A Warning, written by “Anonymous,” a senior Trump official who chooses not to disclose their name, is a tell-all book about what goes on behind the closed doors of the White House. The author is the same anonymous Trump official who wrote the New York Times opinion piece titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” which President Trump criticized for being a treasonous piece of writing and demanded the New York Times expose their source.

Although it can be incredibly difficult to establish credibility when you are an anonymous writer, Anonymous constantly cites counterarguments and strikes them down with not only their own anecdotes, but other sources that are citable, including the Washington Post.

In light of the recent impeachment hearings and the 2020 Elections coming up next year, Anonymous attempts to inform the American public—not just anti-Trump voters—about the wrongdoings of President Donald Trump, ultimately allowing the public to formulate their own educated decisions when voting. Although being an initial Trump supporter themselves, Anonymous hopes that others will finally be able to form their opinions using first hand facts and look at the president under a new lens like Anonymous did themselves.

Based on both first and second hand accounts from other members of the president’s advisors, Anonymous utilizes vivid language as well as countless metaphors in order to describe the chaos inside the Trump administration.

By providing a sufficient amount of context to each of their arguments, Anonymous maintains a connection with the reader without losing them in minor details. This is in great contrast to another book I read about Donald Trump’s election and actions as president: Fear by Bob Woodward, who is known for his investigative work on the Watergate scandals and President Nixon. Arguably equally informative as A Warning, Fear was much harder to digest as a teenage reader. 

Written more than a year after Woodward’s book, A Warning is able to include recent events, like the impeachment inquiry, as well as past issues such as Russia’s meddling in the 2016 elections. However, the president is still in office, and it is challenging to attempt to tell a story without knowing the end.

Despite being critical of President Trump throughout the entire book, Anonymous uses the last chapter, We the Electorate, to explain what the populous should do with the information they just received and it does not include impeaching Trump. Anonymous illustrates that impeachment is a severe and chaotic path to lead the country down, and that instead of convicting the president we should use our power as the people to vote him out in a democratic fashion.

The White House has already attacked Anonymous and their book, claiming it includes false information and that the author is a “coward” for maintaining their anonymity. However, Anonymous predicted this outcome and knew that those siding with President Trump for their own personal gain, whom they refer to as “Apologists,” would come immediately to his rescue after the book was released.

Overall, I found A Warning to exceed my expectations as it provided a well-rounded view on the presidency, rather than the two extremes of pro and anti-Trump that we often see in opinion pieces today. According to Kake News by ABC, Anonymous plans to reveal themselves to President Trump before the 2020 elections and is not afraid to voice their opinions with their name attached to them. 

With this easy and comprehensive read, students can digest accurate information on the Trump administration and form our opinions on political figures on our own accord, rather than listening to the adults around us. The lack of education in schools surrounding our current political climate made me eager to read this book and it did not disappoint.

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