- New ebook chronicles first 60 weeks of Donald Trump’s second coming with dollops of humor
Washington, Love him or hate him, Donald Trump matters. Arguably the most controversial if not the most consequential U.S. President of the century has upended the established world order with delightful abandon.
Trumpiana: The Wrecking Machine, a new ebook on Trump presidency chronicles the first 60 weeks of Trump’s unlikely second coming with dollops of humor. Remarkably irreverent yet unbiased, it’s much more than just a satirical work.
The compilation of Arun Kumar’s weekly column Trumpiana, first published in The American Bazaar and republished on The Times of India website, turns contemporary political events into readable, memorable pieces of political writing — often rising to the level of literature.
Veteran journalist Kumar, who has previously reported from Pakistan and China as the sole Indian correspondent for eight years and watched America for the last two decades, adds new fizz to political commentary, bubbly yet substantive.
His alliterative titles, puns and cultural references give the series a distinctive personality that straight political reporting lacks encapsulating as it does events in juicy bites.
If ‘Howdy Modi, Namaste Trump, Bye Dosti, Hi Grump!’ captures the ups and downs in India-U.S. relations under Trump, ‘Magnolia, MAGAnolia, megalomania!’ takes a dig at his mega size ego.
The Art of the Weave!; Grouses are forever, forever; From Superman with love — tariff TACO & pink slips; Never say never – Nobel nixed, Nixon fixed!; and No coffee, tea, or H-1B, just me, me, me! — all tell a tale on their own in miniature.
With considerable verbal dexterity—puns, alliteration, rhyme, cultural references and parody, Kumar tells the story with an outsider’s perspective without towing any ideological line of any color, staying close to verifiable events and clearly attributing controversial claims.
Juxtaposition is Kumar’s strongest technique. He is at his best when he places Trump’s words or actions beside an apparently absurd consequence and allows the contrast to do the work.
Instead of merely asserting that Trump is narcissistic or theatrical, the writing often lets the reader see the contradiction for themselves. It doesn’t merely focus on the whimsical or quirky, but also explores what makes him a political phenomenon with few parallels.
With a particularly strong ear for language and an instinct for the telling detail, Kumar notices the spectacle of American power and its implications for immigrants, India, international relations and America’s standing abroad.
Despite the rapid pace of the series — a weekly column — the book does not seem dated thanks to its style. Read consecutively, the pieces become a running diary of Trump 2.0, recording history in the making.
Touching on from tariffs to Iran war, to his hankering for a Nobel Peace Prize, to his penchant for playing with AI slopaganda, it has everything about all things Trump — for political junkies to casual readers alike.
Kumar’s real talent is making contemporary political absurdity readable and memorable. But despite being unputdownable, it’s best enjoyed a piece or two at a time with or without Diet Coke. As (Mc)Donald’s would say, “I’m lovin’ it!”
The book is available on Amazon.
