Understanding Trump

Five Star Book Review of Newt Gingrich's "Understanding Trump" Submitted by Frank T. Hayes, fth11050@gmail.com, 05/15/18 I applaud Newt Gingrich for a personal account of President Donald J. Trump, a hands-on hard-driving business man accustomed to completing a job ahead of schedule and under budget, and now drawing on those principles to "Make America Great Again." Newt has been insightful, articulate, the curator rallying Americans to challenge fate, and set the course of history on vectors charted by our Founding Fathers. Newt has been bold and critical, everything at stake, revealing, no-holds-barred, lobbyists at the behest of foreign interests fighting for watered-down U.S. policy on foreign trade, and advocating Globalism, a toxic cloud for the U.S. worker, the middle-class and small business. The 1995 Speaker of the House, grew up an Army Brat, a great Patriot, first to speak out on dangers to the U.S. Gravest of dangers are the political gap between the right and modern-left, and further left now that core principles of liberalism were abandoned; and impairment of government business by career-bureaucrats delaying hundreds of appointments requiring security clearances and Senate confirmation for a year. Newt stresses this is not unprecedented. Abraham Lincoln faced hostility when taking office, of 1,500 staffers 1,400 were let go. Ronald Reagan fired 12,000 Air Traffic Controllers for walking off the job. Newt says that Civil Service and Union rules make it virtually impossible to discipline, or fire a federal employee. Are laws and executive actions that insulate bureaucrats from accountability unconstitutional? Has the world's foremost democracy been subverted by career-bureaucrats? Framers of the constitution never foresaw a 4th branch of government rising to power, is it time for Civil Service reform, or a 28th Amendment? Few know politics and operation of the U.S. Government better than Newt Gingrich. He goes on to explain complexities of the job; the process of pushing a bill through Congress, the health care bill (one-fifth of our economy), renegotiating NAFTA and foreign trade deals, rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, with public work accomplished at the state level, precluding costs of federal red-tape. Newt Gingrich is brilliant, the most sought after counsel of our day, the author of 34 books. I found those 301 pages to read like a text book on the U.S. Government. Every young professional, staffer, educator, business owner, or CEO should own a copy of "Understanding Trump."

If you want to understand Trump, this is a book you want to get. Newt Gingrich has a PhD in history. He has a unique ability to apply a historical context to just about anything. He has a simple writing style that makes it easy to read. He was one of Trump's chief advisers during the campaign and still advises them during his presidency. Because of this, Newt has unique perspectives on how Donald Trump operates. Throughout this book, he uses countless examples of how Trump gets things done. One good example is the use of a technique called the OODA Loop. This technique was developed by US Air Force Col. John Boyd. The acronym stands for observe, orient, decide, act, and loopback to observe. He points out that this is how Trump gets things done. Newt observed him during the campaign and he says, "he would go to rallies, see what topics evoked the most reaction from the crowds, orient his focus to those issues, decide what his best message was, based on those reactions, and then act on them. Most often, that action would be in the form of a tweet designed to capture the news media's attention. Then he would immediately switch back to observing to see how his tweets or comments were perceived by his supporters." This is only one of the many examples that Newt gives in this book. Newt understands history, understands the political process, (he was Speaker of the House,) is a good friend of Trump and has observed him countless times over the years, before, during and after the campaign: now as Trump as president. If you want a source or how Trump operates, this is the book for you.

A compelling book. Newt Gingrich offers a strong and insightful understanding of a complex and very misunderstood Donald Trump. An insider's perspective that we have heard about but until now only been able to imagine. Well written and easy to read. Fast paced and well rooted in facts, with references. Gingrich sounds like the well-informed and experienced political journeyman he is reputed to be. I enjoyed every page and have a very different perspective of the unusual individual holding the nations top political office.

Still have to finish this, but indications from the first 8 chapters are positive. In essence, Trump is a 'doer'. Other Presidents, bar some exceptions, were largely 'sayers'. If he's short of temper, and impatient with obfuscators, toadies and specious arguments, who and which abound, then that's good- it's not because he's a child, but rather he likes to get things done. It's not so much he doesn't suffer fools gladly, it's just the pragmatism to realise he doesn't have to, so why should be? Moreover, he's cognisant of the fact that time is very limited and the most precious resource, so why waste it over trifles, like so many previous incumbents have done. Where was the outrage over the profligate wars and crippling bureaucracy presided over by Clinton, Bush and Obama? Not to mention that Dubya allowed 9/11 to happen on his watch; whatever other controversies surround that heinous event, this one fact is incontrovertible.

Explica en profundidad la experiencia del autor durante los dos años en que ha asesorado a Trump, durante la campaña y después de su inauguración. Es premonitorio en tanto que adivina el tratamiento que los medios iban a dar al presidente: Guerra sin cuartel. Hacia el final se hace un poco académico con la aportación de soluciones y sugerencias para la presidencia pero la lectura es bastante entretenida en general. Antonio Escohotado, en un reciente artículo, apunta una idea que Newt Gingrich escribe aquí: Tanta gente se ha hartado de la manera tan descarada de manipular la información que han votado a Trump por llevar la contraria a esos medios.

Great sealer. I recommand. Thank you.

Excellent book

In den Zeitungen kann man sich ja nicht über Trump und seine Politik informieren, da dort ja nur mit Gift und Galle operiert wird. Deshalb: Notwendige Lektüre, und ja, Gingrich kann schreiben, hat nette Anekdötchen und vor allem wird einem klar, warum der Mann gewählt wurde.