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American Nero: The History of the Destruction of the Rule of Law, and Why Trump Is the Worst Offender
Richard Painter and Peter Golenbock present a clear description of rule of law - arguably the single most important principle underlying our civilization. They also describe the abuses of power that have occurred throughout our nation's history. Beginning in Puritan New England with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, 'AMERICAN NERO' makes vivid stops at The Red Scare of the 1920s, Japanese-American internment, the McCarthy Era, and, much more recently, President Trump's attempt to violate the First Amendment by banning Muslims from entering the US.
While Trump is not the first offender, he is arguably the most blatant, and this unflinchingly honest and insightful work presents in devastating detail the ways in which our current president has trampled the rule of law with his attacks on the freedom of the press, the independence of the judiciary, and the autonomy of the justice department.
This not a book about right vs. left - instead, it is about the rule of law, a principle that transcends partisan politics, and how vital it is to the survival of our country. This book serves as a call to action, looking ahead to a brighter future for our country, one where citizens and officials alike protect our rights and honor their responsibilities.
READING LENGTH ➜ 400 Pages
AUDIBLE RUNNING TIME ➜ 16hrs. and 12mins.
©2020 Richard Painter and Peter Golenbock (P)2020 Tantor
While Trump is not the first offender, he is arguably the most blatant, and this unflinchingly honest and insightful work presents in devastating detail the ways in which our current president has trampled the rule of law with his attacks on the freedom of the press, the independence of the judiciary, and the autonomy of the justice department.
This not a book about right vs. left - instead, it is about the rule of law, a principle that transcends partisan politics, and how vital it is to the survival of our country. This book serves as a call to action, looking ahead to a brighter future for our country, one where citizens and officials alike protect our rights and honor their responsibilities.
READING LENGTH ➜ 400 Pages
AUDIBLE RUNNING TIME ➜ 16hrs. and 12mins.
©2020 Richard Painter and Peter Golenbock (P)2020 Tantor
Audible Audio
First published March 24, 2020
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1434 people want to read
About the author
Richard W. Painter
7 books2 followersRichard W. Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at University of Minnesota Law School
Painter has served as a tenured member of the law faculty at the University of Oregon School of Law and the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was the Guy Raymond and Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Professor of Law from 2002 to 2005. He has been the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2007.
Painter has served as a tenured member of the law faculty at the University of Oregon School of Law and the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was the Guy Raymond and Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Professor of Law from 2002 to 2005. He has been the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 11, 2020
One of the challenges for writers of a book like this, a real-time assessment of a polarizing, sitting President, is deciding the goal and audience of the book. I say this because the book is unlikely to change the minds of the public, either who already agree with the authors basic premise, i.e., Trump poses an existential threat to our democracy, or who disagree with the authors, e.g., Trump can do no wrong.
What is the purpose of the book? For me, the authors lay out a model of how the United States’ rule of law can be undermined by one of the following types of actions:
• Religious intolerance
• Violations of due process
• Myths and alternative facts
• Attacks on the free press
• Corruption
The authors provide historical examples of previous administrations and other countries’ governments undermining the rule of law using one of the actions above, and then they document the Trump administration’s activities and efforts to do exactly that.
What is the value of such a book (if it is not going to change opinions)? I can suggest several:
1. It is a documentation of issues raised by Trump’s presidency (at least through 2019). The book provides ample examples.
2. In the near term, it is raising an awareness of the challenges the United States citizens face before November 2020 and January 2021, that the citizens can recognize the issues sooner to deter future deterioration of our society.
3. With such a set of issues one could envision making changes to laws governing expectations on a President (more detailed financial disclosure of the president, vice president and all members of Congress).
4. Future historians will be better able to judge the lasting impact of his Presidency on the country.
Why is this book titled “America Nero”? The authors address this on the first line of the book: Emperor Nero (December 15, 37 to June 9, 68 AD), “like Donald Trump, was a notorious narcissist who put himself above everyone else, causing chaos and confusion with every irrational decision. … Nero was a man of low self-esteem who would cheat the system and declare himself a winner whenever he could. He rigged the Olympic Games in 67 AD to win the chariot race, even though he had been thrown out of the chariot while making a turn. ... Nero was obsessed with popularity and loyalty … Nero, like all narcissists, wouldn’t abide criticism, … and in one of the worst fake news events of world history, when Rome burned down, he blamed the Christians for its destruction….” See below for a definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and its ramifications during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Let me share some specifics of the book.
The first part of the book (Chapters 1- 15) is giving examples, primarily although not exclusively from US history to the present how our country has gone through periods where one or more of these actions have taken hold. Specifically, there are sections on the US Civil War and the reconstruction period where there was a huge attempt to undermine the rule of law for many black voters; Nazi Germany; McCarthyism; dirty tricks of Richard Nixon; and the Iran Contra affair, among others.
The second half of the book (Chapters 16 – 31) is about Donald Trump and his presidency. Please note that the book was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, and before the final vote by the Senate to acquit Trump of the charges of impeachment.
Specifically, the book does give some background on Trump’s prior experiences in finance, and chapter by chapter steps through a range of issues around his presidency.
For example, Chapter 17, A Man of Many Assets or a Foreign Asset? the authors indicate that because of Trumps financial failures and harm done by his investments in the US, he stopped investing in the US and started investing in other countries, e.g., Russia, China, India. South Korea and Turkey. Since he is not required to relinquish ownership of businesses in those countries, nor even to disclose the sources of revenue going into those businesses, we, the US population, are left to wonder how Trump makes decisions and what priorities does he set. Given he has demonstrated multiple times prioritization of his own interests over others, how can we be sure this is not influencing his decisions, supposedly made on our behalf.
In Chapters 19, 20 and 21 the authors talk much more of how Trump’s election could have been influenced by the Russians, and why Russia wants Trump in the white house. In addition to perhaps easing of restrictions, Trump’s policy that lead to a weakening of Democracy in the US and of our partnership with Europe help Russia’s (Putin’s) goal of returning the world to independent nation-states which it can better control/manage.
And there are chapters on the series of lies Trump has used to great effect, his ability to corrupt those around him, and his racists views.
There are information rich chapter on Robert Mueller (26) and the history of his investigation (27) along with the counter (obstructive) moves by Trump and his administration. There are additional chapters about stacking the supreme court with justices that being in almost unlimited presidential powers (“unitary executive theory”), indicating the extent Trump and supports would go in the case of Brett Cavanaugh (28), the role of William Barr (29), and ultimately the Mueller Report (30). Reading these chapters together help tie together a tighter narrative than watching the events unfold over the two year of the investigation.
For people who already distrust Trump, this book will give them ample ammunition to help cogently argue that he should be voted out of office in November 2020, a way for the US population to say “You’re fired!”
And for the Trump lovers, the authors ask: Do you really want to have Russia or any other country involved in our elections, or for that matter interfering with out society in any way? And does it not make sense to ask in which countries Trump has his investments – to understand if there are pressures on him that may have him prioritize self over country, thus putting him in conflict with the oath of office? These financial concerns could be put to rest by a full disclosure, which has not happened.
From a reading perspective, the prose is strong, and the book is very well annotated, with many references. However, the examples are so numerous (based on nearly three years of Trump), I feel the reader is being overwhelmed. Furthermore, the theme of “Nero” or “narcissism” are only indirectly referred to after the first section, making me wonder if this really is the right title for the book. Finally, as one of the other reviewers mentioned, there are no new revelations in this book, rather it is the placing them all together that we can see the strain of this Presidency on our nation.
Definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder: see https://www.helpguide.org/articles/me...
Implications of this disorder during the time of crisis: See New York Times editorial “This is What Happens When a Narcissist Runs a Crisis” by Jennifer Senior on April 5, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/op... …
What is the purpose of the book? For me, the authors lay out a model of how the United States’ rule of law can be undermined by one of the following types of actions:
• Religious intolerance
• Violations of due process
• Myths and alternative facts
• Attacks on the free press
• Corruption
The authors provide historical examples of previous administrations and other countries’ governments undermining the rule of law using one of the actions above, and then they document the Trump administration’s activities and efforts to do exactly that.
What is the value of such a book (if it is not going to change opinions)? I can suggest several:
1. It is a documentation of issues raised by Trump’s presidency (at least through 2019). The book provides ample examples.
2. In the near term, it is raising an awareness of the challenges the United States citizens face before November 2020 and January 2021, that the citizens can recognize the issues sooner to deter future deterioration of our society.
3. With such a set of issues one could envision making changes to laws governing expectations on a President (more detailed financial disclosure of the president, vice president and all members of Congress).
4. Future historians will be better able to judge the lasting impact of his Presidency on the country.
Why is this book titled “America Nero”? The authors address this on the first line of the book: Emperor Nero (December 15, 37 to June 9, 68 AD), “like Donald Trump, was a notorious narcissist who put himself above everyone else, causing chaos and confusion with every irrational decision. … Nero was a man of low self-esteem who would cheat the system and declare himself a winner whenever he could. He rigged the Olympic Games in 67 AD to win the chariot race, even though he had been thrown out of the chariot while making a turn. ... Nero was obsessed with popularity and loyalty … Nero, like all narcissists, wouldn’t abide criticism, … and in one of the worst fake news events of world history, when Rome burned down, he blamed the Christians for its destruction….” See below for a definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and its ramifications during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
Let me share some specifics of the book.
The first part of the book (Chapters 1- 15) is giving examples, primarily although not exclusively from US history to the present how our country has gone through periods where one or more of these actions have taken hold. Specifically, there are sections on the US Civil War and the reconstruction period where there was a huge attempt to undermine the rule of law for many black voters; Nazi Germany; McCarthyism; dirty tricks of Richard Nixon; and the Iran Contra affair, among others.
The second half of the book (Chapters 16 – 31) is about Donald Trump and his presidency. Please note that the book was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, and before the final vote by the Senate to acquit Trump of the charges of impeachment.
Specifically, the book does give some background on Trump’s prior experiences in finance, and chapter by chapter steps through a range of issues around his presidency.
For example, Chapter 17, A Man of Many Assets or a Foreign Asset? the authors indicate that because of Trumps financial failures and harm done by his investments in the US, he stopped investing in the US and started investing in other countries, e.g., Russia, China, India. South Korea and Turkey. Since he is not required to relinquish ownership of businesses in those countries, nor even to disclose the sources of revenue going into those businesses, we, the US population, are left to wonder how Trump makes decisions and what priorities does he set. Given he has demonstrated multiple times prioritization of his own interests over others, how can we be sure this is not influencing his decisions, supposedly made on our behalf.
In Chapters 19, 20 and 21 the authors talk much more of how Trump’s election could have been influenced by the Russians, and why Russia wants Trump in the white house. In addition to perhaps easing of restrictions, Trump’s policy that lead to a weakening of Democracy in the US and of our partnership with Europe help Russia’s (Putin’s) goal of returning the world to independent nation-states which it can better control/manage.
And there are chapters on the series of lies Trump has used to great effect, his ability to corrupt those around him, and his racists views.
There are information rich chapter on Robert Mueller (26) and the history of his investigation (27) along with the counter (obstructive) moves by Trump and his administration. There are additional chapters about stacking the supreme court with justices that being in almost unlimited presidential powers (“unitary executive theory”), indicating the extent Trump and supports would go in the case of Brett Cavanaugh (28), the role of William Barr (29), and ultimately the Mueller Report (30). Reading these chapters together help tie together a tighter narrative than watching the events unfold over the two year of the investigation.
For people who already distrust Trump, this book will give them ample ammunition to help cogently argue that he should be voted out of office in November 2020, a way for the US population to say “You’re fired!”
And for the Trump lovers, the authors ask: Do you really want to have Russia or any other country involved in our elections, or for that matter interfering with out society in any way? And does it not make sense to ask in which countries Trump has his investments – to understand if there are pressures on him that may have him prioritize self over country, thus putting him in conflict with the oath of office? These financial concerns could be put to rest by a full disclosure, which has not happened.
From a reading perspective, the prose is strong, and the book is very well annotated, with many references. However, the examples are so numerous (based on nearly three years of Trump), I feel the reader is being overwhelmed. Furthermore, the theme of “Nero” or “narcissism” are only indirectly referred to after the first section, making me wonder if this really is the right title for the book. Finally, as one of the other reviewers mentioned, there are no new revelations in this book, rather it is the placing them all together that we can see the strain of this Presidency on our nation.
Definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder: see https://www.helpguide.org/articles/me...
Implications of this disorder during the time of crisis: See New York Times editorial “This is What Happens When a Narcissist Runs a Crisis” by Jennifer Senior on April 5, 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/05/op... …
May 6, 2020
The focus of this book is primarily on how Trump has and will continue to use the law to break the law. If you are not familiar with the Constitutional Principal of the rule of law, the book helps the reader better understand it while also dissecting Trump’s presidency. The author argues for accountability with many of Trump’s actions and behaviors. While also reminding people that there have been many accounts in history where the rule of law has been ignored, undermined, or cheated.
What initially drew me to this book was the comparison between Trump and Nero. Unfortunately, most of the book is spent rehashing previous events and information that is commonly available. Only specific incidents are covered and due to the time of publishing there is no mention of the pandemic, the Senate impeachment trial, etc. This book fails to provide new insights into Trump himself but reviews many important incidents that were relevant to his Presidency. If you agree that the rule of law is important to maintaining a free society this book will provide ample support.
What initially drew me to this book was the comparison between Trump and Nero. Unfortunately, most of the book is spent rehashing previous events and information that is commonly available. Only specific incidents are covered and due to the time of publishing there is no mention of the pandemic, the Senate impeachment trial, etc. This book fails to provide new insights into Trump himself but reviews many important incidents that were relevant to his Presidency. If you agree that the rule of law is important to maintaining a free society this book will provide ample support.
April 10, 2020
Well researched. Well written. Very few new revelations if you watch the news and understand how the three branches of government are supposed to act. Regardless of your political affiliations, the precedents set by the Trump administration are sure to make governing a free for all in the coming years.
This was written before the current pandemic, and the federal government’s late, inadequate response.
I hope there will be an addendum in future releases of this book.
This was written before the current pandemic, and the federal government’s late, inadequate response.
I hope there will be an addendum in future releases of this book.
March 30, 2020
Somehow the Law is the established political clans. And their rule is upset by a newcomer. So the author squirms and tries hard to convince the readers that they have to love their leaders and never question their bureaucratic authority.
August 16, 2025
Covering the 1st Trump term through the first impeachment, this book starts with similarities in earlier dictatorships, such as Rome's Nero and Hitler. There are so many Trump crimes and unethical behavior to recount that it all starts to blur together for me. Some that jumped out in this telling was how the hubris of the Trump USFL scam led to an antipathy for the NFL and can explain his hatred for Colin Kaepernick's activism. Then there is the Trump University grift and how Fla. DA Pam Bondi disrupted the legal investigation. Not much is said any more about the lack of transparency on Trump's taxes (compared to other U.S. Presidents since Nixon). His 2006 taxes could reveal the reality of a tax scam regarding Donald J. Trump State Park on land Trump purchased in 1998 for $2.75m, hoping to build a golf course. Neighborhood officials halted the plan, citing environmental concerns, and the land was abandoned. In 2006, the reality TV mogul donated the undeveloped land to New York state, claiming it was worth $100m – an amount that, if claimed as a qualified conservation contribution, could have saved him a fortune in income tax, potentially carried forward for years. (Confusingly, Trump’s 2016 campaign valued the land at $26.1m in his public list of charitable contributions.)
August 26, 2020
I love history. I’ve always avoided books about recent administrations because there usually is no perspective and anything written is designed to make as much cash off the heat of the moment as possible.
That has changed this past year, as I for the first time am reading not for education but affirmation, confirmation that I’m not losing my mind from the constant gaslighting. I also took a chance because I really enjoy Peter Golenbock’s oral history work.
Nothing like that here. This was a rather dry dissertation on everything we know, with a creative title that the manuscript doesn’t live up to.
That, I can forgive. But the publisher failed here. Yes, there are deadlines to be met and such. But to have that timed so that the story leaves off between the House impeachment and the Senate trial was ridiculous.
Was it that it was unclear when articles were being sent? It’s not like the outcome was in doubt. Whatever the reason, to end the book before that outcome and to barely touch on the circus that was the House hearings was disappointing in the extreme.
Not, again, that I’d learn what I didn’t already see but the book ends with suppositions when there could have been a real conclusion.
That has changed this past year, as I for the first time am reading not for education but affirmation, confirmation that I’m not losing my mind from the constant gaslighting. I also took a chance because I really enjoy Peter Golenbock’s oral history work.
Nothing like that here. This was a rather dry dissertation on everything we know, with a creative title that the manuscript doesn’t live up to.
That, I can forgive. But the publisher failed here. Yes, there are deadlines to be met and such. But to have that timed so that the story leaves off between the House impeachment and the Senate trial was ridiculous.
Was it that it was unclear when articles were being sent? It’s not like the outcome was in doubt. Whatever the reason, to end the book before that outcome and to barely touch on the circus that was the House hearings was disappointing in the extreme.
Not, again, that I’d learn what I didn’t already see but the book ends with suppositions when there could have been a real conclusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2020
Dreadful gibberish. The Trump is a safe target for any one who can lift a pen. These authors have produced something with an intellectual level equal to that of the a Trump.
Where do the authors think they live? What do they think US history over the past 60 years consists of? If they studied a little they would know the USA has been, and still is interfering in other countries business in bloody, and sometimes not so bloody, ways to change governments and reap rewards for monopoly capital in the USA.
Yet they whinge and whine about Trump and the Russians - they are so puerile. Mt regret is that I kept reading it to the end.
Where do the authors think they live? What do they think US history over the past 60 years consists of? If they studied a little they would know the USA has been, and still is interfering in other countries business in bloody, and sometimes not so bloody, ways to change governments and reap rewards for monopoly capital in the USA.
Yet they whinge and whine about Trump and the Russians - they are so puerile. Mt regret is that I kept reading it to the end.
February 20, 2023
The incredibly awkward Richard Painter, who served as W Bush's 'ethics Czar' (like Hitler's cheerleader) and some other guy wrote this sprawling book on the rule of law and Trump. The huge intro on the origins of the rule of law is the best bit - it shows how bizarre and awful Trump is better than how bizarre and awful Trump is in detail (the remainder of the book). It is simple, clear and opinionated (good, thank God).
But Painter doesn't apply the focus on W. or Cheney very much. Not much on Iraq, Saddam, the WOT (there is a bit on the hospital stuff) or torture (all right, some).
That Americans voted for and still support Trump is a national tragedy.
But Painter doesn't apply the focus on W. or Cheney very much. Not much on Iraq, Saddam, the WOT (there is a bit on the hospital stuff) or torture (all right, some).
That Americans voted for and still support Trump is a national tragedy.
Read
October 26, 2021Painter nails it pretty good. Written prior to the failure of the Senate to convict on Trump's first impeachment, you can see how not holding a corrupt former president accountable can lead to that same individual being even more corrupt, leading to an attack on the Capital.
The rule of law has taken a real beating over the past 5 years. Unfortunately, a significant part of the U.S. population either doesn't see it, or is willing to jettison the rule of law for vanity or gain.
The rule of law has taken a real beating over the past 5 years. Unfortunately, a significant part of the U.S. population either doesn't see it, or is willing to jettison the rule of law for vanity or gain.
October 2, 2025
This book came to my attention with the notation that it would no longer be available as a free listen for Audible members after this month, so I listened. It covers a general history of the rule of law in the US, compares the histories, characters and behaviors of the Roman Emperor Nero, King George III, and Donald Trump, and chronicles the first Trump administration up to but not including the first impeachment. That it goes no further is the only real drawback for the reader of 2025.
April 4, 2020
American Nero: The History of the Destruction of the Rule of Law, and Why Trump Is the Worst Offender can be the best in the field.
September 3, 2020
Very informative and well written
December 21, 2020
Really impressive read. I enjoy Painter's dry wit when on television, I wish a bit more had come through in his writing. The book looks at corruption in the executive branch with it concentration on the Reconstruction period through present day. Again, I learned a lot.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews