Enjoyed this book. Confirmed suspicions of Trump's MO, as well as the ugly power games played by senior staff. Helpful discussions of policy choices and implications of speeches.

As a lifelong military man, he sees his duty to serve that president as more important than serving his country well. His downplaying of Trump's personal chaos and dysfunction (as well as the White House alt-right factions) and Trump's inability to lead competently is truly disappointing. The author glosses over important leadership mistakes and instead gives historical details about global historical developments. He also derides Obama and Biden for their subsequent decisions in certain areas of global diplomacy - off topic!! It was an interesting read, but not nearly the quality I anticipated, based on the NYT review.

This wasn't an easy read, nor was it comforting and reassuring. How many people have seen so much history in the making? We are lucky to have had the service of someone so capable, brave, diplomatic, and willing to sacrifice personal comfort. We can only hope his voice continues to be heard.

H.R. McMaster's extraordinary virtue is his sincerity and loyalty as a grunt. He came from the battlefields. He tolerates no ambiguity. He is highly intelligent, reads extensively, listens to his subordinates and speaks the truth. Amazing that he rose to the top. He did not have to write this memoir. It will in its truthfulness antagonize many with power. Trump will be furious. Yet page after page, the reader will be drawn into a world of complex ambitions and egos, wondering how, given this explains policy-making, America can stay on top. The title is descriptive of how policy-making is made. It's scary. - Bing West

“I wished that more Americans could see beyond their silos of cable news and vitriolic partisanship to understand more fully the good, as well as the bad and the ugly, of the Trump presidency.” (p144) This is a serious, fair-minded, and thoughtful account of life in the Trump White House, so it’s likely to leave both anti-Trump and MAGA zealots frustrated. It’s heavy on policy and is most definitely not a hit job by a bitter former insider; McMaster is careful to be as dispassionate and balanced as possible. He’s not afraid to be blunt and critical, but he’s equally ready to give credit (to Trump and to others) when he thinks it’s due. But there’s no doubt that the picture he paints is a harsh indictment of Trump and his administration. It’s especially credible because the messenger is an accomplished leader with exceptional wisdom, breadth of knowledge, and extensive experience as a warrior, senior staffer, historian, and policy wonk. Ultimately, I see it as a carefully worded warning about what awaits if we were to allow Trump another term. McMaster is an engaging writer; I especially enjoyed his many humorous, self-deprecating anecdotes. I found his defense of one particularly infamous incident unconvincing, but he was there and I was not. Disclaimer: I knew HR and his family twenty years ago; his wife and I taught high school together in Colorado Springs. I read this book largely because of my profound respect for his intellect, character, and service to our country.

This is a fascinating look behind the scenes at a chaotic White House early in the administration, and also an education in the day-to-day events and crises that confront any president. Some of the strain was due to Trump’s personality, but it could have gone a lot more smoothly if there had been more trust and cooperation from the various key advisors and officials in the administration, many of whom had their own agenda, sabotaged each other’s efforts, slow-walked what seemed like solid policies, and conducted secret negotiations with foreign counterparts behind the scenes that actively undermined the President’s and his advisors’ efforts. Sec Def and Sec State, in particular, seemed to think their job was to obstruct every order and decision, including many that seemed pretty solid. While I’ve always been sympathetic to the idea that Trump needed guardrails, some of his ideas made sense, were based on good advice, and were well within his constitutional responsibility as elected president. I found myself sympathetic at times, as Bannon and Priebus, always hovering around “like court jesters”, seemed to thrive on whipping Trump into a constant state of agitation with a steady stream of gossip, opinions and conspiracy theories that made him question what he was hearing from his very solid advisors. McMaster makes the point several times that National Security Advisors going back to the Carter administration had a similar experience, and this kind of power competition seems to be built into the DNA of Washington. It would take a more patient and secure President than Trump to manage that. McMaster paints a portrait of a Trump who can learn from advice and make good decisions occasionally, but is too contrary, and too susceptible to the influence of competing opinions from his own staff and various and sundry characters like Steve Bannon, social media, Fox News, etc., who kept him in a constant state of anxiety, fanned his anger and made him doubt many of his best decisions. I recommend this book for anyone looking for honest and useful insight into how a second Trump administration might work. I’ve read several books about the Trump administration, but many of them were filled with second and third-hand accounts and gossip, and I couldn’t take them seriously. This book has none of that. It’s honest, well-reasoned, and I believe as accurate as possible.