The Meaning of Trump from Brian Francis Culkin is an attempt, largely successful, to assess what the election of someone like Trump means, about who we are, what we are becoming, and what we might be able to do.

I started this quite a while back but had to set it aside because at the time all I wanted to do was scream profanities at Trump and his supporters, which is not the proper frame of mind to read a book that tries to explain what this hell we're living through means. I finally came back to it and will also be reading a couple others I did the same thing with. I won't say I agree with Culkin completely but I do think he makes some very good points about what that election means.

He is fairly objective in his assessments but he also acknowledges that much of what Trump does and says is, well, not good for the country. But he does not attack Trump so much as his "policies" so this is not simply an anti-Trump book. He has some sharp words for those on the left as well, particularly as it relates to trying to return to a similar form of neoliberalism. The responsibility for this fiasco we are experiencing is spread all across the political spectrum. Even with Russian meddling we have to take responsibility for making the environment in the country ripe for an imbecile to become President.

If you want a decent read, this is a good choice. I think I would suggest a couple as well but anything that can keep from degenerating into what I would write is a step in the right direction. I don't think any single volume can cover this horrific set of circumstances that led us to being on the brink of losing our attempt at a democracy, so reading several books such as this one can at least provide some semblance of understanding.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Altough not an easy read, I recommend this book to everyone who is into politics. I also love the fact that the author tried to mentain a neutral side . Thanking the publisher for the free ARC!

To be honest, I was questionable about this book when I first saw it. Like just about everyone else, I have quite strong views on the current US President, and I hadn't heard of either the author or the publisher prior to reading this book. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this short work. It's well cited, generally well written, and makes a compelling argument.

The central theme of the book is that in spite of being the embodiment of neoliberal globalization, the president was able to tap into the legitimate grievances of a society that has been shaken by technology and consumerism. While the author makes clear that the President's rhetoric and policies are at best questionable and at worst targeting the very victims of neoliberalism and globalization that he claims to support. The left itself does not go unscathed, as Mr. Culkin points out that simply returning to neoliberalism of old would simply be reactionary. The book ends with an appeal to the reader, not to take immediate unthinking action, but to contemplate how we got here and how to get where there going.

All in all, this short work is, a bit unexpectedly, well worth the read.

I received an advance copy of this book from netgalley

To be able to travel down the path with this author, I think you have to come in with the pre-supposition that you hate President Trump and he’s awful. Clearly I’m not the target audience for this piece, but I was still willing to stick with it and keep an open mind. It becomes more and more absurd after starting with a flawed premise. I suppose it was intended to be insightful, but for me it just didn’t land.

The meaning of Trump tries to explore further the real meaning of Donald Trump's electoral victory in November 2016. After the wave of indignation and surprise traveled the world Brian Francis Culkin thinks now it is the right moment to analyse the figure of the President not only through his words and deeds but also as a symbol which represents something bigger in our current society. The avalanche of books, articles and general information has been so overwhelming since his election that it is difficult to add something new and refreshing and even though parts of the book sound merely introductory Culkin manages to contribute to the debate with his views. The most interesting input is the relation that the author establishes between Trump and digital society, or rather, the idea that Donald Trump is a direct consequence of the ways we use to communicate in social media and specially in Twitter. This permanent tension, the unnecessary but constant search for conflict, and the lack of any ideas apart from continuous insults and disrespect are the main characteristics of this kind of discourse, one that never listens to what the other person is saying and only generates noise and anxiety. Politicians are a symptom of the societies that create them and nourish them and never isolated cases coming from nowhere. They represent ideas and values that explicit or implicitly are present in our society and thus when a character like Donald Trump becomes against all odds President of the United States we must fight back, protest and push for change but also look to ourselves and see which are our priorities and what kind of place we want to live in.

The author wrote a book that laid out the facts as to how society, technology and a new form of capitalism led to the election of Donald Trump while staying neutral. I like when authors are able to lay out information and allow the reader to formulate their own opinion. This presidency has led to many books being written and most of them reflect the author's opinions, so it was refreshing to read one where the author's opinion was unknown.

The author doesn't seem to take sides of for or against Trump in this book which sets the stage for the meaning of Trump. He shares both side of what happens through the election, and the fight for illegal immigrants. Sharing aspects of the diversity between people who read the word, or watch the screen.
I felt the book was too technical, author used transformation and metamorphosis as a way to explain too many things that are happening now. In fact most Americans would need a dictionary in hand to translate most of this book. So I don't recommend this to people out looking for an easy read but yet a book filled with words only a political activist would understand.
Author also suggests that we overlooked Trumps unmistakable racist overtones as long as the racial problem was being taken care of. I don't think of Trump as racist, but he's openly identified the only way to give these jobs back to Americans is to do what other presidents would not. I believe the media is the biggest factor in misrepresenting Trump and the often comments Trump makes about Fake News.
Some of the author's plight is to just give you a basis of Trumps meaning, whether it's good or not. I gave the book three stars because I thought the author could of went a bit farther, and expressed the ideas a bit plainer to make the reading easier. Maybe thrown in some North Korea political fun and the environment. Nobody mentions Hilary's break down either, which is why I'm glad ...real or fake that Trump won.

Culkin presents a scholarly narrative on the very 'meaning of Trump'. In an effort to not spoil the 'ideological critique' he provides, this is excellent introduction to the issues surrounding this administration and those who advocate for it.

Recommended reading for college political science courses, in part, for its brevity, this book is written at a level upon which most can understand. However, I strongly recommend this missive for those politically savvy individuals who wish to read a different take on the current President.

This is a fairly brief but useful overview of the reasons behind and the implications of Trump's presidency. Although some of Culkin's claims about elements such as the overwhelmingly negative effects of networked technologies, the disintegration of social relationships or the strategic thinking behind Trump's rise can be questioned, the book is very good on the effects of the growing coarseness of public discourse. The fact that his attempts at objectivity frequently falter in the face of the sheer absurdity of the current political situation is telling and reassuring. While I would have liked to have seen more focus on the effects beyond the US, the book is an interesting and timely examination of our times.