The book covers a range of issues, from tax cuts to judicial appointments to immigration restrictions to foreign policy. In each area Garrett narrates the chaos created by the president. He 'rarely reads memos,' and he often fails to tell his closest advisers what he has decided before they read about it on Twitter or somewhere else ... Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride captures the political storm and takes the reader to the center. Other journalists have reported on many of the same details, but Garrett provides a coherent narrative. His book allows readers to understand how different Trump really is — behind the scenes and on the surface — from other recent presidents who still define the image of the office. And we do not know how it will end, because Trump is making it up as he goes ... Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride is excellent journalism, an early draft of our current history.
...The author examines the Trump phenomenon and takes an early stab at identifying 10 presidential actions likely to have a 'lasting impact.' He seeks to be 'credible, balanced, and nuanced,' noting both the 'unadulterated love' of supporters who believe Trump 'says things that need to be said' and the abhorrence of critics who find his 'belligerence,' 'indifference' to facts, and TV-animated consciousness make him “exhausting to the soul and corrosive to the spirit.' ... This generally thoughtful analysis is especially good on Trump’s 'coarsening influence on political dialogue.'
Mistakes, malignancies, and some real achievements emerge from the chaos in this rollicking, perceptive history of President Trump’s first year in office. Garrett observes the Trump administration from his perch as CBS News’s White House correspondent...Drawing on his own encounters with the president, Garrett paints a sharp portrait of Trump’s domineering personality ... one of the best accounts yet of Trump’s impact.
