Book SummaryA Warning, by Anonymous

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of A Warning

A Warning by “Anonymous,“ a senior Trump administration official, provides an insider’s view of three years in a turbulent administration, where aides have tried to deter President Donald J. Trump from making disastrous decisions and to mitigate the fallout when they’re unable to stop him.

Published in November 2019, the book is a followup to the author’s New York Times op-ed column, also published anonymously, on September 5, 2018, chronicling the efforts of “The Resistance,” a group of senior White House aides who worked to keep Trump from implementing reckless, petty, or illegal decisions. The op-ed piece was meant to assure Americans that there were “adults in the room,” who were working behind the scenes to protect the country’s interests from an immoral president, who put self-interest first.

However, the book argues that the resistance effort didn’t work—subsequently, the “guard rails” have come off. Trump has fired or driven away nearly every principled advisor, and he is running amok, like a twelve-year-old indiscriminately pushing buttons in an air traffic control tower. The author argues that Trump is unfit to be commander in chief and the nation must “fire” him before he destroys our democratic system.

The book is written anonymously in hopes of keeping the focus on the message rather than on attacking the messenger, although “Anonymous” doesn’t rule out revealing his or her identity at some point in the future.

The Steady State Fails

Trump’s principled advisors thought of themselves as a Steady State, keeping the presidency on track, as opposed to Trump’s imagined Deep State, which he claims is secretly undermining his presidency. However, on December 19, 2018, the firewall failed and Trump made a reckless foreign policy decision. It signaled the beginning of the end for the pragmatists in the White House, who thought they could contain him.

In this incident, Trump suddenly tweeted that the U.S. had defeated ISIS in Syria and he was withdrawing U.S. troops there. However, administration officials had just testified in Congress that ISIS remained a threat and had pledged not to leave Syria. Trump’s announcement alarmed and confused allies, hung the Defense Department out to dry, and raised concern about the safety of troops on the ground. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigned the next day.

It shattered the illusions of those who still thought they could bring discipline to a chaotic administration. The Steady Staters ultimately found Trump to be “unfit for the job” because:

1. He couldn’t focus on governing,
2. He sought to abuse his power through half-baked schemes to punish political opponents.
3. He constantly undermined democratic principles and institutions.

Dysfunctional White House

From the beginning, Trump’s impulsiveness and inattention defied any attempts to create order. His demands of aides typically fell into one of three categories: dumb, impossible, or illegal.

Staff referred to the process of dealing with a sudden Trump impulse to do something rash as a “five-alarm fire drill.” The scenario often started with Trump seeing something on television that bothered him and having a knee-jerk reaction—for instance, deciding to fire the Federal Reserve chairman. If staff received even a small amount of notice, they would rush to mobilize an effort to influence his views before he tweeted them out. This process of decision-making became the norm and was so exhausting for aides that they’d schedule frivolous campaign rallies to get Trump out of town.

Trump’s inattention was another problem. He wouldn’t read long papers or even summaries. Briefers learned to reduce their messages to a single point and keep repeating it, even when Trump veered off on another topic. If a briefer didn’t keep things short and sweet, Trump was likely to shout, “What the f-ck,” and throw the papers at the presenter.

Trump had no interest in or ability to manage daily functions of government. He couldn’t lead because he didn’t understand how the executive branch worked. Departments and agencies were confused about what to do and who was in charge. Policies weren’t thought out or coordinated; issues were ignored until they reached a crisis point.

Adding to the chaos, Trump liked to keep officials on edge by commenting publicly on their job performance or fueling gossip by complaining about someone. White House officials were perpetually on “deathwatch,” waiting to be fired by presidential tweet.

Until Trump ousted him, Chief of Staff John Kelly managed to rein in some of the president’s ad hoc decision-making. However, trying to improve the process was just applying a Band-Aid. Changing the system couldn’t fix Trump.

Waging War on Democracy

The United States has a system of checks and balances, based on three co-equal branches of government, to deter presidential abuses of power. The Trump presidency has proven to be one of the system’s biggest tests. Trump has undermined and attacked all three branches:

• Intelligence community: Trump began attacking the intelligence community even before taking office for its conclusion that Russians were interfering in the election campaign to benefit him. He’s continued to ridicule intelligence assessments and refused briefings because he’s “smart” and doesn’t need them. In addition, he’s sought to politicize intelligence information, retaliating against intelligence officials who contradict him. He’s also mishandled sensitive information, potentially putting agents’ lives in danger.
• Courts: Trump has regularly attacked judges. For instance, he blasted an...

A Warning Summary Introduction

A Warning by “Anonymous,” a senior Trump administration official, provides an insider’s view of three years in a turbulent administration, where aides have struggled to steer President Donald J. Trump away from making disastrous decisions and to mitigate the fallout when they’re unable to stop him.

Published in November 2019, the book is a followup to the author’s New York Times op-ed column, also published anonymously, on September 5, 2018, chronicling the efforts of “The Resistance,” a group of senior White House aides who worked to keep Trump from implementing anti-democratic, reckless, foolish, petty, and/or illegal decisions. The op-ed piece was meant to assure Americans that there were “adults in the room,” who were working behind the scenes to protect the country’s interests from an immoral president, who put self-interest first.

However, the book argues that the resistance effort didn’t work—subsequently, the “guardrails” have come off. Trump has fired or driven away nearly every principled advisor and he is running amok, like a twelve-year-old indiscriminately pushing buttons in an air traffic control tower. The author argues that **Trump is unfit to be...

A Warning Summary Chapter 1: The Steady State Fails

December 19, 2018, was a watershed moment in Trump’s presidency, in which the firewall of Steady State advisors failed and Trump made a rash foreign policy decision. It signaled the beginning of the end for pragmatists in the White House who thought they could contain him.

While White House staff were focused on saving an aid program in Latin America that Trump was threatening to scrap, he veered in a different direction, suddenly tweeting, ”We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency.”

The news that he’d decided to withdraw U.S. troops spread quickly. Senior staff had cautioned him against doing this, emphasizing that ISIS was still a serious threat and would regroup and plan further attacks. Also, withdrawal would empower Syria’s dictator as well as Russia and Iran and lead to the slaughter of the Kurds.

Trump’s announcement alarmed and confused allies, hung the Defense Department out to dry, and raised concern about the safety of the troops. The military scrambled to make plans to protect soldiers on the ground. It shattered the illusions of those who still thought they could bring order to a chaotic administration....

A Warning Summary Chapter 2: The President’s Character

Voters have the responsibility to weigh a president’s temperament and moral qualities—that is, character—when deciding whether that person is fit to continue in the role of president. The Roman statesman Cicero spelled out the moral qualities he felt were most important, and they are still a useful way to measure our leaders today. This chapter will look at how Trump measures up.

Trump in the Oval Office

The Oval Office evokes awe and respect. At its center stands the Resolute Desk, a gift from Queen Victoria in 1880, where presidents make decisions that set the course of our country and from which they address the people.

In 1986, Ronald Reagan spoke from behind the desk after the Challenger space shuttle explosion. From the same spot, George W. Bush issued a call for unity after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump, however, holds forth in the Oval Office in a different way:

• “It’s a hellhole, okay? They don’t let you say shithole anymore. But that place is a hellhole and everybody knows it.”
• “Watch them start to choke like dogs.”
• “I don’t f---ing care. Ooh ooh, excuses, excuses. Just stick it to them. I promise you, they will be kissing...

Shortform Exercise: Assessing Character

The Greeks and Romans were concerned about the character of their leaders. The Roman statesman Cicero listed the moral qualities he felt were most important: wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.

How do you define character: What moral qualities are most important to you and why?

A Warning Summary Chapter 3: Changeable Views

The president’s views are paramount—they set the direction of the administration and determine congressional priorities. They build public confidence and trust. Yet Trump’s views are constantly changing, depending on his whims, the last person he spoke with, or something he saw on television. They’re unconnected to any core beliefs or principles.

He reverses himself constantly, whether on health care, abortion, trade with China, or gun control. From the early days of his administration, he amazed staff with his inability to stick with a position. It provides fodder for comedians, memes, and even the sale of novelties, such as Trump flip-flop sandals with differing messages on the right and left soles.

This is the opposite of what the Republican Party is supposed to stand for. The GOP, which has long considered itself to be the party of principles, should be disturbed at Trump’s style of tossing out random ideas to see what “sticks.” Trump has indeed advanced a number of Republican causes, including making conservative judicial appointments and regulatory changes. However, most of the credit should go Congressional Republicans or the senior White House staff, who convinced...

A Warning Summary Chapter 4: Trump’s War on Democracy

Besides destroying the Republican Party, Trump has used the powers of his office to attack the foundations of our democracy. Every American, no matter what his or her politics are, should be alarmed.

In his business and personal life, Trump has always treated competitors and challengers as enemies to be eliminated—an attitude that’s carried over into the White House. This attitude is antithetical to the ideals of democracy.

After the election, Trump began considering ways to use federal investigators—in his mind, they’re his investigators—to punish his political opponents, especially the Clintons. While most people shrug off his threats as jokes or hyperbole, Trump really believes he can prosecute and jail anyone who challenges him. He’s furious when his lawyers and the law don’t bend his way. He’s been especially upset that the Justice Department hasn’t persecuted the Clintons.

He styles his improper demands as hints or innocent suggestions that he can deny later if necessary. For instance, he suggests that while he could order someone to do something, he hopes he won’t have to. His appointee knows exactly what Trump wants him to do. Attorney General Jeff...

A Warning Summary Chapter 5: Foreign Policy Incoherence

The primary way our leaders keep America safe and secure is through foreign policy. The president must have a well-considered strategy, implemented in conjunction with close allies, for distancing ourselves from adversaries and keeping them from harming us or our interests.

There are several problems with Trump’s foreign policy:

1) He has retreated from America’s role as the leader of the free world.

2) He lacks a coherent strategy.

3) He’s “flipped the script” by distancing us from our friends and cozying up to enemies.

No one knows what “America First” really means. He doesn’t listen to foreign policy experts and changes important policy positions at whim.

America’s Role in the World

For much of our history, regardless of which party has occupied the White House, Americans have seen our country’s role as spreading democracy around the world. Our nation’s Founders believed America would one day to create a global “empire of liberty.” As the nation grew, we began spreading democratic ideals abroad. Over the last century, almost every president has advanced this view. Except Trump.

After being sworn in, **he advocated stepping back from the global leadership and...

A Warning Summary Chapter 6: Vitriol, Lies, and Division

America’s Founding Fathers worried about mob rule overtaking our democratic system. They viewed Ancient Greece as an example of how self-government can fail. Greece was a direct democracy, where the majority ruled; citizens voted in an assembly. However, a mob mentality eventually took over. Overcome by passions, the people could be stampeded by the majority into disastrous decisions.

A turning point came in 427 BC. Athens was at war and there was a debate over how to respond when one of their allies joined Athens’ enemy, Sparta. Some wanted to slaughter everyone in the rebel city; others wanted to win them over. One speaker, Cleon, a rich bully, who shouted and used abusive language, argued for slaughtering the rebels. The audience was split, but reason eventually prevailed and an atrocity was averted. However, mob assemblies prevailed in subsequent instances—Greece annihilated the inhabitants of an island and later put Socrates to death. The country soon succumbed to tyranny.

Our democracy also faces a turning point. The tone of our national discourse has deteriorated into vitriol. We’ve split into ideological camps. But **we face critical decisions that require us to engage...

Shortform Exercise: Freedom of the Press

The author characterizes freedom of the press as our nation’s last hope for sorting truth from falsehood and as an essential defense against a tyrannical leader.

How do you define freedom of the press? Why do you think it’s important—or why not?

Shortform Exercise: Test Your Confirmation Bias

There is a deep ideological and partisan divide in our country. It is partly driven by “confirmation bias,” or the tendency to interpret information in a way that supports our preexisting views. Social media, politicians, and partisan commentators play to this bias.

Test your confirmation bias. Think of a topic that you get fired up about—what is your strongest belief about this topic and why?

A Warning Summary Chapter 7: Trump’s Apologists

Trump was the candidate Republicans didn’t want. In the field of seventeen GOP primary candidates in 2016, Trump was nearly everyone’s seventeenth pick. At first, most in the party ridiculed him. His comments were crazy and his candidacy seemed like a stunt.

The ridicule turned to frantic criticism, as they started to realize he had a chance of being nominated. “It was a clown car that became a slow-motion accident—funny at first but soon horrific.”

Republican elected officials had harsh assessments about Trump, including:

• Senator Ted Cruz: A “narcissist,” “Utterly amoral.”
• Texas Governor Rick Perry: “A cancer on conservatism” and “Peddling a carnival act that can best be described as Trumpism: a toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness, and nonsense.” Promoting “division and resentment.”
• Senator Lindsey Graham: “Jackass” and “kook.”
• Then-Congressman Mick Mulvaney (now Trump’s chief of staff): “A terrible human being.“ “One of the most flawed human beings ever to run for president in the history of the country.”

Among Republicans today, Trump critics are few. In the administration, most Steady Staters and people willing to stand up to Trump are gone....

A Warning Summary Chapter 8: We the People

There’s no doubt about the verdict on Donald Trump. Despite a number of accomplishments, Trump is:

• Acting immorally
• Weakening the party he’s supposed to be leading
• Attacking Democratic institutions
• Deserting vital U.S. allies
• Emboldening enemies and rivals
• Dividing Americans with hateful rhetoric and incessant lies
• Surrounding himself with unscrupulous people

Trump “deserves to be fired.” The Steady State can’t fix the situation. The question is how best to remove him from office. Any option other than an election should only be considered as a “last resort.”

Firing Trump

Frustration with Trump or dismay shouldn’t push us to take extreme measures. From the beginning of his presidency, those who hate Trump have entertained fantasies of an early end to his presidency—for instance, the following scenarios:

• He’s forced to resign for doing something so terrible it shocks the nation’s conscience.
• His cabinet invokes emergency constitutional provisions to oust him.
• He’s impeached by Congress.

We shouldn’t wish on our nation the kind of crisis these measures would provoke.

Forced Resignation

Inside and outside the...

A Warning Summary Epilogue

Remember the bravery of Flight 93 passengers and our nation’s unity after 9-11? We put aside our differences and put country first, inspired by a president’s message of unity and resolve.

But imagine what it would have been like had President Bush expressed skepticism, questioned whether al-Qaeda really coordinated the attacks, dismissed the intelligence community’s conclusions, and fueled conspiracy theories by calling the attacks a hoax. Or suppose he declared, “Osama bin Laden says it’s not al-Qaeda; I don’t see why it would be.” Imagine the president insisting it would be a mistake to pursue al-Qaeda because he wanted to build a “great relationship” with them.

Basically, that was Trump’s response when Russian hackers attacked the United States in 2016. Instead of inspiring Americans’ patriotism, it stirred strife.

In both instances, our enemies wanted to create chaos in our democracy and we had a choice of allowing it or not. The passengers on Flight 93 chose not to. Their courage exemplified American determination. We came together rather than letting terrorism win by sowing fear and division.

The contrast with Trump’s reaction to Russia’s election interference is stark....

Shortform Exercise: Promoting Civility

“Anonymous” argues that Trump’s words “corrode national civility” and that this matters because we can’t solve our problems unless we can talk to each other respectfully.

How do you define civility and how would you assess the level of national civility today?

Shortform Exercise: Drain the Swamp

“Anonymous” argues that the people we elect reflect us and our values, that if Washington is mean, petty, and dysfunctional (a swamp), it’s because we are. He contends we need a “civic revival.”

Why do you agree or disagree with the above statement? How would you characterize the climate in Washington today? How does it compare with that of your community and life?