Bask - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$2.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

Audiobook Price: $15.04

Save: $7.55 (50%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Daniel W. Drezner
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Toddler in Chief: What Donald Trump Teaches Us about the Modern Presidency Kindle Edition

by Daniel W. Drezner (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 568 ratings
“[An] avalanche of repeated presidential absurdity. The reader realizes that this pattern is not part of the Trump presidency; it is the whole thing.” —Washington Post

“Americans should know that there are adults in the room. . . . And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.” —An anonymous senior administrative official in a New York Times op-ed, September 5, 2018

Every president faces criticism and caricature. Donald Trump, however, is unique in that he is routinely characterized in ways more suitable for a toddler. What’s more, it is not just Democrats, pundits, or protestors who compare the president to a child; Trump’s staffers, subordinates, and allies also describe Trump like a badly behaved preschooler.

Daniel W. Drezner began curating every example he could find of a Trump ally describing the president like a toddler. So far, he’s collected more than one thousand tweets. In The Toddler-in-Chief, Drezner draws on these examples to take readers through the different dimensions of Trump’s infantile behavior, from temper tantrums to poor impulse control. How much damage can really be done by a giant man-baby? Quite a lot, Drezner argues, due to the winnowing away of presidential checks and balances over the past fifty years. Drezner also shows the lasting impact the Trump administration will have on American foreign policy and democracy, exhorting the American people to think carefully about the person they elect to be the next commander-in-chief. He also shows how we must rethink the terrifying powers we have given the presidency.

“Occasionally funny . . . also overwhelmingly grim.” —New York Times

“[A] crisp, witty and highly readable philippic.” —New Statesman
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    282 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    April 7, 2020
  5. File size
    2.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is almost surprising that, nearly a third of the way into 2020, more books haven’t been inspired by viral Twitter threads. Drezner’s brisk offering is a good place to start, built as it is out of a three-plus-year, 1,000-plus tweet project documenting examples of the president’s own aides and allies describing him, in the author’s words, 'like a toddler.' . . . . Though the book is occasionally funny—early on Drezner goes out of his way to point out he doesn’t mean to indict toddlers’ comportment—it is, appropriately, also overwhelmingly grim." ― New York Times

"This book was written before the catastrophe of coronavirus and the Trump response. Its judgments about the president are all the more eerie as a result.” ― The Times (UK)

“Drezner does not simply argue that Trump is ill-suited for the presidency; he contends that Trump is incapable of adult behavior. . . .We knew most of these things about Trump before Drezner published his book, but he presents a smothering avalanche of repeated presidential absurdity. The reader realizes that this pattern is not part of the Trump presidency; it is the whole thing." ― Washington Post

"[A] crisp, witty and highly readable philippic." ― New Statesman

About the Author

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at Tufts University and a regular contributor to the Washington Post. In addition to having one of the most heavily trafficked blogs in the world of academia, he is the author of The System Worked, Theories of International Relations and Zombies, All Politics Is Global, and The Sanctions Paradox.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082Q96TSR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of Chicago Press; First edition (April 7, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 7, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 282 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 568 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Daniel W. Drezner

Daniel W. Drezner

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Prior to Fletcher, he taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has previously held positions with Civic Education Project, the RAND Corporation and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and received fellowships from the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Harvard University. He received his B.A. in political economy from Williams College and an M.A. in economics and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. Drezner is the author of four books -- most recently, Theories of International Politics and Zombies -- and the editor of two others. He has published articles in numerous scholarly journals as well as in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The New Republic, and Foreign Affairs. Time magazine named Drezner's blog as one of the best in 2012. For more about Drezner and his work, visit his website at www.danieldrezner.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
568 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book readable and well-written. They appreciate its depth of analysis, with one customer noting its thorough documentation.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and fun to read.

"...I was SO wrong. This is a must read...." Read more

"This is a great book...." Read more

"...It was a good book, and even told me one or two things I had not known about the Orange One...." Read more

"...and old people of which at 69 I must not be old, think this buffoon is fantastic, oh brother...." Read more

6 customers mention "Depth of analysis"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of analysis in the book, with one customer noting its thorough documentation and another mentioning how it opens readers' eyes to the truth.

"...It was entertaining and at least a little bit educational." Read more

"This book is thoroughly documented, drawing from innumerable sources...." Read more

"Awesome read and really opens reader’s eyes. Answers or confirms many questions I had about the Toddler-in-Chief." Read more

"The book was well written and sources documented. Gives readers an opportunity to view trump’s functioning!!!!" Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book.

"...The book is very well written, without being overbearing or too intellectual...." Read more

"It is well written and sums up Trump's childish behavior and thought process...." Read more

"The book was well written and sources documented. Gives readers an opportunity to view trump’s functioning!!!!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Susan Harrison
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    My initial impression, based on the title and the cartoon cover, was that this might turn out to be a National Enquirer type book. I was SO wrong. This is a must read. While it does focus on the president, it does so respectfully against the back drop of American constitutional history and the terms of previous presidents. I had no idea that some of what we are experiencing through our current president was also done in previous administrations. The book is very well written, without being overbearing or too intellectual. The ordinary citizen can read this and easily appreciate the great democracy that the U. S. has.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great analysis, chilling prognosis
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great book. Every contention about Trump's state of mind , his delusional perception of reality and his psychotic narcissism are copiously documented. One sentence in the Conclusion is terrifying. It describes the nation's good fortune that Trump has not been tested by a major disaster like a pandemic.
    36 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Cynthia
    4.0 out of 5 stars The "Toddler" metaphor may be a bit overdone...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Though I did think the author was a bit heavy on the toddler comparison, I can't disagree with his premise. It was a good book, and even told me one or two things I had not known about the Orange One. It was entertaining and at least a little bit educational.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Pumpkin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I really like this book but have to put it down frequently because I get so frustrated with this horrible person in charge. I still don't understand how Donald can pass a physical. Don't they test him mentally as well as physically? Isn't that part of his health? He's truly mentally ill and underdeveloped for an adult. The book compares him to a toddler and he is so exactly-like-the-descriptions the author and health officials give, he should be immediately removed from office for that reason alone. What an awful person Trump is and this book gives all the reasons why. Beautiful, just beautiful.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Greg McLaughlin Jr.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Briliantly Presented
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Talk about a book "writing itself". The collection of actual Tweets, captured and presented in this work offers a compelling look at not just the type of President Donald J. Trump was, but what kind of person he is. And, while it started as an amusing way of poking fun at the absurd, when the pervasiveness of the comically absurd became so apparently the reality, the book turned grim and just sad. This is a fascinating look at one of the most complex and flawed human beings to ascend to such a position of power. And, it's chilling. I highly recommend this book and all the works of the brilliant Daniel Drezner.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • jrzgrlxit8a
    3.0 out of 5 stars Reached my TSP
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Sigh......although written from a different perspective (comparing Trump to a toddler), this book is given three stars because it's mainly a rehash of quotes from other books, news articles and television. The fact that I had to force myself to finish it made me realize I reached my TSP (Trump Saturation Point). I simply cannot tolerate another minute of him during his Corona virus "briefings", nor can I read another book about him. November can't come quickly enough.
    112 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Daisy1
    5.0 out of 5 stars Staggering Research, Scary Info
    Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book is thoroughly documented, drawing from innumerable sources. It explains how and why Donald Trump has been an overall disaster for America and the rest of the world. In likening Trump to an impulsive, unqualified, overgrown toddler, Drezner has illustrated Trump's many frightening deficits as a leader. It is the stuff of nightmares, and it isn't over yet.
    25 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Holly C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    So, we have a boob in charge and old people of which at 69 I must not be old, think this buffoon is fantastic, oh brother.
    This book tells all about a narcissist who needs day care.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Tommi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Tremendous book. Everyone , and some very smart people are saying it...believe me.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    First , the dislike. I found it quite short. It wasn't for the lack of materiel. Trump has done in any random week a bookful of hideous things that will require at some time in the future separately cleaning up. This book however is timely and at last gives the first glimpses into the insane circus and playpen of someone unfit and incapable of closing an umbrella, but who has nukes at his stubby childish fingertips. Its mainly insider sources from the bloody front lines of the west wing. Some anonymous and some not. There is plenty of further details on trumps lack of mind and the sheer infantile display that he inflicts every day. "LOOK! I get TWO SCOOPS!" Depressingly funny.
    Report
  • Kerry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    It's what we have watch going on in the Whitehouse...but great to see it in print
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report