8+ Best Books About Trump and His Presidency (Great political books, the greatest – believe me!)
Since Donald Trump became President, many, many people – they ask me – they want to know what this man is like, what this President is like. I tell them – there’s many, many great books about Trump out there. They have great words, tremendous words, some people say the best words. Believe me!
(Okay, I’ll stop talking like Trump now. :D)
On a more serious note, I think it’s important to be balanced. Thus, my list of best Trump books will include a fair mix of political authors who are either against or for Trump – and some that also fall in the middle. Above all, these reads offer a wealth of info that’ll deepen your views on the President, his administration, and the far-reaching impact of his policies.
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What are the best books about Trump?
1. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House
In Fire and Fury, bestselling author Michael Wolff gives us an exclusive peek into life at the White House soon after Trump took office.
Rather than going off-the-cuff, Wolff invests a lot of time into actually speaking with staff members. This grants him deep access to many eye-opening accounts that reveal shocking answers to big questions. That includes the real reason why FBI director James Comey was sacked, and how Trump’s team chooses to marginalize those who stand in their way.
Of course, as with all politics, you’ll need to take Wolff’s book with a decent pinch of salt. However, if even a tiny sliver of what he says is true, Trump’s presidency is truly a baffling kind of chaos to behold.
In short, I think Fire and Fury is among the best books about Trump available which, in all likelihood, will not go down well with die-hard Trump supporters.
Fun fact: Harder, Trump’s lawyer, actually sent a cease-and-desist letter to Wolff’s publishers in an effort to stop the book’s public release. The author has since written a follow-up called Siege: Trump Under Fire.
2. Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House
Omarosa’s claim to fame was via The Apprentice – the successful reality TV show that also helped to make Donald Trump a global household name. For more than fifteen years, she’s been one of Trump’s biggest fans, often speaking favorably about her business idol.
That is… until now.
Everything dramatically changed soon after Trump invited Omarosa to join his White House team. Now, in her tell-all account Unhinged, she reveals the shocking events that led her to radically alter her stance towards Trump.
To be honest, I didn’t expect much with this book. If you watched The Apprentice, you’ll know that Omarosa is infamous for being the show’s biggest drama queen. Thus, I didn’t anticipate her political account to be any different.
However, I was truly taken aback by her book’s matured and measured tone. Omarosa actually backs up everything she claims with first and second-hand evidence. This includes hundreds of emails, documents, and other verifiable sources. She focuses heavily on facts, rather than wishy-washy statements.
In short, I find Unhinged to be one of the best books about Trump written by someone who isn’t a journalist or a Democrat. In essence, it’s a narrative from a woman who first began as an fervent advocate of Trump – but soon left feeling disenchanted.
Fun fact: Unlike in The Apprentice, Omarosa these days has learnt the art of grounded composure, as seen in interviews like below.
- Hardcover Book
- Manigault Newman, Omarosa (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
3. Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump’s War on the FBI
Josh Campbell shares his ‘fly-on-the-wall’ account of the White House’s systematic assault against the FBI’s credibility. A former FBI agent himself, Campbell also lifts the veil on the bureau’s investigation into the alleged links between Trump and the Russians – and its many repercussions.
I found Crossfire Hurricane to be an easy read to follow, thanks to Campbell’s no-frills writing style. Above all, he comes across as a personable man who just so happens to know some of America’s biggest headline-grabbers in recent years. From this, Campbell is able to gather tons of secret intel that most of the public isn’t yet aware of.
In fairness, I think it’s key to also take into account Campbell’s past working relationships with Comey and Mueller. This could indicate some degree of bias. However, for the most part, I think Campbell shows a sincere desire to defend the FBI’s integrity in the wake of so much controversy.
Fun fact: Campbell is now an analyst for CNN. He also teaches national security at the University of Southern California.
Also check out our list of 40 amazing non-fiction books totally worth reading!
4. The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America
Let’s be honest: Former Fox News icon Bill O’Reilly isn’t known for his measured stance. Quite the opposite, I think he spent most of his on-air time raging against the Democrats / then-President Obama. In addition, his past scandals with women have revealed him to be a morally reprehensible person.
In light of this, I naturally assumed The United States of Trump would be a shamelessly pro-Trump book steeped in (pseudo) Conservative rhetoric.
But… this is where I was quite surprised!
I found O’Reilly to be largely non-partisan, adopting a mostly neutral voice. He stays focused on outlining Trump’s views on America and the world at large – without injecting too much of his usual spin. O’Reilly also supports his key observations with confirmed sources.
In short, The United States of Trump takes a middling stance that both anti and pro-Trump supporters will find interesting. This is probably one of the best books about Trump when it comes to understanding why the President is the way he is, for better or worse.
Fun fact: Despite O’Reilly’s dodgy past, people seem to really like The United States of Trump. It is (at this point in writing) Amazon’s #1 bestseller for its political category. No small feat!
- Hardcover Book
- O'Reilly, Bill (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
5. Fear: Trump in the White House
Bob Woodward is an award-winning veteran of American politics. He is most famously known for helping to expose Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Since then, he has also shed light on the lives – and scandals – of many American Presidents, including Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
Given his seasoned status, it is thus very worrying to see Woodward describe Trump’s presidency as one of the most harrowing political investigations of his life.
In Fear, Woodward gives us the inside scoop on what’s really going on at the White House. He draws upon hundreds of hours of interviews with key members of Trump’s administration, taking first-hand meeting notes along the way.
I find Woodward’s writing to be plain but highly effective. He doesn’t mess around with vague conjectures – and history has shown he isn’t concerned with taking specific sides. Instead, his main goal here is simply to present the facts, straight and simple.
Of course, from a reader’s perspective, this balanced approach has its pros and cons. There are times where Woodward sounds almost too reserved. For example, when discussing the Mueller investigation, it isn’t clear exactly what his exact thoughts are on the matter. I found this to be a bit of a missed opportunity, given how his opinions do carry a lot of weight and wisdom.
Overall, though, I regard Fear as one of the best books about Trump that might make many Americans feel a little afraid of what’s to come.
Fun fact: Pro-Trump supporters will find it hard to call Woodward biased, since he once also gave a scathing critique of Obama’s administration.
6. Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America
When it comes to books about Trump, I think it’s only fair to at least hear from the President himself.
Over the years, so many people have said so many things about Trump, good and bad. But, beyond the media circus and sound bites, what does Trump really think about America, its problems, and how to solve them?
Reading Great Again, I fully expected Trump to spend the entire book talking about himself and how great he is. Well, he does tend to do that.
Yet, apart from some odd tangents about his businesses, Trump actually remains very focused in his book. Each chapter is specifically devoted to breaking down his core political beliefs and policy ideas. Everything is laid out quite clearly – a cogency which I didn’t expect.
Don’t get me wrong. If you already dislike Trump for his divisive and brazen ways, nothing in this book is going to change your mind about him.
However, anyone open enough to learn more about President Trump’s ideas (without the media distraction) is likely to take something from Great Again. On one hand, you might step away with greater disdain towards him – or, alternatively, discover a newfound appreciation. That’s entirely up to you.
Fun fact: Great Again was originally titled Crippled America before Trump’s 2016 Election campaign. I think they changed the name because the former sounds more optimistic.
- Trump, Donald J. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages - 07/12/2016 (Publication Date) - Threshold Editions (Publisher)
7. It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration is Doing to America
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston’s goal is crystal clear. In It’s Even Worse Than You Think, he seeks to expose the crippling folly of Trump’s main political aims. He focuses on the President’s obsession over building the border wall, his dismantling of climate change measures, and much more.
Above all, Johnston reveals the fiery, self-interested, and socially destructive impact of Trump’s presidential actions. This includes hiring unqualified people into key administrative positions – many of whom have been identified as Trump’s long-time business allies. Johnston reminds us how all of this runs contrary to the President’s promises to ‘drain the swamp’.
I definitely found Johnston’s book to be truly eye-opening – and if any of what he says is true, we should all be very alarmed.
However, there are a few sections in the book that felt a little bogged down by excessive background info, stats, and numbers. A lot of this went over my head. I think a little more could have been done to make the data more accessible to layman readers like myself.
Regardless, I find It’s Even Worse Than You Think to be easily among the best books about Trump available. Johnston’s precise criticisms will surely appeal to those who want to better understand the far-reaching damage of Trump’s policies.
Fun fact: Johnston has known Trump personally for more than three decades, long before he became President.
8. Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America
I believe we should always hear both sides of a debate. That’s why I decided to read Kimberley Strassel’s Resistance (At All Costs).
In her book, Strassel shows us how Trump is obsessively casted as an enemy to democracy. However, she turns the tables by arguing that those who rally against the President tend to do so in ways that, ironically, undermine the rule of law and due processes.
She makes a strong case by drawing upon convincing examples. This includes her documentation of the FBI’s extreme efforts to thwart Trump, evidence of outright media bias, and other politicians’ hidden agendas to remove the President at all costs.
Interestingly, Strassel herself clearly states that she is not a Trump supporter. She has many misgivings towards him. However, her intention here is to expose how unbridled ‘haters’ of him have not played fair, and are in fact behaving unconstitutionally.
I think Strassel’s book offers a fresh alternative take on events we’re all already familiar with. Above all, Resistance will draw you in if you’ve noticed something amiss in how Trump is treated – wherever you stand in the political spectrum.
Fun fact: Strassel is a regular columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Her critique of the Mueller report is an especially fascinating read.
Here are a few more good books about Trump worth getting into!
Everything Trump Touches Dies
A seasoned Republican strategist criticizing Trump? That’s an interesting premise to start with. Despite the extreme title, I liked Everything Trump Touches Dies for its unfiltered (and sometimes funny) look at the domino impact of Trump’s presidency.
The Truth About Trump
Armed with exclusive interviews, D’Antonio traces Trump’s rise as a business tycoon, also covering the many scandals he has endured. Overall, I think The Truth About Trump is a great biographical overview of the President’s life and the social factors that helped him get into the White House.
Russian Roulette
An exposé on Putin and his strategic war against the US – as well as Trump’s role in all of it. Russian Roulette is arguably the best book about their alleged interference in American politics.
Unbelievable
Tur’s Unbelievable mostly covers the lead-up to Trump’s presidency and the absolute pandemonium that ensued. Overall, this first-hand account offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a roving reporter caught amid the chaotic groundswell.
