Thank You for Your Servitude

Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission

By: Mark Leibovich

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

The #1 New York Times Bestseller

“He’s one of the best chroniclers of politics today.”–Jake Tapper

“This is a really funny book.”–Kara Swisher

“His writing is so damn good.”–John Berman

“Really fascinating...There are so many revelations.”–Anderson Cooper

“The new must read summer book.”–Stephanie Ruhle

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller This Town, the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington’s “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult.

In the early months of Trump’s candidacy, the Republican Party’s most important figures, people such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham, were united—and loud—in their scorn and contempt. Even more, in their outrage: Trump was a menace and an affront to our democracy. Then, awkwardly, Trump won.

Thank You for Your Servitude is Mark Leibovich’s unflinching account of the moral rout of a major American political party, tracking the transformation of Rubio, Cruz, Graham, and their ilk into the administration’s chief enablers, and the swamp’s lesser lights into frantic chasers of the grift. What would these politicos do to preserve their place in the sun, or at least the orbit of the spray tan? What would they do to preserve their “relevance”? Almost anything, it turns out. Trump’s savage bullying of everyone in his circle, along with his singular command of his political base, created a dangerous culture of submission in the Republican Party. Meanwhile, many of the most alpha of the lapdogs happily conceded to Mark Leibovich that they were “in on the joke”. As Lindsey Graham told the author, his supporters in South Carolina generally don’t read The New York Times, and they won’t read this book, either. All that cynicism, shading into nihilism, led to a country truly unhinged from reality and to the events of January 6, 2021. It’s a vista that makes the Washington of This Town seem like a comedy of manners in comparison.

Thank You for Your Servitude isn’t another view from the Oval Office: It’s the view from the Trump Hotel. We can check out any time we want, but only time will tell if we can ever leave.

©2022 Mark Leibovich (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The author couldn’t repeat the formula he used to such entertaining effect in his 2013 book, This Town . . . Instead, Leibovich’s new book ingeniously shifts the focus . . . extremely funny in spots, although much of the humor has a whistling-past-the-graveyard quality. Like the Comedian in Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen, Leibovich was shocked out of his previous cynicism and absurdism (to some extent at least) by the enormity of Trump’s threat.”—New York Times Book Review

“[Leibovich is] just so good at this. He is a world-class ranter, continuing an American tradition that includes such dyspeptic luminaries as H.L. Mencken, Hunter S. Thompson and P.J. O’Rourke . . . [He is] a brilliant interviewer able to wheedle not-quite-admissions from his subjects, who give him all the access in the world.”—Washington Post

“The main attraction to Leibovich's work is his wicked satirical talent. He comes at his interviewees with a skewer in one hand, a scalpel in the other and a glint in his eye. His frequent eviscerations of major figures range from subtle to scabrous . . . [T]he material in Thank You is new, much of it from interviews done since the 2020 election . . . Thank You should not be mistaken for a ‘fun read’—as This Town was often described . . . Thank You is on another plane of warning and foreboding. There are many laughs, to be sure, but with bitter aftertaste. And the message here, the final word, is anything but fun.”—NPR.org

Best author for this history

UNAPOLOGETIC and flawlessly candid. This author captures history with a tone and precision that is unmatched by any other. Period. Phenomenal accounts with the most dynamic writing.

Laugh out loud funny, scary and sad

Loved this book. Narrator was perfect. I laughed, wanted to cry and scream with frustration at the people who enable the former guy. In the end I just feel incredibly sad. I hope we do better.

Leibovich should have read it.

This book is so good. I wish Leibovich had read it himself. His voice is so much better. But, this is an enjoyable and informative book.

Good book.

Trumps presidency is very well documented and discussed. The part about the book I enjoyed the most are the observations made about trump hotel in DC. Nothing groundbreaking or jaw-dropping but I really awesome job and bringing you through trumps presidency all demonstrating the limitless depths everyone in the Republican Party we go to. With the exception of two, Mitt Romney & Liz Cheney

Thank you

This has been one of my favorite books on audible. Excellent presentation with fascinating writing. Well researched, a creative mind with marvelous imagery as you describe the situation.

An Entertaining Primer on the Distruction of USA

An Entertaining Primer on the Distruction of DEMOCRACY. Great beach read for a Nation on the brink of an ATHORATRERIAN NIGHTMARE. Listen UP, GOP you will be remembered as the party who gave up all ethics and morality...and enabled the next dictator to rise to POWER.

Reality is hard. For idiots.

Of course, the lackeys and sycophants have been thrown under the bus. That's what Trump has always traded in. Loyalty is one-way. Thank you for your servitude documents the disgusting story of Trump's infectious, immoral, and criminal toxicity. If you are a cultist, this tome will anger and offend you. If you are paying attention to reality with an open mind, this book will sober you up, or reinforce the reasons why you are an alcoholic.

Thank you for....

There is nothing you didn't already know, just a new twist. The story tries to explain the ridiculous, blind, self-serving people who sacrificed themselves at the altar of Trump.

Why they did what they did is still a mystery to anyone with a smidgeon of morality and will be the basis for history books yet to be written.

Parts are hilarious, and you will laugh aloud until you realize this national nightmare is a deadly threat to the last best hope of mankind. That's not funny - it's chilling.

By: Mark Leibovich
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
Release date: 07-12-22

Funny but sad

This book displays an edgy, sarcastic humor in describing the sad and pathetic transformation of the Republican Party into the ReTrumplican Party. One can only hope that the likes of Rubio, Cruz, Hawley, McCarthy, Hannity, Carlson etc live long enough to understand how much damage they’ve done to the country. The book is well written and well read. Highly recommend.

It’s so disgusting & scary -The GOP of today

Nothing was particularly surprising but when taken as a whole it’s terrifying.

I enjoyed the humor very much!