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When America Stopped Being Great

A history of the present

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When America Stopped Being Great

By: Nick Bryant
Narrated by: Ben Chapple
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About this listen

 The presidency of Donald Trump is commonly seen as an historical accident. In When America Stopped Being Great, Nick Bryant argues that it was almost historically inescapable.

In this highly personal account, drawing on decades of covering Washington for the BBC, Bryant shows how the billionaire capitalised on the mistakes of his five predecessors - Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama - and how also he became a beneficiary of a broken politics, an iniquitous economy, an ailing media, a facile culture, disruptive new technology and the creation of a modern-day presidency that elevated showmanship over statesmanship.

Not only are we seeing the emergence of a post-American world, Bryant fears we are witnessing the emergence of a post-American America. The aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, when Donald Trump refused to accept defeat and incited his supporters to storm the US Capitol, revealed the country's chronic state of disunion.

The history of Donald Trump's rise is also the history of America's fall.

'An elegant and insightful dissection of how a great nation lost its footing and the world's respect. The tragedy is made all the more stark by the genuine love of America in Nick Bryant's writing' - Leigh Sales

'Nick Bryant writes like a dream, and is one of those very rare things on TV - a man who makes you want to turn up the sound. His eye for description is sublime, and he has a way of showing you what you've been missing from the whole story, whilst never leaving you feeling stupid' - Emily Maitlis

'Bryant is a genuine rarity - a Brit who understands America' - The Washington Post Americas Politics & Government United States World American History Socialism Capitalism Franklin D Roosevelt Middle East Iran Liberalism
All stars
Most relevant
great summation of how we got to USA 2020. well researched and a good interpretation of the facts.

how we got here.

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Hugely insightful, unsettling, fascinating, wry, frank, erudite. Looking forward to the next ‘chapter’ because, surely, the only way forward for the US can be up.

Hugely insightful

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The Australian narrator with his noos and Noo York sounded rather forced. It also appeared at times as if he was unsure of the content he was reading.

Narrator detracted from the story

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Good unvarnished look at the more recent American presidencies. I would say it's a fair recount and none of them are let of easily for their own, very consequential, failings at their job.

Let's see where they go from here.

Great and non partisan

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This books adds a critical perspective and context to the Trump drama. It provides an historical overview and creates a relief from the wealth of intense commentary. It is one of the few books that help see Trump as an outcome of a Trend and not a wild card norm shatter. The norm has been decaying to the point it has crumbled under a determined assault.

Essential background to the current US crisis

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