America in the Age of Trump is a bracing, essential look at the failure of a great nation to meet the needs of its people and the challenges of the age—and the resulting collapse of public trust in government, as well as a pervasive crisis of national values, from broken families to a loss of faith in the American idea itself. This crisis of values occurs just as the country faces an unprecedented array of fiscal, economic, social, and national-security challenges—out of control federal spending, frighteningly large deficits, massive gaps of income and opportunity, cultural division, and a dangerous world in which American power seems increasingly incidental.
In America in the Age of Trump, Douglas E. Schoen and Jessica Tarlov offer a definitive and unique assessment of a nation in turmoil, looking beneath well-known problems to identify underlying yet poorly understood causes. Readers will confront the crises, one by one: of trust, values, and governance; of education, economic opportunity, and fiscal solvency; of national security, domestic tranquility, and race relations. America in the Age of Trump gathers in one place a clear and comprehensive evaluation of the fundamental issues confronting the American future while offering bold, fresh approaches to meeting these challenges. Other books have described the specter of American decline, but none has been so comprehensive in its diagnosis or forward-looking—and non-ideological—in its remedies, explaining how we might yet overcome national self-doubt to reclaim our traditional optimism, reassert our place in the world, and secure a prosperous future for our citizens.
Praise for America in the Age of Trump
“America in the Age of Trump is must reading for anyone interested in politics and governing or in the current dysfunction of our political system. Douglas Schoen and Jessica Tarlov are great scholars and practitioners of American politics. They are two of the country’s finest pollsters and strategists who have seen it all—from advising presidents in the White House to analyzing the voters in the precincts across America. The polarization in this country today is explained clearly, and the voter anger that elected Donald Trump our 45th president and the crises he faces will be more easily understood. Every citizen who cares about this extraordinary country of ours should read this book and be enlightened about what’s going on around them.”
—Ed Rollins, former assistant to President Reagan for political and governmental affairs, and former co-chairman to the National Republican Congressional Committee“Page after page, I found myself arguing with this book, but it was a good argument to have. America in the Age of Trump is a terrific read, engaging and richly sourced, a provocative take on big, controversial issues and on political leaders from Obama to Trump—and nearly everyone else in between. It is especially powerful regarding the loss of trust in institutions. You may disagree with some or much of it, as I do, but it will challenge you to think critically about your own views and justify your idea of the American future.”
—Bob Shrum, Democratic strategist and the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the University of Southern California“No bombast, no bull feathers. All real solutions for people of all political stripes worried that America is on the wrong track thanks to never-ending fighting inside the deep political divide in Washington. Schoen and Tarlov, two of the best pollsters and political thinkers, lay out practical, effective ideas for how President Trump’s America can get back its “Can-Do” spirit.”
—Juan Williams, political analyst at Fox News Channel, co-host of The Five, and columnist for The Hill
