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Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass
From the editor in chief of Variety and author of the New York Times bestseller Ladies Who Punch, the never-fully-told, behind-the-scenes story of Donald Trump and The Apprentice, the long-running reality series that catapulted him to the White House.
Here for the first time is the definitive untold story of Donald Trump’s years as a reality TV star. Trump himself admits he might not have been president without The Apprentice. Now, just as he uncovered the chaos inside the daytime favorite The View in his bestselling Ladies Who Punch, Ramin Setoodeh chronicles Trump’s dramatic tenure as New York’s ultimate boss in the boardroom, a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker. With unprecedented access, including hours of interviews with Trump, his boardroom advisers George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher, Eric Trump, and some of the most memorable contestants, and writing with flair and authority, Setoodeh shares all the untold tales from this legendary show that has left its mark on popular culture, shaped the legend of its star, and ultimately changed American history.
Here for the first time is the definitive untold story of Donald Trump’s years as a reality TV star. Trump himself admits he might not have been president without The Apprentice. Now, just as he uncovered the chaos inside the daytime favorite The View in his bestselling Ladies Who Punch, Ramin Setoodeh chronicles Trump’s dramatic tenure as New York’s ultimate boss in the boardroom, a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker. With unprecedented access, including hours of interviews with Trump, his boardroom advisers George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher, Eric Trump, and some of the most memorable contestants, and writing with flair and authority, Setoodeh shares all the untold tales from this legendary show that has left its mark on popular culture, shaped the legend of its star, and ultimately changed American history.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2024
About the author
Ramin Setoodeh
3 books43 followersRamin Setoodeh, an award-winning journalist, is the New York bureau chief for Variety. He was formerly a senior writer at Newsweek and has also written for The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report, among other publications. Ladies Who Punch is his first book. He lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 18, 2024
I worked as a research assistant and fact checker on this book so, yes, I am a bit biased, but this is a must read for anyone interested in 2000s entertainment industry shenanigans and how we ended up in the strange political moment we currently find ourselves in.
June 21, 2024
It’s ironic that ‘reality TV’ is fake and that Trump’s narcissistic nature as shown in this book found the perfect myth making vehicle through a TV show that was artificially staged and was ably presented in this book.
The book’s interviews (six in total) with the convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender, election denier and fined fraudster demonstrates Trumps inability to care about facts. I already knew Trump had an unhealthy relationship with reality and this book focused on his TV show that I never watched and had no interest in, at times that made the book a little dull for me.
Overall, Trump’s role as a host on a phony TV show clearly was his perfect venue and his reformatting of reality that he kept trying to sell to the author only adds to the fake myth creation of Trump, and the book shows Trump to be a lying buffoon since the author would sandwich Trump’s lies between facts or incongruities with reality. That’s one of the most effective tools one has in combating a pathological liar who is a convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender and heavily fined fraudster.
The book’s interviews (six in total) with the convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender, election denier and fined fraudster demonstrates Trumps inability to care about facts. I already knew Trump had an unhealthy relationship with reality and this book focused on his TV show that I never watched and had no interest in, at times that made the book a little dull for me.
Overall, Trump’s role as a host on a phony TV show clearly was his perfect venue and his reformatting of reality that he kept trying to sell to the author only adds to the fake myth creation of Trump, and the book shows Trump to be a lying buffoon since the author would sandwich Trump’s lies between facts or incongruities with reality. That’s one of the most effective tools one has in combating a pathological liar who is a convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender and heavily fined fraudster.
June 24, 2024
Finally, I Get It
For years I have not understood the country’s collective fascination with Donald Trump. I always knew he was bad for the country, and was utterly confused why everyone couldn’t see that. I’ve read several books on Trump…trying to get it. This is the first book that helped me “see the light”. The author shows that Trump certainly has all the characteristics necessary to be the star of a reality television show; narcissism being first among those. It only became scary when so many Americans were fooled into thinking what he offered was real and would translate well into a presidency. Let Donald Trump sit at as many fake boardroom tables as he wants, just keep him out of the Oval Office. He is woefully not qualified.
For years I have not understood the country’s collective fascination with Donald Trump. I always knew he was bad for the country, and was utterly confused why everyone couldn’t see that. I’ve read several books on Trump…trying to get it. This is the first book that helped me “see the light”. The author shows that Trump certainly has all the characteristics necessary to be the star of a reality television show; narcissism being first among those. It only became scary when so many Americans were fooled into thinking what he offered was real and would translate well into a presidency. Let Donald Trump sit at as many fake boardroom tables as he wants, just keep him out of the Oval Office. He is woefully not qualified.
June 1, 2024
this book is a trip. ramin’s access to trump is stupefying and it’s an excellent insight into the hollywood machine that accidentally produced a president
June 22, 2024
surprisingly compelling, uneasily amusing
By grounding his portrayal of Trump in his role as a reality TV star, Setoodah nails something Trump's other chroniclers have missed: Trump is *still* a reality TV star—one who now, in summer of 2024, is angling to get renewed for another season.
With the exception of a few passages where he gets lost in the weeds of "splits" of money between this revenue stream vs. that one, who was running which network and why—topics only of interest to Hollywood insiders who obsessively follow the news in Variety—Setoodah is a good writer. He observes Trump keenly and has a knack for capturing telling details.
By grounding his portrayal of Trump in his role as a reality TV star, Setoodah nails something Trump's other chroniclers have missed: Trump is *still* a reality TV star—one who now, in summer of 2024, is angling to get renewed for another season.
With the exception of a few passages where he gets lost in the weeds of "splits" of money between this revenue stream vs. that one, who was running which network and why—topics only of interest to Hollywood insiders who obsessively follow the news in Variety—Setoodah is a good writer. He observes Trump keenly and has a knack for capturing telling details.
June 22, 2024
Read the final chapter!
Surprisingly, this is not just another tell all. The author reveals why Trump and we are all caught in the world of a reality tv president. The final chapters offer both a depressing possible future and the way back to reality when dealing with The Apprentice star as a politician expected to govern.
The keys to Donald Trump are contained in this book, Barbara Res’ Tower of Lies, and Bob Woodward’ Rage. It’s all about character.
Surprisingly, this is not just another tell all. The author reveals why Trump and we are all caught in the world of a reality tv president. The final chapters offer both a depressing possible future and the way back to reality when dealing with The Apprentice star as a politician expected to govern.
The keys to Donald Trump are contained in this book, Barbara Res’ Tower of Lies, and Bob Woodward’ Rage. It’s all about character.
July 15, 2024
Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America through the Looking Glass was rude and disrespectful. It was not a fun behind-the-scenes book that I had expected.
Shelved as 'probably-not-gonna-read'
June 10, 2024Why was this weirdo rambling about Taylor Swift on this book?
June 22, 2024
I've edited several books on Trump, including two Times bestsellers, I've read many more, and I know the shelf extremely well, so I can say with confidence that APPRENTICE IN WONDERLAND is the single most devastating portrait of Trump ever published.
Setoodeh doesn't need to report scandalous stories about Trump. There's a million of those. They have no capacity to shock any more in the post-shame society Trump's created. And the author admits and many people agree that Trump can be personable and charming, even while he's sexually assaulting you. What makes the book so brilliant--and horrifying--is that Trump happily rips off his clothes, figuratively, over the course of many long interviews to show us how small he is. How limp. How sad.
Setoodeh generally just lets the tape roll, only injecting facts, corrections and commentary where necessary, but never overwhelming Trump's self-abasement in pursuit of gotchas. Consequently the book is full of telling revelations from Trump's own mouth.
The key line in the book would seem to be the author ultimately agreeing with an observation by Sam Solovey, from the first season of "The Apprentice": "Trump conducts himself like an actor playing Trump." And there are many instances of Trump trying to figure out how a human would act in a given situation. But he can't not be this character he's created (and had created for him), such as when he says out loud to the author that he lost the last election, then, astounded at what he just heard, revises himself to say that the election was stolen.
But I think the most telling line in the book is when Trump, the King of Projection, says of Les Moonves, the head of CBS who got fired for assaulting and harassing women: "Now he sits alone at the Bel-Air Club, and no one cares." This is Trump's greatest fear: Oblivion, however luxurious. He feels he doesn't exist unless someone is looking at him. Which is why he's happy to maintain an interview session with the author the day of his sister's death and at the moment a judge is ruling against him. Which also explains why he has to be charming and personable. Once someone turns away from Trump, he vanishes. If he looked into a mirror, he'd see nothing.
While Mary Trump's book makes a compelling case for her family creating Trump--how different the world might be if that slumlord Fred Trump had hugged his son even once--Setoodeh makes a compelling case for Mark Burnett sharing the blame. His father made Trump a "killer"; Burnett handed him an AR-15 in the form of "The Apprentice." I also love books about the making of movies and TV shows, and this is one of the better ones in that regard too, even though I've never seen any of the "Apprentice" shows. The backstage scheming mirrors what went on for the cameras, but at a more professional level. Fascinating stuff, especially in how reality was warped around Trump the way it's warped around the vengeful, murderous dictator in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's AUTUMN OF THE PATRIARCH.
And the evolution of the show mirrors that of the Republican Party from Reagan to Trump, with the capitalist strivers of the early seasons mutating into "Celebrity Apprentice's" rejects, reprobates and schemers. Setoodeh, to his credit, has sympathy for them, he shows many of them in a positive light, but like Trump's enablers and perhaps much of his base today, they all know they're willfully complicit in something ugly for their own gain. The book really opened my eyes to just how much of a reality show Trump has made America.
On top of all that, the book is compulsively readable. I blasted through it in a day and enjoyed every minute of reading it.
My only quibble with the book regards the title. While there's a very good reason for Setoodeh to invoke ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a far better, but perhaps now too obscure analogy would be to SUNSET BOULEVARD (which the author does make a very clever allusion to). Trump is a washed-up celebrity, a defeated politician, a failed businessman, a convicted rapist and felon constantly craving his next close-up and blaming everyone but himself for moving on. He even has a Brooks Brothers-wearing Max at hand in Trump Tower to constantly massage his collapsing ego. I half-expected the author to end up dead in a pool at the end.
Setoodeh doesn't need to report scandalous stories about Trump. There's a million of those. They have no capacity to shock any more in the post-shame society Trump's created. And the author admits and many people agree that Trump can be personable and charming, even while he's sexually assaulting you. What makes the book so brilliant--and horrifying--is that Trump happily rips off his clothes, figuratively, over the course of many long interviews to show us how small he is. How limp. How sad.
Setoodeh generally just lets the tape roll, only injecting facts, corrections and commentary where necessary, but never overwhelming Trump's self-abasement in pursuit of gotchas. Consequently the book is full of telling revelations from Trump's own mouth.
The key line in the book would seem to be the author ultimately agreeing with an observation by Sam Solovey, from the first season of "The Apprentice": "Trump conducts himself like an actor playing Trump." And there are many instances of Trump trying to figure out how a human would act in a given situation. But he can't not be this character he's created (and had created for him), such as when he says out loud to the author that he lost the last election, then, astounded at what he just heard, revises himself to say that the election was stolen.
But I think the most telling line in the book is when Trump, the King of Projection, says of Les Moonves, the head of CBS who got fired for assaulting and harassing women: "Now he sits alone at the Bel-Air Club, and no one cares." This is Trump's greatest fear: Oblivion, however luxurious. He feels he doesn't exist unless someone is looking at him. Which is why he's happy to maintain an interview session with the author the day of his sister's death and at the moment a judge is ruling against him. Which also explains why he has to be charming and personable. Once someone turns away from Trump, he vanishes. If he looked into a mirror, he'd see nothing.
While Mary Trump's book makes a compelling case for her family creating Trump--how different the world might be if that slumlord Fred Trump had hugged his son even once--Setoodeh makes a compelling case for Mark Burnett sharing the blame. His father made Trump a "killer"; Burnett handed him an AR-15 in the form of "The Apprentice." I also love books about the making of movies and TV shows, and this is one of the better ones in that regard too, even though I've never seen any of the "Apprentice" shows. The backstage scheming mirrors what went on for the cameras, but at a more professional level. Fascinating stuff, especially in how reality was warped around Trump the way it's warped around the vengeful, murderous dictator in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's AUTUMN OF THE PATRIARCH.
And the evolution of the show mirrors that of the Republican Party from Reagan to Trump, with the capitalist strivers of the early seasons mutating into "Celebrity Apprentice's" rejects, reprobates and schemers. Setoodeh, to his credit, has sympathy for them, he shows many of them in a positive light, but like Trump's enablers and perhaps much of his base today, they all know they're willfully complicit in something ugly for their own gain. The book really opened my eyes to just how much of a reality show Trump has made America.
On top of all that, the book is compulsively readable. I blasted through it in a day and enjoyed every minute of reading it.
My only quibble with the book regards the title. While there's a very good reason for Setoodeh to invoke ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a far better, but perhaps now too obscure analogy would be to SUNSET BOULEVARD (which the author does make a very clever allusion to). Trump is a washed-up celebrity, a defeated politician, a failed businessman, a convicted rapist and felon constantly craving his next close-up and blaming everyone but himself for moving on. He even has a Brooks Brothers-wearing Max at hand in Trump Tower to constantly massage his collapsing ego. I half-expected the author to end up dead in a pool at the end.
July 16, 2024
A dull polemic that doesn't deliver what it promises.
This book is marketed as a history of the Apprentice, the most consequential reality show of all time.
When the author deigns to deliver on his premise, it's actually good: interviews with former contestants, behind the scenes revelations (How Sam cheated in his contestant interview; or the contestant who was going to turn Trump down if hired). There were contestants who liked Donald Trump and supported him in politics and those who felt the opposite, and both views were fairly represented. I was surprised how limited the Apprentice's wider impact in popular culture was explored.
Most of the book is the author writing about his interviews with Donald Trump (e.g., who else was in the room, what the room looked like, the non-Apprentice subjects they talked about), followed by a meandering, relentless "fact check" of his subject a million times on the same claims.
What is the appropriate number of times to tell the reader that the show wasn't number one, as claimed? Three times? Five times? Ten times? Because I can tell you it was more than that. I think the author is so worried about what his friends think about him writing a book about Donald Trump that he feels the need to attack him on every page. We get it. You don't like him. We get it. Not everything claimed about the show was true. This was an editorial and authorial miss, which is a shame because the Apprentice deserves a well-written history.
This book is marketed as a history of the Apprentice, the most consequential reality show of all time.
When the author deigns to deliver on his premise, it's actually good: interviews with former contestants, behind the scenes revelations (How Sam cheated in his contestant interview; or the contestant who was going to turn Trump down if hired). There were contestants who liked Donald Trump and supported him in politics and those who felt the opposite, and both views were fairly represented. I was surprised how limited the Apprentice's wider impact in popular culture was explored.
Most of the book is the author writing about his interviews with Donald Trump (e.g., who else was in the room, what the room looked like, the non-Apprentice subjects they talked about), followed by a meandering, relentless "fact check" of his subject a million times on the same claims.
What is the appropriate number of times to tell the reader that the show wasn't number one, as claimed? Three times? Five times? Ten times? Because I can tell you it was more than that. I think the author is so worried about what his friends think about him writing a book about Donald Trump that he feels the need to attack him on every page. We get it. You don't like him. We get it. Not everything claimed about the show was true. This was an editorial and authorial miss, which is a shame because the Apprentice deserves a well-written history.
July 22, 2024
"Trump presented a conundrum for a reporter: he might have been the sower of chaos all over the globe, and he certainly lacked empathy, but he could also be funny and engaging in conversation. But regardless of what version of Trump I saw in all our time together, it became clear to me in our first post-presidency meeting that there is no way to reasonably interview Trump as a politician. He's not a politician. There's no way to ask him about governing. He's not able to govern. There's no point in trying to pin him down on his hopes for another term. He doesn't care about the specifics of the plot during his time in the White House--he just wants to get renewed for another season."
Ramin Setoodeh's Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass didn't live up to it's hype for me. Sure you got to see a less divisive and perhaps a more likable DJT but 230+ pages to talk about Trump, the born showman who is only interested in fame, fortune, and the next gig when that's been apparent to everyone for years seemed rather gratuitous. Always the optimist, I plodded through the pages, hoping to find that glimmer of something new to spark my interest but, alas, it wasn't to be. Unfortunately, my trip through the looking glass revealed not even a ghost of the Cheshire Cat's grin, leaving me disappointed and $21.15 poorer.
July 13, 2024
Fascinating inside look from a writer who has spent more with The Former Guy than any other celebrities.
Memorable quotes…
“But in part due to trends in the culture that were percolating way before Trump, we’ve reached a threshold in our twenty-four-hour-news-cycle, pop-culture-obsessed society where politics and celebrity have merged so closely there’s no going back. We’ve gone down the rabbit hole with Trump. He’s eaten up everything, and grown massive in the process, all while we’ve shrunk into his playthings. And, unlike Alice in Alice in Wonderland, we can’t easily wake up from this nightmare.”
“Sitting in his presence, I feel certain that Trump can be as charismatic as any politician. That’s not the problem. The problem is he can deliver his lines, but can’t inhabit the part outside a Hollywood set.”
The author is convinced that Trump is playing a part, acting, rather than being…it’s always about polls and crowd size, stemming from his days as an actor and believing everything is told through ratings🤷🏼♂️
I enjoyed this book…it helped me to understand 🤷🏼♂️
Memorable quotes…
“But in part due to trends in the culture that were percolating way before Trump, we’ve reached a threshold in our twenty-four-hour-news-cycle, pop-culture-obsessed society where politics and celebrity have merged so closely there’s no going back. We’ve gone down the rabbit hole with Trump. He’s eaten up everything, and grown massive in the process, all while we’ve shrunk into his playthings. And, unlike Alice in Alice in Wonderland, we can’t easily wake up from this nightmare.”
“Sitting in his presence, I feel certain that Trump can be as charismatic as any politician. That’s not the problem. The problem is he can deliver his lines, but can’t inhabit the part outside a Hollywood set.”
The author is convinced that Trump is playing a part, acting, rather than being…it’s always about polls and crowd size, stemming from his days as an actor and believing everything is told through ratings🤷🏼♂️
I enjoyed this book…it helped me to understand 🤷🏼♂️
July 8, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
I rushed to purchase this book because I deeply enjoyed the author’s previous book, “Ladies Who Punch” which was a journalistic investigation into the behind the scenes drama behind the taping of the View television show. That book was a delectable feast of celebrity gossip that I inhaled in a few short days.
Unfortunately this book was just less entertaining as there really wasn’t any juicy gossipy tidbits about Trump or the Apprentice show. If you’ve regularly followed Trump from apprentice to presidency and you already see him for what he is (narcissist, liar, and unfit to be president) then nothing in this book will surprise you. IF ANYTHING and I’m shocked to think and say this, there are anecdotes that make me like Trump (and I deeply dislike the guy).
I’d maybe recommend the book to an alien who is just introduced to Trump.
I rushed to purchase this book because I deeply enjoyed the author’s previous book, “Ladies Who Punch” which was a journalistic investigation into the behind the scenes drama behind the taping of the View television show. That book was a delectable feast of celebrity gossip that I inhaled in a few short days.
Unfortunately this book was just less entertaining as there really wasn’t any juicy gossipy tidbits about Trump or the Apprentice show. If you’ve regularly followed Trump from apprentice to presidency and you already see him for what he is (narcissist, liar, and unfit to be president) then nothing in this book will surprise you. IF ANYTHING and I’m shocked to think and say this, there are anecdotes that make me like Trump (and I deeply dislike the guy).
I’d maybe recommend the book to an alien who is just introduced to Trump.
July 15, 2024
Ever since I woke up on November 9, 2016, to discover that Donald Trump had been elected president, I have been scratching my head and trying to figure out how and why. How were so many people fooled by this fraud of a man? Apprentice in Wonderland answers that question.
July 9, 2024
The book reads more like a detailed recap of the show for a 20th-anniversary companion piece.
While the author provided insightful observations about Trump, the media, and The Apprentice's early success, these points were overshadowed by extensive backstories, setups, plot points, and interviews with bit players — details that might only appeal to die-hard fans of The Apprentice.
The book highlights Trump's problematic approach to the Presidency, likening it to a reality TV show where "looking good" is much more important than "doing good." It hints that Trump was/is "playing" a character that is the President of the United States. That he wasn't and probably never intended to be a "real" President. And that the current run is more akin to a fading star trying to revive a show. Do we need to wade through all the tidbits to reach these conclusions, though?
While the author provided insightful observations about Trump, the media, and The Apprentice's early success, these points were overshadowed by extensive backstories, setups, plot points, and interviews with bit players — details that might only appeal to die-hard fans of The Apprentice.
The book highlights Trump's problematic approach to the Presidency, likening it to a reality TV show where "looking good" is much more important than "doing good." It hints that Trump was/is "playing" a character that is the President of the United States. That he wasn't and probably never intended to be a "real" President. And that the current run is more akin to a fading star trying to revive a show. Do we need to wade through all the tidbits to reach these conclusions, though?
July 12, 2024
I really loved the author’s perspective of Trump in this book. He deftly weaves the Donald Trump story from the time of The Apprentice to now. He tells us, the readers, how becoming a reality star built his image and his own estimation of himself. It falsely portrayed him as a business mogul and gave him a false sense of reality. I listened to this book on Audible, and the narrator was fantastic. I loved how the author pulled direct quotes from Trump spoken by a Trump impersonator. In the final chapters, the author gets quite cheeky in his actual thoughts. I kind of feel sorry for him (not really) as he thought this was going to be a very positive book about him. SURPRISE 😂
June 26, 2024
Interesting and insightful
Through Setoodeh we clearly see the fictional character Mark Burnett and his cohorts created on The Apprentice. Unfortunately, a great deal of American was watching and made that television character into the president, a role for which he was unsuited and unqualified. The book talks about the juxtaposition of the reality star versus the president. Ultimately, it’s clear Trump was more comfortable on the boardroom set. I hope others read this for a clearer view on what he held dear - and not so dear.
Through Setoodeh we clearly see the fictional character Mark Burnett and his cohorts created on The Apprentice. Unfortunately, a great deal of American was watching and made that television character into the president, a role for which he was unsuited and unqualified. The book talks about the juxtaposition of the reality star versus the president. Ultimately, it’s clear Trump was more comfortable on the boardroom set. I hope others read this for a clearer view on what he held dear - and not so dear.
June 30, 2024
This was pretty entertaining, and gives great insight as to the characters of Trump, Mark Burnett, and a cast of other interesting celebs (Omarosa, Joan Rivers, Dennis Rodman, Geraldo Rivera, Bette Midler, among others). I read the other book this author wrote on "The View", and this was far superior. The author does extensive fact-checking, which is helpful for those who read and are not at all familiar with the subject matter. It's also very easy to see how all of this celeb and reality show posturing could lead to illusions of a political career.
July 7, 2024
Four stars because it did everything it set out to do. Especially in the final chapters, where notably the title of the book is (expertly) derived.
Ultimately, though, it read like an extended magazine article and, I think for that reason, there’s a ready made movie in here; the entire book is essentially built around a handful of reflective interviews the writer held with Trump over the last few years.
The best parts recall the things we may have forgotten, like that The Celebrity Apprentice was borne of desperation because the original had begun to lose ratings sharply.
Ultimately, though, it read like an extended magazine article and, I think for that reason, there’s a ready made movie in here; the entire book is essentially built around a handful of reflective interviews the writer held with Trump over the last few years.
The best parts recall the things we may have forgotten, like that The Celebrity Apprentice was borne of desperation because the original had begun to lose ratings sharply.
July 9, 2024
Yet more evidence that a certain person is a delusional whack job. Who knew one person's overbearing ego could be so entertaining. This book is, understandably, all over the place because the subject is all over the place. I would have liked more about the apprentice and less about everything else but I did enjoy the (audio)book immensely. The narrator's imitation of Trump was quite good without being over the top. If you are a huge fan of the apprentice, this should be quite interesting to you. Thumbs up.
June 27, 2024
A deeper dive into Trump...
It is the day before the first debate with President Joe Biden. I am anxious and exhausted. We have become Trumps reality tv show. I just want him to go away so, as a country, we can heal and have some peace. Trump's entire persona is so disgusting and this is a deep dive into his narcissism and the demands it makes on everyone and everything he touches.
It is the day before the first debate with President Joe Biden. I am anxious and exhausted. We have become Trumps reality tv show. I just want him to go away so, as a country, we can heal and have some peace. Trump's entire persona is so disgusting and this is a deep dive into his narcissism and the demands it makes on everyone and everything he touches.
July 8, 2024
Getting real with a man who's anything but...
This book is really interesting. I've read many books and stories about Trump and his cheating at golf, taxes, on his wives, you name it. This was different. This author really gets to the heart of the fact that Trump is an empty shell of a human being, but I really appreciate this approach. It makes me realize there really is zero depth to this guy, and again, not the one who should be holding the nuclear codes.
This book is really interesting. I've read many books and stories about Trump and his cheating at golf, taxes, on his wives, you name it. This was different. This author really gets to the heart of the fact that Trump is an empty shell of a human being, but I really appreciate this approach. It makes me realize there really is zero depth to this guy, and again, not the one who should be holding the nuclear codes.
Read
July 23, 2024Apprentice in Wonderland tells the story of how Mark Burnett created the fantasy that pushed a television celebrity into the White House. In this book, the reader will see how small the man actually is and how big and false the myth, the legend became. Combining this book with Maggie Haberman's Confidence Man, Barbara Res' Tower of Lies, and Ruth Ben Ghiat's Strongmen should be required reading for anyone who plans to vote this coming November.
June 27, 2024
ok. kind of boring
Not sure how many times I can handle reading Trump self- congratulate without getting glassy eyed. The author seems a little bored with this guy. I know I am. Why did America hire a reality TV show host? Trump promised to go away if we fired him. We did. Why is he still here?
Not sure how many times I can handle reading Trump self- congratulate without getting glassy eyed. The author seems a little bored with this guy. I know I am. Why did America hire a reality TV show host? Trump promised to go away if we fired him. We did. Why is he still here?
July 2, 2024
I wish Goodreads had an option for zero stars.
I also wish I could get back my Spotify audiobook time that I wasted on this book.
Nothing happens.
Save your time. There are stronger Trump attack books.
Save your time. Read the Wikipedia articles on “Jeff Zucker” and “Mark Burnett”.
Total, total waste of time.
I also wish I could get back my Spotify audiobook time that I wasted on this book.
Nothing happens.
Save your time. There are stronger Trump attack books.
Save your time. Read the Wikipedia articles on “Jeff Zucker” and “Mark Burnett”.
Total, total waste of time.
July 2, 2024
The devil is in the details -- and Setoodeh packaged them well and to the point in "Apprentice in Wonderland." That's all I'm saying on the touchy issues surrounding Donald Trump.
God Bless the USofA as we take the next steps toward keeping our citizens free and safe and our fragile democracy intact!
July 8, 2024
A fun read. While Setoodeh clearly has a low opinion of Trump, his portrait of the former president, based on several interviews and his own attempt to get on the show, seems fair and more nuanced than you're likely to find in the MSM. It was fun to read about the inner workings of the show although I wish more time had been given to the actual shows and candidates.
July 8, 2024
Quite possibly the biggest waste of time I've used in a while. I expected at least some humor, or some interesting stories that I hadn't heard, or even some kind of unexpected insight. None of that. This was presented in a disorganized, disorderly fashion and made it almost boring to read something that should at least have been a little spicy or gossipy -- not even that.
June 29, 2024
Truly a look into the mind of a self-absorbed nutjob!
If anyone withan ounce of sense had any doubt about the true self that is Donald J Trump, you will have no reason to think otherwise after reading this book!
If anyone withan ounce of sense had any doubt about the true self that is Donald J Trump, you will have no reason to think otherwise after reading this book!
July 7, 2024
A remarkably fair look a Donald Trump with all his flaws and eccentricities, without going over the top (which distinguishes this book from other spiteful Trump bios). This book does what others don’t it highlighting Trump’s decency to many on the set of his show, which results in a well balanced book. Interesting insights on Mark Burnett’s life as well. Audible is the way to go on this one as the narrator has a fairly decent Trump impression (once you get used to it). I enjoyed it and recommend it.
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