Appraising Damnably, With Facts

A VERITABLE TORRENT OF BOOKS about Donald Trump have been published withn the last five years, unsurprisingly. There will, of course, be many more. Those in the future will have the advantage of greater perspective. Historically, as the decades and centuries pass, biographies become better, with the assistance of hindight, prior research, and perspective. So far, all books about Trump are unflattering in their assessment of the high roller wheeler dealer turned politician, and many of them were written by people who know Trump well; family members and close associates. The most recent one is the best, in terms of thoroughness of research and veracity of verified facts. It was written by neither a close associate nor familly member, but rather, David Cay Jonston, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who has worked for the New York Times, which contrary to conservative opinion remains the nation's most reliable, best newspaper. "The Big Cheat: How donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched HImself and his Family" makes no pretense at being complimentary in any way, it purports only to be objective and accurate, bearing in mind that objectivity and accuracy do not necessarily mean "fair and balanced", but can mean "fair and damning". Johnsoton is widely considered to be among America's most important, highest quality journalists. About him, Donald Trump said: "I know the reporter is a weird dude who's been folliwing me for twenty five years, so obviously he hasn't done well. He's been following me in a negative fashion for twenty five years, always a hit. And I'm president, so he hasn't done a very good job." Well known is that when Donald Trump disparages someone, journalist, political leader, or anyone else, the person being disparaged is usually someone of the highest quality and integrity, accomplished, intelligent, and honest. Consider Senator John McCain, for instance, among many others. Johnson begins his preface with : "Donald Trump turned the White House into a money making enterprise for himself, his family, and his friends." This ia a reference to Trump's numerous violations of the constitution's "emolument clause", which forbids an American president from profiting from his position of power because of his position of power. Trump signaled his intentions by stopping in front of his Pennsylvania Avenue hotel during his inauguration parade, and being photographed there. Since then, anyone who wants access to Trump understands that, when in Washington, stay at the Trump hotel. Ivanka started profiting from contacts in China, and her husband Jared Kushner did the same in the Middle East, both because Trump preferred nepotism to actual diplomacy conducted by professionals. When Trump was defeated for reelection and began repeating his "big lie" about the eection having been stolen from him, he solicited more than two hundred and fifty million dollars in donations for a "Stop the Steal" legal fund. Only a small protion of the money went to fund his many frivoous lawsuits, all of which were summarily thrown out of court. Most of the money went straight into Trump's pockets. And that, as they say, is only the tip of the iceberg.