Confidence Man

The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America

By: Maggie Haberman

Narrated by: Maggie Haberman

Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

“This is the book Trump fears most.”—Axios

“Will be a primary source about the most vexing president in American history for years to come.”—Joe Klein, The New York Times

"A uniquely illuminating portrait."—Sean Wilentz, The Washington Post

“[A] monumental look at Donald Trump and his presidency.”—David Shribman, Los Angeles Times

From the Pulitzer-Prize-winning New York Times reporter who has defined Donald J. Trump's presidency like no other journalist, Confidence Man is a magnificent and disturbing reckoning that chronicles his life and its meaning from his rise in New York City to his tortured post-presidency.

Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.

Interviews with hundreds of sources and numerous interviews over the years with Trump himself portray a complicated and often contradictory historical figure. Capable of kindness but relying on casual cruelty as it suits his purposes. Pugnacious. Insecure. Lonely. Vindictive. Menacing. Smarter than his critics contend and colder and more calculating than his allies believe. A man who embedded himself in popular culture, galvanizing support for a run for high office that he began preliminary spadework for 30 years ago, to ultimately become a president who pushed American democracy to the brink.

The through-line of Trump’s life and his presidency is the enduring question of what is in it for him or what he needs to say to survive short increments of time in the pursuit of his own interests.

Confidence Man is also, inevitably, about the world that produced such a singular character, giving rise to his career and becoming his first stage. It is also about a series of relentlessly transactional relationships. The ones that shaped him most were with girlfriends and wives, with Roy Cohn, with George Steinbrenner, with Mike Tyson and Don King and Roger Stone, with city and state politicians like Robert Morgenthau and Rudy Giuliani, with business partners, with prosecutors, with the media, and with the employees who toiled inside what they commonly called amongst themselves the “Trump Disorganization.”

That world informed the one that Trump tried to recreate while in the White House. All of Trump’s behavior as President had echoes in what came before. In this revelatory and newsmaking book, Haberman brings together the events of his life into a single mesmerizing work. It is the definitive account of one of the most norms-shattering and consequential eras in American political history.

©2022 Maggie Haberman (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Confidence Man [is] Maggie Haberman’s much anticipated biography of the president she followed more assiduously than any other journalist. No doubt, there are revelations aplenty here. But this is a book more notable for the quality of its observations about Trump’s character than for its newsbreaks. It will be a primary source about the most vexing president in American history for years to come.”—Joe Klein, The New York Times

"A uniquely illuminating portrait...Haberman’s contribution in Confidence Man [is] much larger than its arresting anecdotes. Later generations of historians will puzzle over Trump’s rise to national power. The best of them will have learned from Haberman’s book that none of it would have been possible but for a social, cultural, political, media and moral breakdown that overtook New York beginning in the 1970s, a fiasco of trusted institutions that, having allowed the Trumpian virus to grow, failed at every step to contain its spread, then profited from, aided and even cheered its devastation."—Sean Wilentz, The Washington Post

Best Trump insights….. an American Tragedy

Maggie’s years of keen observations have produced a book that if paired with Mary Trump’s affords the clearest vision of his purposely opaque personality. He is more than his critics and much less than his adoring acolytes.

Explains how we are where we are with this man

Total immersion in Trump, his ego and approach to control people. I’m so sad for our country. Maggie Haberman reading the book is helpful to understand her nuisances.
An amazing amount of information compiled in a very cohesive manner and progression of Trumps life.

A lifelong vile human being.

This book provides further evidence that Donald Trump is and was nothing but a despicable, lying, narcissistic, racist human being who is neither smart or caring. Anybody who thinks otherwise is either stupid or delusional.

A Perfect Re-cap

Most of the content was a review of what I’ve read in books about Trump or in the more recent news. This is well put together and solidifies Trumps part in wrecking havoc on our government. I’m really glad the author put her knowledge and research into this book in chronological order. Thank you Maggie. Highly recommend!

Wow.... Just wow!

Wonderful but very scary! What the average American knows about the Trump presidency doesn't even scratch the surface of what really went on during those four years. And the thought of facing it again in 2024 is truly terrifing.

Amazingly revealing!!

Thank you. I was disturbed a bit by the content, but it helped to remind me that not all people are inherently good and honest. Jolted me back to reality.

Reaffirms so much

Maggie has been watching this guy in action for over 30 years and explains much of how we as a country have gotten to where we are

Very well written and reported!!

I love Maggie Haberman’s no nonsense review of her years on the frontline with Trump. She doesn’t exaggerate or apologize for a thing. She is a truly professional journalist. She displays no drama. She simply states the case and the facts respectively.

Great

narration great, well written, finished quickly. recommend highly especially listening to it, great job Maggie

Great Journalism

Excepting the Prologue, this was written as an objective account of Ms Haberman's observation of facts and an insider's view. Her initial profile is incredibly insightful and will likely stand as the definitive understanding of Trump for all time. Good work!