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Blowback

A Warning to Save Democracy from Trump's Revenge

About The Book

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The author behind the “eye-popping” (CNN) #1 New York Times bestseller A Warning presents an urgent look at how our deeply divided nation is setting the stage for “The Next Trump.”

Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor—The Next Trump.

This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past.

With the 2024 election approaching, the formerly “Anonymous” official is back with bombshell revelations and a sobering national forecast. Through interviews with dozens of ex-Trump aides and government leaders, Taylor predicts what could happen inside “Trump 2.0,” the White House of a more competent and more formidable copycat.

What sounds like a political thriller—from shadowy presidential powers and CIA betrayals to angry henchmen and assassination plots—is instead America’s political reality, as Taylor uses untold stories to shed light on the ex-President’s unfulfilled plans, the dark forces haunting our civic lives, and how we can thwart the rise of extremism in the United States.

Blowback is also a surprisingly emotional and self-critical portrait of a dissenter, whose own unmasking provides a vivid warning about what happens when we hide the truth from others and, most importantly, ourselves.

About The Author

Photograph courtesy of Miles Taylor

Miles Taylor is a national security expert who works in Washington, DC. Taylor previously served as chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security, where he published an “Anonymous” essay in The New York Times, blowing the whistle on presidential misconduct. He later published the #1 national bestseller A Warning, revealed himself to be the author, and launched a campaign of ex-officials to oppose Donald Trump’s reelection. He’s worked as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration, on Capitol Hill, as a CNN contributor, and is the cofounder of a DC-based charter school and multiple democracy-reform groups. Taylor received his MPhil in international relations from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar and BA from Indiana University as a Harry S. Truman scholar.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (July 18, 2023)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668016008

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Raves and Reviews

“To Taylor’s credit, “Blowback” is full of regret. By book’s end, Taylor has decided that anonymity itself, the mask he wore for years, “symbolizes the greatest threat to democracy. The most moving passages in the book are those in which Taylor wrestles not with political monsters, but with his own demons. The mask of anonymity is entwined with his alcoholism; his recovery only arrived when he spoke truthfully in his own name. Taylor describes how falsity gnaws at the soul. Courage doesn’t always come on time, but as many an addict has ruefully remarked, it’s better late than never.”—The New York Times

Blowback reads like a thriller and hits you like a tornado siren. Miles Taylor has provided the most vivid and authoritative account yet of what a ‘Trump 2.0’ would look like. This is a warning that must be heeded.”—Lt. Col. Alex Vindman (ret), Former director, White House National Security Council and author of Here, Right Matters

“Another rousing plea to all Americans to stand against authoritarianism.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Miles Taylor's Blowback is a must-read as America faces the threat of a second Trump term…The people behind Trump’s new run are more authoritarian, more determined, and more dangerous than ever. Blowback lays out their plan and the risks it poses to the Republic. Terrifying, readable, and deeply important at this moment.”—Rick Wilson, author of Everything Trump Touches Dies, co-founder of the Lincoln Project

“Miles writes in his latest compelling book, ‘Truth is the final guardrail of our collective democracy.’ He takes us on his complicated, courageous journey to this truth through his poignant personal and professional path…Patriots are found in every corner of our country, and Miles is definitely one of them.—Matthew Dowd, MSNBC political analyst

“Strap in for this one, folks!...Miles Taylor’s Blowback overwhelms the reader as it warns of complacency in the face political tribalism. Miles reaches into the darker corners of a once proud Republican Party to expose its extremism and embrace of MAGA; and shines the refreshing light of truth on a pathway with no guardrails.”—Michael Steele, Former Republican National Committee chairman

Blowback is a compelling insider account, a prophecy, a warning, and a vivid illustration of just what is on the line for America in the next several years. Read it if you want to understand just how close to the edge we are as a country – and how we can pull back. Miles Taylor is a powerful, clear-eyed voice about the depth of the challenges we face as a nation.”—Andrew Yang, Former Democratic presidential candidate

Blowback is quite simply the best and most frightening book written by an insider at the Trump White House. In this masterful tour de force, Miles Taylor not only exposes horrifying, previously unknown truths about our most divisive president, he convincingly shows that the breakdown of reason in the Trump years threatens America’s future. Taylor demonstrates that we cannot count on ‘adults in the room’ to rein in the worst instincts of an autocrat…only the public can save America with a recommitment to democracy. Without that, Blowback makes clear the great American experiment could well collapse in the face of rising autocracy.”--Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times best-selling author of Conspiracy of Fools and The Informant

“One of the few ways to prevent the rise of authoritarianism is to tell the truth about it. Miles Taylor is such a truth-teller and Blowback is a prophetic warning. Sometimes past is prologue. We need to listen and prepare.”—Richard Stengel, Former editor, TIME Magazine

“Taylor's cautionary narrative has a place in library collections for its compelling backstory and for its guidance for dissent against MAGA extremism. Americans will hope that Taylor is relaying obvious anti-democratic actions and not giving MAGA ideas.”Booklist

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