Front Row at the Trump Show

Jonathan Karl is the face you see reporting nightly from the White House. An outstanding reporter, he has covered Trump for over 25 years. From his days as a glory-seeking real estate investor to the Presidency.
Karl really fleshes out the behind-the-scenes stories that we view every night on the news. Not limited to a short 30-60 second sound bite, he can take the time to tell the whole story. And what a pile of stories he has! If anything, it leaves you with the impression that things in the White House are even more chaotic than we thought. It really is an office run by one person, and that one person is in so far over his head that it's scary. So convinced of his own greatness, he's unwilling to take the advice of anyone, and makes show more decisions based only on how it will play in the polls. We are in deep trouble!
Honestly, I do not know how the author (and other reporters) can keep a straight face when asking Trump questions. Anytime he's talking, they know that he is lying. But, they keep asking. I would not want to play cards with Karl, his poker face would allow him to win everytime!
(Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book). show less

Karl seems to be trying hard to show a fairish, balanced view of Trump, such as highlighting trivial incidents like Trump being right in an exchange about where Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address (not on a jostling train ride) and having an accurate and withering remark about Jeb Bush when asked about his chances against Hillary... Such highlights service to only stress the chaos and crazy of "the Trump Show". This book goes from campaign to Presidency and goes rather deep into the press briefing animosity with Acosta, etc.; how it happened that asking the Trump Press Secretary to swear to honesty; and Trump's narcissistic love for attention from the media he reviles.

"I call it the Trump Show because that is the way President Trump sees it. He tracks the ratings and the crowds. He follows the reviews. He slams the critics but craves their approval. And when he can't get their approval, he sets out to prove them wrong by pointing to his adoring fans and showing that he can command the world's attention by changing the story line anytime he wants to change it."

The author is ABC's chief White House correspondent, and this book is more about his relationship with Trump over the years than a comprehensive look at Trump's presidency. Karl first met Trump in the early 1990's when as a cub reporter he interviewed Trump on why the world's most famous newlyweds, Lisa Presley and Michael Jackson, chose to stay show more at the Trump Hotel. Even then, Trump made the story more about him personally than about Lisa and Michael.
As noted, this is not a complete catalogue of Trump's misdeeds, and it primarily considers Trump in the context of what may be called his war on the Press, or as he refers to it, "the enemy of the people." Through it all, the author miraculously maintains a rigid objectivity, and in fact, I think lets Trump off fairly easily. There's some new material, mainly about behind the scenes press goings on, and I found that interesting. But this is not the Trump book to read if you want the full picture, which to be fair, it was not intended to provide. But as somewhat of a completist where this subject is concerned, I'm glad I read this.

3 stars show less

"Front Row at the Trump Show", by journalist Jonathan Karl, introduces the reader into what it's been like to be a White House reporter during the Trump Administration. Karl has known and interviewed Donald Trump many times, first writing about the NY real estate mogul some twenty-five years ago, and dealing with him off and on over the years since then.

Having a long-term working relationship with Donald Trump, Karl has good insights into Trump's behaviors and personality. So Karl has a good frame of reference to decipher Trump's words and actions. His behind-the-scenes descriptions of his interactions with the President are insightful, showing how at times, the President can be candid and friendly behind the scenes, and be a show more completely different person when he takes the stage and plays to the crowd in front of his supporters.

When reading, you get to see how Trump plays his role as master manipulator, and see why Trump continues to meet with reporters from the "fake news" outlets. Trump want to be the story, and often his most outlandish statements, even if knowingly false, gives him the coverage he seeks.

I liked the way Karl explained his relationship with the President. While Trump was frequently critical of Karl and/or the news organization(s) he represented, the book doesn't focus on each personal slight, nor spend all his time trying to criticize each and every policy decision of the President. He spends much more time simple telling his story of what it's like being a reporter covering the President who is so critical of the main stream media.

I also found it interesting in hearing about Karl's other working relationships with and what he had to say about fellow reporters such as CNN's Jim Acosta, and White House Press Secretaries Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders. show less

Veteran chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl shares his lengthy career as well as his personal history with President Donald Trump is this well-written and highly enjoyable book. Karl stresses the importance of the role of a free press and the importance of reporting the facts without reflecting the reporter's personal beliefs, as well as how important factual information is especially when covering a president who lies continuously. I have read many books on the Trump presidency but found I learned a lot of new information from Karl's work. This is a great read.

I found this book very fair to the President and his Cabinet. I found that this book pointed out flaws with everyone involved even his fellow reporters and even with himself. It was interesting to get a peek behind the curtain to see how the press corps works.

I like Jonathan Karl's style for this book, about the things he was exposed to as a reporter during those times. Disappointing from the point of view that a lot of it I already knew, having lived through it and following all the media coverage. But still I liked learning the extra that Karl tells us through the lens of his seat at the table.