Sunday, March 2, 2025

CLOSE TO ZERO REDUX!

In light of the epic gaslighting meltdown that occurred in the Oval Office last Friday, this might be an appropriate time to remind everybody about two particular nonfiction books that turn Donald Trump's Propaganda Machine inside out. The first book, written by journalist Jonathan Vankin, was published by Twilight of the Idols in 2021. The second book, written by Yours Truly, was published by OR Books in 2022.

Jonathan Vankin’s book, CLOSE TO ZERO: HOW DONALD TRUMP FULFILLED HIS APOCALYPTIC VISION AND PAID HIS DEBT TO PUTIN WITH A DEVASTATING BIOLOGICAL WARFARE ATTACK ON AMERICA, is revelatory on many levels. Despite the flamboyant subtitle, this well-researched book is an extremely thoughtful and perceptive analysis of Trump’s first destructive tenure in the White House. I've heard several of Vankin's recent podcast appearances, all of which have been impressive. Vankin’s sober (and alarming) analysis should not be discounted out of hand. At the very least, you should read the opening chapter of the book before deciding whether or not Vankin is out of his skull. Spoiler alert: He's not.

I think this book is even more illuminating when read in conjunction with my 2022 nonfiction book, OPERATION MINDFUCK: QANON & THE CULT OF DONALD TRUMP. If read back-to-back, these two books paint a pretty clear picture of what was happening behind the scenes of the MAGA Propaganda Machine during the final months of Trump's initial presidency and how that duplicity led directly to the chaos we find ourselves in today.

Here are links to a couple of Vankin's recent podcast interviews in which he discusses CLOSE TO ZERO at great length...