Trump books everywhere
Want to make a bundle?
Write a book about Donald Trump.
Trump books have been in high demand since he took office in 2017.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian 鈥� 鈥渢here were more than 4,500 English language books about Mr. Trump that have been published since January of 2017.鈥�
There鈥檚 even been one book about the books about Trump, written by the Peruvian American journalist named Carlos Lozado titled, 鈥淲hat Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era.鈥�
A book about the books about somebody might seem to be a bit unusual. But I can鈥檛 knock it, since this is a column about the books about somebody.
If you followed that logic 鈥� congratulations.
I haven鈥檛 read any of the Trump books, including that one about the books about him.
I don鈥檛 have the time or the patience to sift through the finer points of a presidency that had so few fine points.
Instead, I wait for the 鈥渆xplosive鈥� excerpts that take up so much oxygen on the 24-hour news channels, in advance of their authors breathlessly repeating what those excerpts already revealed.
It seems that every other week, I鈥檓 seeing Bob Woodward (the Washington Post鈥檚 legendary investigative reporter) talk about the shortcomings of the Trump White House, with his latest book.
He鈥檚 written (or co-written) three so far, going back to 2018.
鈥淔ear,鈥� was followed by 2020鈥檚 鈥淩age,鈥� and last month he and journalist Robert Costa published 鈥淧eril.鈥�
That鈥檚 three Trump books, compared to only two he wrote about Barack Obama during the entirety of his eight-year presidency.
Woodward鈥檚 21 books have given him 13 No. 1 national best sellers.
I wonder when he鈥檒l write a book about writing books.
He鈥檚 that prolific.
It started when he and fellow legendary Washington Post coworker Carl Bernstein penned that chronicle of the downfall of Richard Nixon, 鈥淎ll the President鈥檚 Men,鈥� back in 1974.
鈥淧eril,鈥� though (judging from the initial excerpts, and the seemingly nonstop array of Woodward and Costa TV interviews) seems like they鈥檙e beating a dead horse.
But that鈥檚 just me.
Mary Trump, Donald鈥檚 niece, released, 鈥淭oo Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World鈥檚 Most Dangerous Man,鈥� in July of 2020.
She鈥檚 been called on to provide family gossip ever since.
Fact is, former Trump insiders who鈥檝e felt they鈥檝e been somehow wronged by him have written books that could fill the shelves of some bookcases.
Michael Cohen, Trump鈥檚 longtime attorney, wrote: 鈥淒isloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.鈥�
Trump dismissed Cohen鈥檚 book as sour grapes. But it still earned Cohen a legitimacy in the media 鈥� as a man who knew where 鈥渁ll of the bodies鈥� of the Trump presidency were buried.
John Bolton, Trump鈥檚 onetime national security adviser, published 鈥淭he Room Where It Happened,鈥� in June of 2020.
He鈥檚 since gone public with the belief that his former boss was unsuited for the presidency.
Back when he performed his publicity rounds for his book, he made sure to drop little tidbits about Trump鈥檚 unsuitability.
鈥淭rump did not know whether or not Finland is part of Russia,鈥� he wrote and repeated in interviews.
The most recent Trump tell-all book (providing none has been published since I started writing this) comes from his former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham鈥檚 time as press secretary was muted, because she never held a single press briefing 鈥� which is an oddity for that position.
Yet, she鈥檚 out front nowadays, revealing such odd information as to how there was somebody designated as the White House 鈥淢usic Man,鈥� who鈥檇 play a song from the musical 鈥淐ats鈥� to calm down the president.
Grisham also dishes on former first lady Melania Trump.
She claims that Melania Trump didn鈥檛 believe her husband鈥檚 denial of an affair.
That she was quoted as saying, 鈥淗e got himself into this mess. He can fix it by himself.鈥�
And we all know that Trump once famously said, 鈥淥nly I can fix it.鈥�
Maybe somebody will write a book revealing if he has.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.