Official Review: Trump, the Shell Game by Paul K. Schwartz

Kaitlin Licato · Post by **Kaitlin Licato** » 23 Apr 2021, 03:31

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trump, the Shell Game" by Paul K. Schwartz.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Trump, the Shell Game by Paul K. Schwartz is a compilation of Schwartz's columns in the Montgomery County and Prince George's Sentinel newspapers from the beginning of the Trump presidency through January 30th, 2020, when the Sentinel newspapers ceased publication. It covers a wide range of topics about the presidency through the lens of a reporter allowed into White House briefings and is organized by date.

Schwartz has a lot of interesting things to say about the Trump presidency. While some of the columns are just standard commentary, others make fascinating points about Trump and his fans. For example, he discusses how many Trump fans will discount Trump's detractors by saying they "don't want him to succeed." He then mentions that instead of arguing with them, one should question what the Trump fan means by "succeed." If succeeding means ruining the environment, promoting xenophobia, and alienating our allies, they are correct. Schwartz doesn't want him to succeed at those tasks. This is just one example of his more philosophical musings on the Trump presidency.

Unfortunately, the column ended just at the turning point in Trump's presidency. The coronavirus isn't mentioned, nor is anything that occurred after this point (January 2020). I would've liked to read about these events from Schwartz's point of view. It was disappointing that his columns had to end right when he would have gotten more grist to discuss.

Aside from the early termination, there were a few other downsides to the book for me. The book was lengthy, which made it difficult to read. Each column itself was a nice, easy read, but they often covered the same topics when combined. This led to some repetition of ideas. One solution may have been to organize by topic instead of date. Having them divided into musings on different aspects of the Trump presidency and then ordered by date might have made it an easier read. A reader could choose which topic they wanted to delve into and focus on that rather than reading through all of them.

I give Trump, the Shell Game 3 out of 4 stars. While the columns are quick, easy reads, the combination of all of them is not. Had the columns been organized by topic rather than by date, it might have seemed less lengthy. I would recommend this text to anyone who is not a Donald Trump fan looking to gain additional insight into the Trump presidency from a member of the press. I would not recommend it to anyone who is a Trump fan. It is a great commentary on the majority of the Trump presidency, but I wish he had been able to cover the ending as well.

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Trump, the Shell Game
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Kavita Shah · Post by **Kavita Shah** » 26 Apr 2021, 13:21

This book can be read by a critic and someone who wants a reporters views as an insider to Trump's presidency. Thanks for the review!

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 27 Apr 2021, 08:33

It’s be interesting to read since the columns were written as the events unfolded, but it’s unfortunate it stopped so soon as you mentioned. Thanks for the great review!