''Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency'' is a 2017 book by ''

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

'' journalist Joshua Green about the partnership between

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and

Steve Bannon Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...

that led to their 2016 political victory and the putative rise of the

alt-right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...

. Prior to writing the book, Green had worked as a journalist for ''

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'' and ''Bloomberg'', where he garnered experience reporting on conservatives. He had previously written a profile on Bannon in 2015, and interviewed Bannon for the book. The book describes Bannon's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and how he helped lead Trump to success by capitalizing on the support of white males. ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'' called Green's work a "cautionary tale". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described Green's research as "deeply reported". ''

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'' commented Green was able to shed a light on Bannon's political operations. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' concluded ''Devil's Bargain'' successfully illuminated the "symbiotic relationship" between Trump and Bannon. ''

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'' commented on the writing style of the "compelling stories" in Green's work. ''

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'' observed Green had "amazing access" during the course of his research for the book.

Contents summary

''Devil's Bargain'' details the relationship between Trump and Bannon, the gaining influence of the alt-right movement during the same time period, and the events which led up to Trump's victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Green describes the shared dislike of

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

felt by Trump and Bannon, and their mutual dislike for the state of the country prior to Trump's campaign. The book recounts the precise nature of why

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

was fired by Trump from the presidential campaign. Green writes the firing was due to Christie attempting to use his own personal cell phone to take a call on election night from President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. The author writes that Bannon garnered knowledge in his work with ''

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'' on how best to gather together white men who would support Trump in his election bid. Green concludes that there was a

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

irony in the fact that Bannon succeeded in getting Trump elected as U.S. president, but his candidate lacked the personal restraint necessary to accomplish simple goals.

Composition and publication

Prior to writing ''Devil's Bargain'', Green had worked as a journalist at ''

'' and subsequently ''

'', where he reported on Republican political figures after the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

. Green wrote an article for ''Bloomberg'' which gave a detailed analysis of Bannon in October 2015, ten months before Bannon assumed leadership of Trump's campaign for U.S. president. Green interviewed Bannon himself for the book.

Reception

'' wrote in its review, "Green's book is in part a cautionary tale: both Trump and Bannon have a history of being taken lightly only to rear up and catch the skeptics by surprise." ''

'' called the book a "deeply reported and compulsively readable account of Bannon's fateful political partnership with Trump". ''

'' wrote, "Green's book strips away the mystery surrounding Bannon". ''

'' commented that the book "vividly pulls back the curtain on the symbiotic relationship between two of America's most polarizing figures." ''

'' magazine wrote that "There are several, compelling stories in the book". ''

'' noted, "Green does seem to have had amazing access to many people, most especially Bannon himself whom he apparently interviewed at length."

Influence

''Devil's Bargain'' is mentioned in Michael Wolff's 2018 book '' Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Books, Politics, United States 2017 non-fiction books Alt-right American non-fiction books Biographies about politicians Books about American politicians Books about Donald Trump Books about the 2016 United States presidential election Breitbart News Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign English-language non-fiction books Penguin Press books Steve Bannon