s a member of the housermed Services Committee and the house judiciary committee. His work in congress foces on National Security Veterans Affairs and adherence to constitutional principles. Congressman gaetz discusses his look firebrand. Joining me with ideas images and stories. This is not my chronological diary can watch me on television for that. Wed like you to enjoy your Virtual Program with congressman matt gaetz and executive director john heubusch. Congressman matt gaetz welcome to the reagan library. I wish we were there and not socially distance like you are in the coast but what a terrific look. Congratulations. Thank you so much gritty was a joy writing it and particularly a joy to participate in our Politics Today whether on the political right are the political left. What we see is a lot of energy and passion and enthusiasm that i was glad to reflect to my perspective. You know congressman i think i read in the book that you love sports and you like this ball could when
Interviewing top nonfiction authors about their latest work. All after words programs are also available as podcasts. It is so good to talk to you. Another book journalist. How do you primarily think of yourself these days . Guest i still very much see myself as a book critic. This book is just sort of an extension of that work. These days i feel like i am a political journalist and just using books as a means to that kind of work. Is that something that you steered clear of . I didnt have a sense that i wanted to necessarily be an author or write a book. Reading other peoples books was plenty and i learned a little bit if i went through the process of writing a book it would be sympathetic to the authors and ruin me for my day job but i think that its been useful to see that side of the process and all the work that goes into creating that product i usually get at the tail end. Do you think its going to change . I think it almost has to. I want to see i suspected it had to in some way
I focus mainly on the prism. You call this a book also about the intellectual history of the trump era, a title some might consider to be a timely oxymoron but what do you mean by an intellectual history . Theres a lot of ways to imagine. Theres been a common exercise during the trump years of trying to find that one book from 1973 that anticipated everything or this one essay that saw it coming and ive done that myself but that isnt the kind of book i wanted to write. I wanted to grapple with the insiders and academics and journalists and how they were thinking about this moment in real time so maybe a better way to explain it is to think of it as a snapshot of an intellectual moment future historians can look at to get the sense of how we thought about trump in a moment. Its interesting you talk about books that oversimplify things, this is how we got here, this is how its happened. There was an increased interest in sales and in particular, novels with brave new world and postapocal
Like im a political journalist use the book says a means to that kind of work. Obviously this is your first book did you know you always wanted to write a book as a critical or is that something you steer clear of . I do not have a sense i wanted to necessarily be an author or write a book reading other peoples books plenty in the process of writing a book to be far too much sympathetic warning me for my day job that has been useful to see with that side of the process is like and all the work going to finish that finished product i get at the tail end. With that change your approach is a book critic . I think it has to i know how it will. I want to see when im back into the swing of reviewing books but in some ways just beyond sympathy for authors i hope you will give me a better sense of the decisionmaking of where the book covers or how many chapters. I hope will make me better at my main job. Now you know the answers but before you get too far away he ran on read 150 books. What do
Guest i still think i very much see myself as a book critic. This book is just sort of an extension of that work, but these days i feel like im a political journalist also in many ways and just using books as a means to do that kind of work. Host also an author, obviously. This is your first book. Did you know you always wanted to write a book as a book critic or is that something you steered clear of . Guest i did not have a sense i wanted to necessarily be an author or write a book. Reading other peoples books was plenty for me and i worried a bit that if i went through the process of writing a book i would end up far too sympathetic to authors and ruin me for my day job, but i think its been useful to see what that side of the process is like and all of the work that goes into creating that finished product usually just get at the tail end host do you think it will change your approach at all as a book critic . I think it almost has to. I dont know how it will, though. I went to see