Victor Davis Hanson's Argument in Support of Donald Trump

Richard M, DerbyshireRichard M, Derbyshire: Let me start by saying I tend to read broadly on subjects and then form an opinion. I started this book as vaguely anti-Trump having read some more liberal books on the subject and having formed an opinion on him via MSM.

I then heard Victor Davis Hanson on a podcast and thought I’d read this. Although he is very slightly biased (in my opinion) toward Trump he does soberly lay out Trumps aims, style and approach to acting as a disrupter of the bi-partisan deep state model of US politics. The arguments are convincing and confound the media portrayal of The Donald.

The thread through the book is that Trump had no cultural shared history with then Beltway or career politicians and so was able to shake up the system.

Well worth a read - especially to anyone who hates the man.

United Kingdom on Aug 25, 2023

D. M. Ohara: The title of this book should not lead anyone to think it is a hagiography of its subject - by no means.
It is a warts-and-all assessment by a first class historian, in which his vast knowledge of classical Greek and ancient history, as well the history of warfare (and indeed his familiarity with the classic films of Hollywood's Golden Age) is brought to bear on this most controversial (and widely hated) President of the modern era.

Amidst the hysteria and incomprehension that followed Trump's 1916 election to the Presidency of the USA, Victor Davis Hanson soberly analyses the factors that brought him to this position, the reasons why he was so widely hated, and the roles of his opponents. It also provides - in my opinion - a fair assessment of his actual achievements. Written mid-way through his first (and so far only) term as President, it does not, of course, provide a full picture: but it does fairly assess his many positive contributions, not least his spectacular improvement of the economy, and his shrewd management of international affairs, for which he was rarely given credit amid the welter of hysterical opposition that he faced. This is not just a book for...

United Kingdom on Mar 17, 2022

Yann: A lire! Dommage qu'il n'y ait de traduction en Français

France on Dec 10, 2021

David: Trump was to me, what the MSM said about him, until BREXIT became the travesty it did. Then, some parallels started to emerge... You guessed; it the MSM here in the UK had decided I was a 'deplorable' and gradually I understood what was the 'swamp', what it's evil aims actually are, and that DJT is actually (like him or not) one of the few that stand in their way. This book really helps to catch up people like me that are suddenly enlightened to the scale and risks of the war we are in for western freedom and democracy. The USA, leaders of the free world, are the front-line. All I can say now is ' GO TRUMP 2020'!! And this is Dec 16th - the fix is in and USA hangs in the balance...

I stopped watching the BBC and most other MSM output as soon as I realised that they are the shock troops of a global technocratic revolution. I'm sure most people (the vast majority) have no idea what is really going on. This book is an essential piece of the research needed by anyone wishing to understand the gravity of the situation facing western democracy.

United Kingdom on Dec 16, 2020

bobsmithrealtors: It was refreshing , as well as surprising, to read a balanced, well-written, substantive book about our current political environment and the "Trump paradox." Victor Davis Hanson, soft-spoken author of over 20 prior books, has the uncommon ability to effectively and passionately communicate the subtleties of complex issues without resorting to sophistry. Hanson identifies the underlying reasons Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election and provides numerous details about the subsequent responses from those who opposed him. To his credit, although he does support Trump, the author does not ignore Trump's faults and setbacks.

In making the case for Trump, throughout the book the author emphasizes the fact that the forgotten voters - those in blue-collar professions, those living in rural areas of America, and many others who were not seen as "elites" were concerned about the way things were going and how their views were being portrayed by the media. These are the voters that Trump supported in his many speeches and pronouncements and they - in return - supported him.

Trump comprehended the negative effects on American workers when jobs are exported to other...

United States on Oct 31, 2019

John Walker: The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president in November 2016 was a singular event in the history of the country. Never before had anybody been elected to that office without any prior experience in either public office or the military. Trump, although running as a Republican, had no long-term affiliation with the party and had cultivated no support within its establishment, elected officials, or the traditional donors who support its candidates. He turned his back on the insider consultants and “experts” who had advised GOP candidate after candidate in their “defeat with dignity” at the hands of a ruthless Democrat party willing to burn any bridge to win. From well before he declared his candidacy he established a direct channel to a mass audience, bypassing media gatekeepers via Twitter and frequent appearances in all forms of media, who found him a reliable boost to their audience and clicks. He was willing to jettison the mumbling points of the cultured Beltway club and grab “third rail” issues of which they dared not speak such as mass immigration, predatory trade practices, futile foreign wars, and the exporting of jobs from the U.S. heartland to low-wage...

United States on Oct 30, 2019

J. Rupp: „The Case for Trump explains why Donald J. Trump won the 2016 election — and why I and 62,984,827 other Americans (46 percent of the popular vote) supported him on Election Day. I also hope readers of the book will learn why Trump’s critics increasingly despise rather than just oppose him. Often their venom reveals as much about themselves and their visions for the country as it does about their opposition to the actual record of governance of the mercurial Trump.“
Mit diesen Worten beginnt Victor Davis Hanson sein Buch über den 45. Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten. Hanson, der sich sowohl als Althistoriker als auch als konservativer Kommentator einen Namen gemacht hat, betrachtet Trump darin als einen tragischen Helden, der nach Washington gekommen ist, um gegen den erbitterten Widerstand der etablierten Kräfte die unangenehme, aber unumgängliche Arbeit zu verrichten, mit der die Berufspolitiker beider Parteien seit langem überfordert sind.
Der Autor sieht sich selbst als ein distanzierter Beobachter, der kein persönliches Interesse daran hat, in der Trump-Administration einen Job zu erhalten. In einem Interview mit Rob Bluey sagte er hierzu: „I have...

Germany on Sep 22, 2019