brings to mind criminal minds and how much good that might have been accomplished with positive intentions. Once again a book on a situation beyond repair and a terrible waste.

The authors offer the best compendium of Trump’s hijacking of the Republican Party followed by a little over three years of tumultuous reign as president. They use the word solipsist to describe the man, basically meaning that, for him, only his mind is sure to exist. The fact that such a man of reverential ego could exist outside the confines of fiction seems nearly impossible. In his own mind, he can do nothing wrong. He will blame his subordinates for anything from a tweet that goes awry to a policy decision he has made that is impossible to realize. He blamed Kirstjen Neilson for the huge backup of immigrants at the U.S./Mexican border ordering her to put an immediate stop to the immigration. When she told him closing the border was both impossible and illegal, he fired her. He fired John Kelly after the media reacted with outrage when he used rain as an excuse for not attending WWI memorial in France to commemorate the centennial marking the end of the war. He liked to fire prominent government officials by tweet. The number is almost too many to enumerate but they include Jim Comey (of course), John Kelly, H.R. McMaster, John Tillerson, Jim Mattis. Kirstjen Neilson, and many others. “A Very Stable Genius” provides an excellent synopsis of the rise and rule of the petty and pernicious.

It’s impossible to know how much of this book contains a solid factual basis, but even if only 5% is true, the presidency of Donald Trump is a grotesque aberration in the politics of the USA. As a read, it is compelling and hard to put down. It is a mesmerising litany of the ghastliness of one human being unfettered by conventional restraints on behaviour.

To to form shows Trunk as a someone who has no idea about the day lower & middle class family. He has no moral compass and went into the Presidency like he could do anything and have no consequences for his behaviour. He was told years ago by a lawyer to deny, deny and deny, even if they put the evidence under his nose, keep denying and he has done this so many times.

An amazing report.

Edifiant, consternant, inimaginable. A rire ou à pleurer, selon votre goût pour le second degré. La lecture permet de toucher du doigt les limites de la démocratie...