Dear President Trump,
First, let me thank you. You’ve given us a gift.
You’ve shaken us awake to the fact that our system has many faults—and once those faults are recognized, they can be corrected.
I’m sure your intentions were good, but instead of making America great, you’ve made America look petty, chaotic, divisive, and corrupt to much of the rest of the world. We are angry and frustrated.
I am angry and frustrated, too. That’s why I wrote The Art of the Steal: Trump and the Economic Hit Man Presidency. And it’s why I’m sending you a copy. Since your name appears in the subtitle—and throughout the book—I have no doubt you’ll enjoy reading it.
Here’s a teaser, direct from the Conclusion:
I began this book by defining the four pillars of the Economic Hit Man Strategy—fear, debt, anxiety over scarcity, and divide and conquer. In the chapters that followed, I explained how I was trained to use these tactics abroad, how they were deployed against economically vulnerable nations, how every president in my lifetime has employed them to enrich corporations and elites while hollowing out democracies, and how Trump has amplified them and adjusted them to fit his personality.
Trump did not need to invent a new system. He inherited one already perfected over decades—one that rewards those who understand how to manipulate perception, manufacture fear, and turn people against one another. Trump simply uses these tools openly, unapologetically, and for personal gain.
But, just as my earlier confessions were never only about me, this book is not about Trump alone. It is about a system that no longer serves the American Ideal – principles rooted in liberty with responsibility, equality, justice, democracy, opportunity, and an individualism that supports family and community.
That system depends on our participation. Your participation.
And that means we can change it. You can change it.
The task may at first appear daunting. Yet systems are made of people, and three truths follow from that fact:
- Systems change when people change their perceptions.
- Systems have many entry points that cause structural change.
- There are numerous avenues to those entry points.
Each one of us can choose the entry point that suits us best. We each have our own unique personalities, interests, and abilities. . . .
We each have a role to play in ending this reign of the oligarchs. Here is what you can do.
The book describes what each and every one of us can do to help make the US and the world a place your grandkids and mine will thank us for.
I know you will get a lot out of this book, Mr. President.
Sincerely,
John Perkins
A Loyal US Citizen
Dear Reader,
I’m sharing this letter to President Trump with you because I think you’ll enjoy the book and get as much (or more) out of it than he will.
The wonderful, dedicated people at my local family-owned bookstore have made a very generous offer. If you order through them before September 8, they will have me come in, sign and personalize your book (or multiple copies for you to give your friends)! The bookstore will send the books to any addresses in the US you provide.
Click here to pre-order your signed copy.
Together we will turn things around!