One Hundred days into Donald’s Trumps Presidency there are numerous programmes and articles analysing his progress. Peter Oborne and Tom Roberts have done something different, and much more interesting. They have examined the evolution of Trump’s tweets. They have charted his progress from businessman, to candidate, to President – and it is a fascinating journey.
Although he is the first American President to assume the Oval Office without holding either a senior military position or previous elected office Donald Trump has long held political ambition. In his excellent biography of George H W Bush Jon Meacham describes the telephone call made to Trump Bush when the the then Vice President won the Republican nomination for the Presidency. He asked Bush if he would make him his running mate and nominee for the Vice Presidency. Bush dismissed the request out of hand thinking it ridiculous. Trump never forgot the snub and it can go a long way in explaining of he treated Jeb Bush on the 2016 campaign.
Trump publicly considered running for the White House in 1988, 2000, 2004 and 2012. He publicly considered running for Governor of New York in 2006 and 2014. For years he has given speeches and interviews on politics and current affairs. He attended White House Correspondents Dinners, something he declined to do recently as President. He sought and craved contact with senior politicians, making donations at different times to Republican and Democrat candidates. For all his money and success in business and on television the thing he seems to have wanted most is to be taken seriously by the political establishment. The political establishment was happy to take his money and accept his invitations, whilst always keeping him at arms length in terms of any offer of public office. Over the years his craving for political recognition has curdled into the seething resentment and driving resentment that propelled him into the highest and most powerful office in American politics. Fast approaching seventy Donald Trump knew the 2016 election was his last chance to grab the electoral prize he had so long sought.
In this brilliantly researched and elegantly written book Oborne and Roberts track the evolution of Trump’s tweets and in so doing track his journey to political success. It is a book that gives insight into his character and his politics, his personality and his priorities, his mood and his sensitivities. Trump has used twitter to devastating effect on his political opponents, disorientated mainstream media, and to endless fascinate all those that follow his progress.
Peter Oborne is an unlikely Presidential historian, having previously demonstrated no obvious interest in or knowledge of American politics, but he brings great insight to his task. Roberts has a well established reputation for excellent research and an eye for detail. This is not the first time the two have collaborated, and hopefully it will not be the last.
This book would make an excellent ‘Christmas stocking filler’ but should also be studied by all those interested in political communication. It is a guidebook to modern communication and a stark warning the impact 142 characters can have on a nation, and now the world. It is the ultimate insight into how to commoditise yourself and be a successful salesman. It reveals a gargantuan personality and someone who can say many, and often contradictory, things. How Trump Thinks is an extraordinary and compelling read.