This Will Not Pass

Trump, Biden and the Battle for American Democracy

By: Jonathan Martin, Alexander Burns

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

The “blockbuster” (The Guardian) New York Times bestseller, a shocking, definitive account of the 2020 election and the first year of the Biden presidency by two New York Times reporters, exposes the deep fissures within both parties as the country approaches a political breaking point.

This is the authoritative, “deeply reported” (The Wall Street Journal) account of an eighteen-month crisis in American democracy that will be seared into the country’s political memory for decades to come. With stunning, in-the-room detail, New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns show how both our political parties confronted a series of national traumas, including the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the political brinksmanship of President Biden’s first year in the White House.

From Donald Trump’s assault on the 2020 election and his ongoing campaign of vengeance against his fellow Republicans to the behind-the-scenes story of Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate and his bitter struggles to unite the Democratic Party, this book exposes the degree to which the two-party system has been strained to the point of disintegration. More than at any time in recent history, the long-established traditions and institutions of American politics are under siege as a set of aging political leaders struggle to hold together the changing country.

Martin and Burns break news on most every page, drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-seen documents and recordings from the highest levels of government. This “masterful” (George Stephanopoulos) book asks the vitally important (and disturbing) question: can American democracy, as we know it, ever work again?

Commanding and compelling

A command and compelling historiography and commentary on the consequences of the 2020 presidential election, including the Jan. 6th insurrection, Trump’s election interference. But also Biden’s first year in office and his administration’s efforts to achieve its major legislation such as infrastructure that involved satisfying members within his party and Republican not beholden to Trump. This is about the machinations of governing in a dysfunctional Congress, about the bewildering hold of members of Congress who have created Trump into a cult of personality, a man that leaders of our Allies fear would destroy our democracy and our leadership in the free world.

Solid book, well rounded

I liked that the book encompassed the end of the Trump administration and beginning of Biden’s. I felt it was well-researched and thorough. However, I’ve listened to a LOT of books about the 45th POTUS, and I didn’t feel this was offered anything revolutionary or novel. It’s well written and composed and narration was pretty good.

Great read, bad reading

Excellent book, a lot of care and effort went into its crafting.
But you’d think they would have made sure the narrator knew how to pronounce all the names of politicians, staff and world leaders whose names are so often butchered.

Essential

Loved this! I want them to write companion books every year or 18 months. I feel like I am reading a detailed history book, but I know the characters. Essential!!

The story of our times.

I can’t believe I ate the whole thing (I may have sleep through some). This book will be an interesting read after we’re all gone and very few people would know or care about democracy.