• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2022 October #1
  *Starred Review* With so many books about Donald Trump on the shelves and still more in the pipeline, how does a new one distinguish itself? In this case, it's through the journalistic chops of coauthors Baker, the New York Times White House correspondent, and the New Yorker's Glasser. There's also the book's heft: at more than 700 pages, it draws on information from hundreds of interviews (many, unfortunately, off the record) as well as written accounts, personal papers, and texts. For now anyway, The Divider is the definitive account of Trump's White House years. Much of the story is, of course, known. Those who've avidly followed the twists, turns, and intrigues of the Trump administration will find plenty that's familiar. Still, there are juicy surprises, as when Melania Trump subtly dissuades Chris Christie from taking the Chief of Staff job by subtly reminding him about the influential and ever-present Jared and Ivanka. More somberly, the book discloses that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was on the phone with Trump when he heard the shot that killed January 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt. At the time, the President was telling the Speaker, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are. What is shown so clearly here is that this country's democracy is held in place by norms, but from the first, Donald Trump had no interest in norms. It wasn't just his breaking them; half the time, he didn't know nor care that they existed. As the narrative plows inexorably forward, readers see normalcy turned on its head, institutions fail, people lose their way (while others felt it was important not to be replaced by a sycophant), and the determination to hold power, well, trumping everything else. The story continues, but Baker and Glasser give readers an indispensable starting point. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2022 October #1
  *Starred Review* With so many books about Donald Trump on the shelves and still more in the pipeline, how does a new one distinguish itself? In this case, it's through the journalistic chops of coauthors Baker, the New York Times White House correspondent, and the New Yorker's Glasser. There's also the book's heft: at more than 700 pages, it draws on information from hundreds of interviews (many, unfortunately, off the record) as well as written accounts, personal papers, and texts. For now anyway, The Divider is the definitive account of Trump's White House years. Much of the story is, of course, known. Those who've avidly followed the twists, turns, and intrigues of the Trump administration will find plenty that's familiar. Still, there are juicy surprises, as when Melania Trump subtly dissuades Chris Christie from taking the Chief of Staff job by subtly reminding him about the influential and ever-present Jared and Ivanka. More somberly, the book discloses that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was on the phone with Trump when he heard the shot that killed January 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt. At the time, the President was telling the Speaker, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are. What is shown so clearly here is that this country's democracy is held in place by norms, but from the first, Donald Trump had no interest in norms. It wasn't just his breaking them; half the time, he didn't know nor care that they existed. As the narrative plows inexorably forward, readers see normalcy turned on its head, institutions fail, people lose their way (while others felt it was important not to be replaced by a sycophant), and the determination to hold power, well, trumping everything else. The story continues, but Baker and Glasser give readers an indispensable starting point. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

PETER BAKER is the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, a political analyst for MSNBC, and the author of Days of Fire and The Breach. SUSAN GLASSER is a staff writer for The New Yorker and author of its weekly "Letter from Trump's Washington," as well as a CNN global affairs analyst. Their first assignment as a married couple was as Moscow bureau chiefs for The Washington Post, after which they wrote Kremlin Rising. They also coauthored The Man Who Ran Washington, a New York Times bestseller. They live in Washington, D.C., with their son.