Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trialBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House
At War with Ourselves by H. R. McMaster examines how strategic miscalculations, leadership failures, and cognitive biases shape American foreign policy, providing insightful analysis on improving national security and global strategy.
It’s February 2017, and the White House is in turmoil: President Trump’s national security advisor, Michael Flynn, has resigned after a mere 24 days. The President is desperate. He needs to project stability and defeat the negative headlines – and to find someone who can quickly get the administration back on track.
Enter H. R. McMaster – a decorated, no-nonsense general known on both sides of the aisle for his intellect and integrity. He has no idea that the next months of his life will put his skills to the test in ways he never thought possible.
It all starts off with a call. McMaster picks up, and on the other end of the line is the White House deputy chief of staff, who invites him to Mar-a-Lago for an interview with President Trump. Less than 24 hours later, McMaster is sitting across from Trump in his lavish Florida residence. This meeting will end up changing his life forever.
The interview gets off to a quintessentially Trumpian start. As McMaster takes his seat, the president points to a pile of newspapers on his desk. He tells McMaster that he’s never seen anyone get such glowing praise in the press. Turning to CIA Director Mike Pompeo, he jokes that not even Pompeo gets such good press.
Niceties aside, the meeting starts to take a more serious tone. Trump starts to grill McMaster on pressing issues – North Korea, China, ISIS. True to his no-nonsense reputation, McMaster gives straight-to-the-point answers. Something seems to click with Trump, especially after the general mentions the importance of a broad military strategy, one that also takes diplomatic and economic pressure into account. It’s clear: effective strategy isn’t solely about military power.
As the meeting begins to wind down, Trump leans back with a satisfied look. “When can you start?” he asks. McMaster is caught off guard, but years of military training allow him to keep his composure. Right away, he says. And just like that, McMaster is thrust into one of the most important advisory positions in the world – national security advisor to the president of the United States.
Almost exactly 24 hours after this meeting, McMaster entered the White House for the first time in his new role. Just over a year later, relieved of his position, he would exit the building. During his tenure, he would ruffle plenty of feathers. And, ultimately, this would cost him his job.
At War with Ourselves (2024) takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Trump White House. You’ll discover how chaos and power struggles shaped H. R. McMaster’s one-year tenure as national security advisor, and how he tried to advance the nation’s long-term strategic interests.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trialBlink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma