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Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost Hardcover – July 13, 2021

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,451 ratings

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THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Michael C. Bender, senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, presents a deeply reported account of the 2020 presidential campaign that details how Donald J. Trump became the first incumbent in three decades to lose reelection—and the only one whose defeat culminated in a violent insurrection. 

Beginning with President Trump’s first impeachment and ending with his second, FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION chronicles the inside-the-room deliberations between Trump and his campaign team as they opened 2020 with a sleek political operation built to harness a surge of momentum from a bullish economy, a unified Republican Party, and a string of domestic and foreign policy successes—only to watch everything unravel when fortunes suddenly turned.

With first-rate sourcing cultivated from five years of covering Trump in the White House and both of his campaigns, Bender brings readers inside the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and into the front row of the movement’s signature mega-rallies for the story of an epic election-year convergence of COVID, economic collapse, and civil rights upheaval—and an unorthodox president’s attempt to battle it all. 

Fresh interviews with Trump, key campaign advisers, and senior administration officials are paired with an exclusive collection of internal campaign memos, emails, and text messages for scores of never-before-reported details about the campaign. 

FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION is the inside story of how Trump lost, and the definitive account of his final year in office that draws a straight line from the president’s repeated insistence that he would never lose to the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol that imperiled one of his most loyal lieutenants—his own vice president.

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From the Publisher

frankly we did win the election, trump, democrats, biden, michael bender

frankly we did win the election, trump, democrats, biden, michael bender

frankly we did win the election, trump, democrats, biden, michael bender

Text that reads "The Definitive Account of Trump's Final Year in Office"

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Bombshell of a book.”―Jake Tapper, CNN

“Belongs with the best of a rising group of Washington reporters.” ―
Bob Woodward, The Washington Post

"Great new book."―
Nicolle Wallace, MSNBC

"Well-written and well-informed. [Bender] captures both the infighting in Trump's world and the surrounding social tectonics."―
Lloyd Green, The Guardian

"A blockbuster book."―
Kasie Hunt, MSNBC

"Highly anticipated book."―
Hallie Jackson, MSNBC

"The reporting is extraordinary."―
Adam Goldman, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting and the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting

"Endless revelations."―
George Conway III, Washington Post contributing columnist

"A well-respected journalist."―
Anderson Cooper, CNN

"A very reputable journalist."―
Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard founder

“He's set the highest standards for the rest of us to follow."―
Peter Baker, co-author of THE MAN WHO RAN WASHINGTON

“This book came out and pointed out…things that were more ugly than we thought.”―
Mia Love (R-UT), former congresswoman

“I’ve never seen or heard anything like it…This is really shocking.” ―
Paul Begala, former White House counselor to President Clinton

“He’s one of the tough ones, but such beautiful hair.”―
Donald J. Trump, 45th president of the United States

“Bender debuts with an immersive, blow-by-blow rundown...he paints a credible portrait...he enriches the narrative with a sharp sense of humor...Political junkies will gobble this one up.”―
Publishers Weekly

"A thoroughly revealing account of a spectacularly inept presidential campaign that politics junkies will eat up."―
Kirkus (starred review)

“Bender’s deep dive will make a splash."―
Booklist

"Deep reporting and solid sources who spoke with really extraordinary candor. The book...struck me so hard with its wonderful narrative thread on Trump's supporters. I loved this book."―
Peggy Noonan, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, and columnist for The Wall Street Journal

"Incredibly engrossing—one of many reasons to buy this book. It's an important book for history, but it's also a big bowl of candy."―
John Heilemann, co-author of GAME CHANGE, producer/co-star of Showtime's The Circus, host of Hell & High Water podcast

"Interesting to see how there was such back-biting and competition behind the scenes with the people closest to Trump...It was very competitive and very nasty."―
Gayle King, CBS This Morning

"One of the premiere chroniclers of the Trump White House."―
Maggie Haberman, New York Times correspondent, winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting

"Bender reports and analyzes—and that is a gift."―
Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief

"Very revealing."―
Martha MacCallum, Fox News Host

“A book full of astonishing stories.”―
Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour

"An immensely compelling read…impossible to put down. I would strongly recommend this book.”―
Charlie Sykes, founder of The Bulwark, former contributing editor to the Weekly Standard

"Fascinating book."―
Charles Latibeaudiere, TMZ executive producer

"A very interesting book—it has a lot of great nuggets. I’ve always respected (Bender's) ability to report from inside the Trump administration.”―
Bret Baier, Fox News anchor

"An eye-opening new book."―
Deborah Norville, Inside Edition anchor

"The book really puts us inside the room. I felt like a fly on the wall in Air Force One when the president was looking at the George Floyd video for the first time."―
Adriana Diaz, CBS News national correspondent

"The former president told his chief of staff he believed Adolf Hitler 'did a lot of good things'; Trump wanted to 'execute' whoever leaked that he went down to the White House bunker due to the Black Lives Matter protests outside; Trump was more severely ill with Covid than the White House acknowledged; Trump viewed himself as a wartime president in how we wanted to respond to the protesters; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told Trump aide Stephen Miller to 'shut the f*** up' when Miller falsely said cities in America were burning because of those protesters; and certifying the 2020 presidential election wasn't the only time apparently that Mike Pence stood up to Trump...All of this is all from just one book!"―
Mehdi Hasan, MSNBC host

About the Author

MICHAEL C. BENDERis the senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal whose coverage of President Trump has been recognized for its deep sourcing, balance, and valuable behind-the-scenes portraits of Trump’s administration and presidential campaigns. Bender was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2019 for work that “set a consistently high standard of reporting” and “provided a valuable chronicle of the president, his team, and the movement that has reshaped American politics and national policy.” In 2020, he received the National Press Club award for political analysis for a series of stories that detailed the sights, sounds, and inner workings of Trump campaign rallies. Since 2000, Bender has covered local, state, and national politics for the Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado, Dayton Daily News, Palm Beach Post, Tampa Bay Times, and Bloomberg News. He joined the Journal in 2016 and published more than eleven hundred stories about Trump in the next five years. He has also served as an on-air political analyst for CNN. Born and raised in Cleveland with his six younger sisters, Bender graduated from the Ohio State University in 2000 with a degree in history and now lives in Washington with his wife, Washington Post White House bureau chief Ashley Parker, and their two daughters. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve (July 13, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 153873480X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1538734803
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.6 x 9.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,451 ratings

About the author

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Michael C. Bender
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MICHAEL C. BENDER is the senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal whose coverage of President Trump has been recognized for its deep sourcing, balance, and valuable behind-the-scenes portraits of Trump’s administration and presidential campaigns. Bender was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2019 for work that “set a consistently high standard of reporting” and “provided a valuable chronicle of the president, his team, and the movement that has reshaped American politics and national policy.” In 2020, he received the National Press Club award for political analysis for a series of stories that detailed the sights, sounds, and inner workings of Trump campaign rallies. Since 2000, Bender has covered local, state, and national politics for the Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colorado, Dayton Daily News, Palm Beach Post, Tampa Bay Times, and Bloomberg News. He joined the Journal in 2016 and published more than eleven hundred stories about Trump in the next five years. He has also served as an on-air political analyst for CNN. Born and raised in Cleveland with his six younger sisters, Bender graduated from the Ohio State University in 2000 with a degree in history and now lives in Washington with his wife, Washington Post White House bureau chief Ashley Parker, and their two daughters.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
3,451 global ratings

Review this product

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They praise the writing style as clear, concise, and powerful. However, some readers found the details of the campaign boring. Opinions are mixed on the pacing - some found it terrifying and disturbing, while others thought it could have been told better. There are also mixed reviews on the chronology - some found it organized well, while others had issues with factual errors and analytic storytelling.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

72 customers mention "Readability"68 positive4 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the clear narrative and chronology of events. The author is described as a skilled storyteller who brings the story forward with an interview with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Overall, readers find the book worthwhile and enjoyable to read.

"...He tells the story without embellishment or judgment, and has enough respect for his readers to let them decide for themselves...." Read more

"...events would find overlap in all three, but each has their unique and insightful niche that shines a spotlight on this crucial election." Read more

"If your comfortable with deep background sources, this is a great book on par with any of Woodward's work...." Read more

"...the fetid rotting of the Trump presidency, this book is well worth your effort." Read more

46 customers mention "Insight"40 positive6 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-researched. They appreciate the first-person perspective and detailed reporting. The book stands on facts, providing an eye-opening look into events.

"...Peril had the overall best and most thorough reporting — telling a more complete account of 2020 and the aftermath...." Read more

"...The author has the credibility and resume to earn that level of trust from both sources and readers, and he uses it to write an excellent account...." Read more

"...with over 160 actors in this drama are detailed and his reporting is compelling...." Read more

"I was pleasantly surprised that this journalistic account was fact based, inflammatory rhetoric free, and a compelling account...." Read more

37 customers mention "Writing style"27 positive10 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style. They find it concise and easy to read, providing a clear picture of the participants and motivations during the time period. The book is well-documented and detailed, with an empathetic storyteller who leaves room for readers to make their own decisions.

"...tells the story without embellishment or judgment, and has enough respect for his readers to let them decide for themselves...." Read more

"...10 or 20 years from now, but as a contemporaneous work it's easy to keep up with...." Read more

"...are interesting tidbits and unreported conversations/events, the book is disjointed...." Read more

"...The book was well written...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the pacing of the book. Some find it fascinating and disturbing, while others feel the story could have been told better. The author's use of unnecessary stories and repetition of old news are also criticised.

"...Bottom line: all three books tell essentially the same unsettling story, without major contradictions or inconsistencies." Read more

"Interesting and scary read. For four years, our government was in the hands of a sociopath and his enablers...." Read more

"...That detracts from the narrative, adding nothing but a “hey, look at me” vibe that takes one right out of the story...." Read more

"...disagreement or the narrative approaches a decision point the story fades away...." Read more

7 customers mention "Chronology"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the chronology. Some find it well-organized and accurate, while others feel it's unclear, with some errors and a lack of analytic detail. The narrative also jumps around without warning.

"...I appreciated the neutral tone of the book as well as the factual recounting of these years..." Read more

"...The other flaw was that Bender jumped around a lot in his chronological narrative, without warning...." Read more

"...what happened today we have an understandable narrative and chronology of events that makes this chapter in American history come alive...." Read more

"...This descriptive history is not terribly analytic (what on earth would beckon one-third of our country into authoritarianism?),..." Read more

5 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book boring. They find the details of the campaign and explanations of people's backgrounds uninteresting.

"The book started out OK but the explanations of people's backgrounds really wasn't that interesting...." Read more

"It was too drawn out. To detailed and rather boring with the details of the campaign. Who was who and doing what." Read more

"Audio doesn't include epilogue. Rip off. Boring, don't buy this book." Read more

"The Book was Good, the Person of Interest is Boring..." Read more

Missing Pages
1 out of 5 stars
Missing Pages
The paperback version is missing 50 pages. Goes from 306 to 355. Poor quality.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2021
    As a lifelong student of history, having been intellectually seduced by the late President Harry Truman * ("The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know"), I have pretty much devoured straight-up history books, especially American history and biographies of our leaders, great and not-so-great, since my age was in single digits. That said, I honestly can say of all the books I've read about the 46th President of the United States, this one is head and shoulders above the others (though I've just started reading 'Peril' so the jury's still out). The reason is simple - Donald Trump's histrionic personality seems to evoke emotion in even the best of journalists, often unconsciously (hopefully). But even when those emotions are unconscious, they bleed into the work, and the reader knows just where the author stands. In this book, however, for whatever reason, Bender manages to avoid that trap and write an even-handed account of the final days and aftermath of the Trump presidency. He tells the story without embellishment or judgment, and has enough respect for his readers to let them decide for themselves.
    That's about as good as it gets for a journalist, and Midwestern Catholic guilt not withstanding, for that alone, Bender should take a victory lap around the track. Even the nuns would approve, I think.

    *When I was a child growing up in Kansas City, Mo., my late father always said depending on the question, I should look to him, Jesus Christ and/or the late President Harry Truman for the answer.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2022
    This book is my third read this month on the 2020 election from an insider perspective. Michael Bender, a Wall Street Journal Reporter who covered President Trump for 5 years, provides a unique view not seen in the other two books I read. At first his presentation appeared to be ultra-unique, so it grabbed my attention right away, but he didn’t capitalize on his advantage which caused me to lower its overall rating.

    Because of his unique position covering the Trump campaign in 2016 and 2020, Bender had a lot of close contacts inside the Trump administration. This included Trump himself, who seemed to like him, telling Bender’s young daughter once that her Daddy was 80% accurate as a reporter — high praise considering who said it. Trump even granted him interview for this book, even after the election. Bender had that access because of his reputation for balanced coverage in his reporting. That is very evident in this book. While he sees the flaws in the Trump campaign and administration, he recognizes a lot of it is due to in-fighting between rivals who nurse intense grudges, which don’t always serve the administration to its fullest. Not that the President comes off looking like a sweetheart. He holds grudges (often permanently), has intense anger issues, and was notoriously indecisive at times, all which are well documented in several books, not just this one. But this book shows how deeply ineffective and amateur his campaign was in 2020. Considering it raised more money than any campaign in history, its overspending was out of control, and deeply flawed in target marketing with a muddled message that couldn’t clearly get out to voters. That coupled with the dynamics of 2020 tragedy with the pandemic put a damper on campaign effectiveness that they couldn’t escape.

    What made this book initially stand out was that Bender covered a group of campaign rally groupies called the Front Row Joes. These were every day people who were enamored of Trump traveling to 20 to 50 of his rallies — camping out out for days to get in so they could get front row seats. This promised to offer something the other books don’t offer. It would have been fascinating to learn what drove these voters to such a passionate embrace of Trump. Yet that insight was almost unrealized in this book. The people were brought up throughout the book, but only in the case of one person do we learn some of why she was so keen on Trump. Enough so that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, so to hear her perspective was important. That however was in the last pages of the book, and the other Joes weren’t covered with that kind of depth. It was a major opportunity lost.

    The other flaw was that Bender jumped around a lot in his chronological narrative, without warning. So it became confusing at times and a bit irritating because sometimes clear transitions weren’t there.

    I walk away from this book in awe that so many people who had a horrible personal relationship with Trump, still worked passionately on his campaign to win a second term for him. It is beyond my understanding as they saw his vitriolic tirades at nearly everyone in his administration, yet they still remained deeply committed to what he stood for, though I doubt they are committed as strongly to him as a human being.

    In the last three weeks, I’ve now read Bob Woodward’s and Robert Costa’s “Peril.” Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker’s “I Alone Can Fix It,” and now Bender’s book. Peril had the overall best and most thorough reporting — telling a more complete account of 2020 and the aftermath. It also had both Trump and Biden campaign/administration insights. Leonnig and Rucker had a more detailed account in some ways, but I felt they were sometimes a little too negative in word choices about the Trump presidency that broke their impartiality a bit too much. Bender presents more of a moderate perspective that respects the Republican view — trying to understand the campaign yet being flummoxed because of its organization. He was even contacted at one point by Trump people with evidence about Hunter Biden’s alleged “foreign deals”, but the Wall Street Journal investigated the “evidence” and none panned out, was suspicious in origin, and was factually irrelevant. This shows he was trusted by Trump and associates, but he has a more cautious eye about what these people showed him.

    Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it. I would recommend all three actually. Someone who really wants to learn about these events would find overlap in all three, but each has their unique and insightful niche that shines a spotlight on this crucial election.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2021
    If your comfortable with deep background sources, this is a great book on par with any of Woodward's work. The author has the credibility and resume to earn that level of trust from both sources and readers, and he uses it to write an excellent account. He occasionally injected it with some sarcasm and jokes, mostly in the form of footnotes, that I didn't expect but I don't think they adversely affected the quality of the read. The book requires some knowledge of the last year and probably wouldn't make a good stand-alone historical account 10 or 20 years from now, but as a contemporaneous work it's easy to keep up with. There's plenty of stuff you already knew or suspected, and plenty you probably didn't. Good for laughing at Trump and reminding yourself why you have to keep showing up at the polls as long as he's alive or not in jail.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2021
    My wife and I read this book jointly. Spoiler alert: We have always distrusted Trump and think that he basically is a career criminal.

    We followed Trump's nauseating progress through his third and fourth year in office through the New York Times. Thus, we were familiar with the broad outlines of Trump's behavior.

    Shear's book adds depth to the narrative. His interviews with over 160 actors in this drama are detailed and his reporting is compelling. This descriptive history is not terribly analytic (what on earth would beckon one-third of our country into authoritarianism?), but Shear is good at describing the temptations of careerism and money in the Trump camp.

    If you can tolerate the fetid rotting of the Trump presidency, this book is well worth your effort.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Blind Ambition, Blind Loyalty
    Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2022
    A great read, unfolding details behind the scenes of a disturbing period in American history. The book brings to the surface the lingering question of how the charisma of a leader can lead to the unquestioning loyalty of his followers.
  • Marc Sacks
    2.0 out of 5 stars Uninspired cash grab
    Reviewed in Germany on August 10, 2021
    The book offers no new insights, and I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking to understand the events that transpired before and after the election with any special depth. It feels hastily constructed and churned out opportunistically.
  • Gazzarian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mostly what, a bit of how, no why
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2021
    This headline is not meant as a criticism, but simply to point out to potential readers that this book is a narrative rather than an analysis. Mostly 'this happened, then she said that, then he did such and such'. And this has great value. There is no doubt that the author was very close to events, which I imagine is possibly because the WSJ was not as anti Trump as other mainstream media. To the extent that the book is judgemental, the negativity is focused on incompetence rather than morals, but the writer has the wisdom to let facts speak for themselves. If you think that the mishandling of race issues and the pandemic are what cost him the re-election, the book sets out in detail - almost day by day in parts - how Trump went about destroying his own candidacy. It is for that value that I felt it worth 5 stars. If you want a broader social or politico-historical analysis, on the other hand, you'd have to look elsewhere.
  • R. Allan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down.
    Reviewed in Australia on July 18, 2021
    4 stars - a good read and a fair account of the end of the Trump presidency. Perhaps a little too fair for my liking.
  • LoLo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Bender is a knowledgeable author who did an amazing job summarizing such a chaotic finish!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2021
    The chaos that authors describe when writing about the Trump Administration is exhausting to read! Bender captures a lot of it but does an excellent job walking the reader through an almost unbelievably poor effort to get Trump elected again. He exudes sympathy for many of Trump’s acolytes but oddly, he doesn’t write much about the Trump family except for Jared Kushner. It seemed like they had given up on winning the election long before the results were called. I think they were just as tired as many Americans of hearing Trump talk a lot but say nothing!