This book is based on some one hundred interviews with current and former officials in the Trump administration, current and former senior US military officers, senior officials of foreign countries, and others who have worked with or interacted with Trump administration officials. Most of those interviews were recorded. The interviews were largely conducted on background because of the sensitive nature of the topics, although some interviewees did go on the record. A number of individuals were interviewed on multiple occasions, while others kept contemporaneous notes, diaries, and emails that were useful in establishing timelines and the details of meetings. All quotes in the book are based on at least one person’s account of a meeting or event. In a number of cases, I spoke to multiple people who were at the same meeting or event.
Much of the action of this book takes place in Washington, DC. I also reported from some of the key countries that are discussed in the book such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, each of which I was able to visit at least twice during the course of my reporting. I also read some seventy books related to the Trump phenomenon. The notes at the end of this book reference the books and articles that I have drawn upon. Otherwise, all the information in the book comes from the interviews that I performed.