Hiding in Plain Sight The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America

I think I came across this book on Twitter as a recommendation after the Jan 6 insurrection and I knew that I had to read it. Seems like many had the same idea because it took me this long to get the book from my library, but it was completely worth the wait.

While I don't think I had not encountered the author's writing before, it was not a surprise to know that she was among the few reporters who predicted a 45 win in 2016 because of her extensive experience in researching authoritarianism. And this book is not really about his horrifying campaign or his even worse presidency - this is about the circumstances under which a person such as him managed to ascend to the highest office of the country and how it came to be. But this is not an anti Republican Party book as some would like you to believe - this is an anti authoritarian and anti corruption book, calling out the people and policies which have enabled a 45 win.

As a resident of St. Louis Missouri, the author uses her own life experience to give us a view of how the country has changed across decades. Her meticulous research about the nexus between the political elites, corrupt businessmen and organized crime syndicates is commendable, and just like her, we are left equally dismayed about why none of these corrupt players ever faced any consequences. And when these people get away with their crimes, they continue on with more impunity and what results is the disaster we have seen play out on tv and Twitter for the past 5 years. The author doesn't shy away from naming names, many whose corrupt and money laundering activities were known to the investigative agencies for almost decades but were never prosecuted because all of the organizations were infiltrated by these corrupt people. As she mentions many times, this is what happens when criminals become a major part of government - crimes and illegal activities become legal, because criminals are now writing the laws. She also details how this has been a decades long project - how slowly laws and ethics have been eroded across multiple presidencies that now, these corrupt elites boast about their criminal activities on national television because they know they will never be punished.

In the end, the author doesn't give many solutions because there is not much everyday people can do against the rich and powerful. But she wants to keep fighting for and telling the truth, despite the reality of constant death threats. And I guess that's what we can do too - never lose sight of the corruption that has permeated our system, keep ourselves informed about what's happening around us, and make sure we exercise all the rights accorded to us by the constitution before they are forcibly taken from us. We may have managed to avert an immediate disaster due to the result of the 2020 election, but that doesn't mean we can afford to close our eyes, because the fight is not yet over and probably won't during our lifetimes. There is a lot more I can say about the book and the author's amazing narration of the audiobook, but I'll just end by saying this should be recommended reading for anyone who cares about their country.

I'm tempted to not even bother reviewing this and just tell you to read it. Everyone should read it. I think after listening to nine hours of the deep corruption that has created the world we are currently living in, I feel a modicum of what Sarah Kendzior feels on a daily basis - extraordinary frustration that people just don't see what's right in front of them.

What I like most about this book is that Kendzior pivots the discourse away from focusing on individual citizens. She never talks down about the white Midwestern/Southerners who are often credited for getting Trump in office, she never tries to come up with tired explanations that most political pundits rely on like “economic anxiety” or “lack of education.” Instead, she uses the state of Missouri as an example of how decades of corrupt state government and exploitation of the working class have created a population desperate for security and validation. When you continuously take away from people, they start ripping each other to pieces for the scraps. This knowledge isn't exactly new, but what Kendzior is trying to impress upon us here is that it is very much intentional. This system was built for someone like Trump to eventually lead it.

The portrait that Kendzior draws in this book is all about connections. The same cast of characters - international criminals, oligarchs, and spies - keep showing up again and again in Trump's life. Some of them have been arrested and charged, others still free but their crimes known. But there is a lot that is unknown. We don't know why Ivanka and Donald Jr. were a hair's breadth from being charged with fraud and then abruptly were not. We don't know Trump's exact relationships with Ghislaine Maxwell or various Russian agents. But what is fairly clear is that Donald Trump is so ridiculously compromised. These people have been in his life - his businesses, his friendships, even his family - from the beginning. He is a hollow shell of a human being propped up by a network of opportunists who groomed him for the political stage. This is not an outsider who came in to shake things up. This was on purpose. The chaos that we're experiencing now? The people who made Trump who he is wanted this to happen.

There are so many books coming out about Trump these days, and every time some new dastardly info comes out about him someone inevitably says, “It's not it isn't anything we don't already know.” I'm irritated by this for a number a reasons - for one, you don't know. And two, it's not about him. It's about the people who will use a man like this for their own ends. There's a reason the title of this book is the “Invention of Donald Trump.” Ultimately, the individual at the center has little relevance. He's the right body, raised at the right time by the right sociopath and exploited and groomed by the right people. He gets a lot out of the deal, I'm sure. But the American public as a whole gets nothing. This is a plot to drained our country dry so that a select few can profit.

We are heading down a bad path. As of today, there are two months until the general election and the only reason why I am not completely terrified is because of some very basic mindfulness practices. I've taught myself to loosen my neck and shoulders so that I don't get stabbing pain under my jaw. I've learned to put away things that I can't control so that I can sleep at night. I might end up doing what Kendzior talks about in the last couple of chapters - seeing the national monuments, exploring the country and taking it in as it is today, in the event that it will soon be gone. I implore you to read this book, not because I think it'll change your mind - if you're inclined to read this, then you're probably already quite anti-Trump. But you will have the ammunition you are looking for, and maybe, just maybe you'll be able to hand it to someone who does need their mind changed. Someone who needs to see the artifice around what they thought was a man.