Measured, scholarly, and always accessible, this is a cogent analysis of the first year of the Trump presidency... It refutes any accusation of partisanship by presenting indisputable - rather than alternative - facts, and the result is a damning litany of failure, incompetence, and cronyism.... an objective (and fully annotated) assessment of an extraordinary year.- The Independent;
Trump's First Year won't generate the bombshell headlines of more sensationalist and gossipy books, but it provides context and balance for its conclusions, ones that are consistently at odds with Trump's own assessment of his performance.... A concise and dispassionate analysis of the controversial president's performance over the year since his unexpected election win.- Kirkus Reviews;
[A] balanced look at the successes and failures of Trump's first year in office by a noted political scientist._ The Guardian;
Suggests that the president's inexperience will render Trump painfully ineffective.... The presidency 'is not an entry-level government job,' Nelson writes.- Washington Post;
When scholars try to make sense of President Donald Trump, they will start with Michael Nelson's book. With clarity and precision, Trump's First Year details the 45th president's failings as a leader, as well the historical ruptures of his presidency.- Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis, author of Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear;
The power of Trump's First Year comes from Nelson's style- controlled, compact, clipped, and matter-of-fact. This is one of those experiences that reveals itself most profoundly when it is allowed to speak for itself. I was thoroughly taken in, and before I knew it, there was no good way out.- Stephen Skowronek, Yale University, author of The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton;
In this timely, cogent, and important book, Michael Nelson details Donald Trump's norm-busting actions during his first year as President. Nelson shows how Trump upends the conventional wisdom of political science, and how a new approach is needed to understand presidential politics today.- Jeffrey Tulis, University of Texas at Austin, author of The Rhetorical Presidency;
Nelson knows the field of presidential studies as well as anyone out there. Nelson gives us a chronicle, without trying to discern what Trump's rise to power tells us about the presidency.... As much as Nelson tries to maintain the even-handed tone of the political scientist, he notes that 'Trump's first-year record of legislative futility was remarkable.' And he includes a chapter toward the end on 'Prospects for Removal.'- The Baffler;
Providing one of the earliest objective evaluations of President Donald J. Trump's administration, Nelson (UVA) demonstrates why he remains a leading figure in the field of presidency studies. Nelson's analysis is wide-ranging, covering Trump's election and approach to governing, his early forays into domestic and foreign policy making, his interactions with the other constitutional branches as well as unilateral activities, and his unorthodox but often effective communications activities.- CHOICE