Is the information in here new? Maybe not, but it's a sobering, clear, analytical account of what transpired during this snapshot in time. It's especially interesting because Trump's career doesn't make sense, and the devious machinations that brought him back on top of the Republican party should not have worked. The worse he acts, the more popular he is with his supporters, and it has to be seen to be believed. McGraw does such a great job of laying out the facts. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

McGraw's book starts really well with vivid descriptions of Trump's life after Jan 6th when he was isolated and alone in his Florida estate. But it becomes a bit by the numbers as Trump's re-campaign builds up steam. The early parts are the most revealing.

As someone who works in politics and is constantly consuming political information, Meridith McGraw's Trump in Exile was a very well-written compilation of Trump's years out of office after losing the 2020 election.

By nature, as a secondhand account, there's a lot of piecing together and having to tell the reader what happened, rather than personal or posthumous biographies. But, that being said, McGraw was able to bring the reader into the world of Trump and lay out out the timeline plainly and in an easy-to-digest manner.

I was impressed with her being able balance her integrity in the reporting while still underscoring the active danger the Stop-the-Steal movement poses to our future elections and democracy. The last chapter, in particular, was her strongest.

I enjoyed the book itself and do think that this is a great insight to the world that has been created since Trump's election and loss.

"Trump in Exile" is a well-researched, well-sourced and well-written account of former President Donald Trump's years at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach following his departure from the White House in January 2021.

Which, of course, makes it difficult to read.

Not because, as I said, the writing isn't thorough, tight and very well-done. Instead, it's difficult to read what the world watched from afar: a president in exile, first shunned by his party but then quickly taken back into the fold as its leader, damn the consequences.

As an avid reader of the news, much of the information in this book didn't feel new. But the way Meredith McGraw tells the story does make it feel fresh, as if seeing history happen through new eyes.

For those keeping a close eye on the 2024 campaign, this is an important look back if you truly want to understand what could happen as we as a country move forward.

I enjoyed reading this book about Trump in exile after he loss the 2020 election to Joe Biden. The Democratic Party fooled us into believing that everything was ok with Joe Biden but we sadly all watched his failing mental ability leading to decisions that led to our failing economy. Prior to covid, Trump had retirement IRA's at an all time high. Inflation was low rewarding us with low prices for gasoline, food and everything we purchased. Under Trump's administration there were no new wars only those left by the prior administration. This book showed the ups and downs of Trump's political career since he lost the 2020 election. It is due to Biden's failures that Trump has become the choice of the Republican party. If you like books about politics than you will love Meridith McGraw's book. It is a honest update of the election so far. We can all watch and see what happens with the election as it is not cut in stone who will win.

4 "respectful, sobering, balanced" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group. This will be released August 6, 2024. I am providing an honest review.

First of all I admire the respectfulness and clarity of this book. No mudslinging, sarcasm or scaremongering but a cogent, balanced and fair presentation of the information. This can be very difficult to do when dealing with this subject matter. Kudos !!

This is a clear and interesting summary of the years after Trump was defeated by Biden. We have a coherent, sequential and helpful book to help us understand how Trump once again is leading the Republican party in the upcoming American election.

Meridith McGraw has been covering Donald Trump for a long time. Utilizing her past work as a Politico reporter and current headlines, McGraw has pulled together the necessary historical record of his Presidency and the aftermath. It's not easy reading this again, but it's essential and incredibly well done. A must read for anyone surviving in our times!
#randomhouse #meridichmcgraw #politico #exile #stayinexile #tumpinexile

Well-written and well-reported; politicos may find some of the anecdotes or recollections here repetitive, but as a whole, a very engaging examination of a peculiar post-presidency.

I finished reading Meridith McGraw's first book, Trump in Exile, within a day of the former President being found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records or what will likely become known as the "Stormy Daniels payoff." Within hours Republicans claimed the trial was a sham and that Trump would win on appeal. The drama will continue.

Drama surrounds Trump, always has and probably always will. McGraw takes the reader from January 6, 2021 forward to the "comeback" if you will, to illustrate how Trump remained the center of the Republican Party, overcame key challenges from Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, to face incumbent Joe Biden in a repeat of the 2020 election.

McGraw's reporting is factual and spot on, and for the most part is very objective which is tough to do when writing about a very polarizing figure. Much of her book is on events that received a lot of news coverage, but there are a number of interesting facts and insights she adds to the story, especially how we learn about the changes in the leadership of the Republican Party towards a total pro-Trump entity .

I've read a lot about Trump, first because I am interested in Presidential biographies (as my many reviews will reflect), but also because he is an enigma; a once in a generation figure that will likely be studied 100+ years from now. This book will add to that body of knowledge, and fills an important role in that the gap between the two elections (2020 and upcoming in 2024) a lot happened in politics and the world.

My only question: Did the author ever interview Trump one-on-one at Mir-a-Lago, or is her reporting based on interviews with others and not the former President? I'm guessing no interview took place, or if it did it was not clear in the book. That doesn't really matter, but earlier in the year I read Maggie Haberman's book Confidence Man, and she did interview Trump on several occasions. That book, a biography, is a must read to understand Trump's life story. I will also mention Bob Woodward's The Trump Tapes, is fascinating as it is Trump in his own words from a series of interviews with Woodward over the four years of the Presidency. If you haven't read it, check out the audiobook version.

I want to thank author Meridith McGraw, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new title. I attest my review is original and unbiased.

In “Trump in Exile”, author Meridith McGraw examines Donald Trump's post-presidency, from his unprecedented exit from Washington, D.C., in January 2021 through his pursuit of the GOP nomination in early 2024. The book explores how Trump has maintained his power within the Republican Party despite setbacks like losing the 2020 election, the aftermath of January 6, 2021, and facing various scandals and criminal indictments.

With extensive experience covering Trump for ABC News and Politico, McGraw provides insightful analysis of Trump's political maneuvers. She examines his fundraising efforts, showing how they often benefit him more than the party, and explores conspiracy theories about his potential reinstatement in 2021 and his unconventional endorsements during the 2022 midterms.

The book also delves into his other post-presidency activities, strategic maneuvers, and plans for the 2024 election, highlighting his relentless pursuit of power. McGraw illustrates how numerous people made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to seek Trump’s approval or endorsement. Trump has perfected the ability to turn the media into a circus and portray himself as the victim in almost every situation.

Overall, I found the book both fascinating and frightening. I had forgotten about many of the events detailed in the book. As usual, Trump zaps all of the oxygen out of the room and leaves you mentally exhausted. However, it is essential that people pay close attention to him. He is a dangerous person and seemingly unfit to be president again! While I’m not a fan of Trump, I believe it is essential that we pay close attention to him so that we can save our democracy. Believe it or not, he will eventually fade from the Republican spotlight, but will our democracy survive? This book certainly gives one a lot to ponder on this critically important topic!!!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for the opportunity to read this ARC!!!

Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. No review was required in return for an advance reading copy and no review was promised.

I just finished Trump in Exile, by Meridith McGraw.

The book chronicles Trump’s actions since leaving the White House, covering through much of 2023. The author had covered Trump’s presidency first for ABC News and then at Politico.

The book discusses the hypocrisy of Mitch McConnell, who went from condemning Trump’s actions on January 6, to trying to get the impeachment charges dismissed, to then condemning him after voting not guilty to then, when asked he would support Trump if he was the nominee in 2024, McConnell said, “The nominee of the party? Absolutely.”

Discussions about Trump and fundraising show that, like always, it’s just to enrich him and not to try to help out the party. Of course, given the awfulness of the entire party, that’s not really a bad thing.

One of the highlights of the book was the chapter on the bizarre conspiracy theory that Trump was going to be reinstated in the White House during the summer of 2021. Another very staring part of the book was the discussions on choosing candidates to endorse during the 2022 midterms, including the bizarre instance in which he endorsed both candidates in the same race.

The chapter on the search of Mar-a-Lago was another of the highlights of the book.

My biggest criticism of the book is not enough coverage of the indictments. This author should especially have been situated to be able to get good information on the documents case. But, other than discussing the search of the premises, there is almost nothing there.

I give this book a B. Amazon, Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, a B equates to 3 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley. The publisher has requested that reviews not be scheduled to be posted until after it is released to the public on August 6. So, I will then be posting this review to Amazon, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews.

After Trump’s loss (yes, LOSS) in the 2020 Presidential election and the events of January 6, 2021 Trump left Washington and returned to Mar-a-Lago an embittered and wounded man. Many thought his political career was done.

It wasn’t. So what did he spend his time doing down there?

This book chronicles his time preparing for the 2024 election as he continued to whine about a “stolen” election (that wasn’t stolen), destroyed the political hopes of Ron DeSantis (forever? Quite possibly.), got ready for his upcoming criminal trials and, sadly, stands ready to serve as the Republican party’s nominee for President for the third time. God help us all.

“Before Donald Trump, a cardinal rule of American politics was that a candidate for president of the United States must articulate a positive vision for the future of the country.” Well, no more. He’s just a cancer, the author knows it and tries to show readers why, while also showing why you can never count this bastard out. Some of the book is just a reminder of things you likely already knew, but it’s helpful (and depressing) to have it all in one place. Give it to someone who says he or she hasn’t made up his or her mind yet.

Well-written, informative and very revealing. Even though the public has heard much of what the former President is doing, this book takes a closer look at the why’s and how’s of Trump’s dealings within the Republican Party.

I knew this book would only fuel my dislike of Trump, but I have this need to know more about why he seems so disjointed and unhinged, and this book definitely gave me some insight. This is a great compilation of facts surrounding the aftermath of a failed campaign and a chaotic presidency. Highly recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the arc.