"The United States of Trump: How the President really Sees America" by Bill O'Reilly
Review of The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees America by Bill O’Reilly
The American people like to like their governmental leaders. That goes for our local politicians all the
way up to the presidency. We feel better about how things are going in our communities, and our
country if we have a fondness for the people in charge. It heightens our trust level. It is easier to trust
people we like. It is much harder when we don’t. That is why likeability is a factor in elections.
I will admit that likeability has been a part of my decision-making in determining which candidate I voted
for as president of the United States. Consequently, I have voted for a lot of seemingly nice people. I
voted for Jimmy Carter. I voted for Michael Dukakis. I voted for Bill Clinton. I voted for George Bush. I
have a long history of voting for people I liked. The question is, “How effective would they be as
president of the USofA?” As someone brought to my naive attention, “Rick, when voting for president
of the United States we are not voting for our BFF but for the leader of the free world.” Good point.
In 2008 I liked Barak Obama. I was enamored with the whole idea of having our first black president,
but rather than just go with likeability I read his books, Dreams from My Father and Audacity of Hope. I
wanted to know about the man, how he thought; what motivated him; what were his guiding principles;
what was his vision for America, etc., so that I could vote “for the leader of the free world” and not a
BFF.
Like him or hate him, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for a second term as president of
the United States. As we move toward the November elections it would be well to get to know more
about this man, how he thinks; what motivates him; what are his guiding principles; what is his vision for
America; etc. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News fame, author of the Killing series, and now podcast guru offers
insights into each of those in his book, The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees
America.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part covers Trump before his candidacy in 2016 and the
second describes his campaign for the office through the beginning of Trump’s third year as president in
January of 2019. There is an Afterward that is principally an interview with the president in May of 2019.
In the Foreword, O’Reilly lays out his purpose in writing the book: “It tells the truth about the man, both
good and bad. It is not pro- or anti-Trump. It is history,” and Trump’s history is what follows. From his
childhood in the Queens, his personal heritage, his growing ambitions as a real estate developer, his
marriages, his fame on “The Apprentice.” All of which gives us a clearer understanding of this brawler
from Manhattan.
Much of what comes in the second part of the book -- the campaign, the election and the early years of
the Trump presidency -- we know. We saw it. We heard it. We read about it. What O’Reilly gives us
are insights into the “why” of it all. The tweeting. The name-calling. The combativeness. His penchant
for hyperbole. His leadership-style. In knowing Trump for thirty years and having unprecedented
personal access to the president and documented sources, O’Reilly makes good on his claim to tell the
truth about the man, both good and bad.
The United States of Trump probably won’t change your feelings about the president, but you will have
a clearer understanding of the man and how he views our country.
Review by Richard Dick, Library Assistant, O’Kelly Memorial Library
The American people like to like their governmental leaders. That goes for our local politicians all the
way up to the presidency. We feel better about how things are going in our communities, and our
country if we have a fondness for the people in charge. It heightens our trust level. It is easier to trust
people we like. It is much harder when we don’t. That is why likeability is a factor in elections.
I will admit that likeability has been a part of my decision-making in determining which candidate I voted
for as president of the United States. Consequently, I have voted for a lot of seemingly nice people. I
voted for Jimmy Carter. I voted for Michael Dukakis. I voted for Bill Clinton. I voted for George Bush. I
have a long history of voting for people I liked. The question is, “How effective would they be as
president of the USofA?” As someone brought to my naive attention, “Rick, when voting for president
of the United States we are not voting for our BFF but for the leader of the free world.” Good point.
In 2008 I liked Barak Obama. I was enamored with the whole idea of having our first black president,
but rather than just go with likeability I read his books, Dreams from My Father and Audacity of Hope. I
wanted to know about the man, how he thought; what motivated him; what were his guiding principles;
what was his vision for America, etc., so that I could vote “for the leader of the free world” and not a
BFF.
Like him or hate him, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for a second term as president of
the United States. As we move toward the November elections it would be well to get to know more
about this man, how he thinks; what motivates him; what are his guiding principles; what is his vision for
America; etc. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News fame, author of the Killing series, and now podcast guru offers
insights into each of those in his book, The United States of Trump: How the President Really Sees
America.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part covers Trump before his candidacy in 2016 and the
second describes his campaign for the office through the beginning of Trump’s third year as president in
January of 2019. There is an Afterward that is principally an interview with the president in May of 2019.
In the Foreword, O’Reilly lays out his purpose in writing the book: “It tells the truth about the man, both
good and bad. It is not pro- or anti-Trump. It is history,” and Trump’s history is what follows. From his
childhood in the Queens, his personal heritage, his growing ambitions as a real estate developer, his
marriages, his fame on “The Apprentice.” All of which gives us a clearer understanding of this brawler
from Manhattan.
Much of what comes in the second part of the book -- the campaign, the election and the early years of
the Trump presidency -- we know. We saw it. We heard it. We read about it. What O’Reilly gives us
are insights into the “why” of it all. The tweeting. The name-calling. The combativeness. His penchant
for hyperbole. His leadership-style. In knowing Trump for thirty years and having unprecedented
personal access to the president and documented sources, O’Reilly makes good on his claim to tell the
truth about the man, both good and bad.
The United States of Trump probably won’t change your feelings about the president, but you will have
a clearer understanding of the man and how he views our country.
Review by Richard Dick, Library Assistant, O’Kelly Memorial Library
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