Weapons of Mass Delusion

When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind

By: Robert Draper

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2022

The disturbing eyewitness account of how a new breed of Republicans—led by Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Madison Cawthorn—far from moving on from Trump, have taken the politics of hysteria to even greater extremes and brought American democracy to the edge

The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a terrible day for American democracy, but many people dared to hope that at least it would break the fever that had overcome the Republican Party and banish Trump's relentless lies about the stealing of the 2020 election. That is not what happened. Instead, “the big steal” has become dogma among an ever-higher percentage of American Republicans. What happened to the Republican Party, and America, during the Trump presidency is a story we more or less think we know. What has happened to the party since, it turns out, is even more disquieting. That is the story Robert Draper tells in Weapons of Mass Delusion.

Through his extraordinarily intrepid cross-country reporting, Draper chronicles the road from January 6 to the 2022 midterms among the Republican base and in the U.S. Congress, rendering unforgettable portraits of how Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ilk came to shape their party’s terms of engagement to an extent that would have been unimaginable even five years ago. He also brings to life the efforts of a dwindling group of Republicans who are willing to push back against the falsehoods, in the face of a group of ascendent demagogues who are merrily weaponizing them. With a base whipped up into a perpetual frenzy of outrage by conspiracy theories—not just about the big steal but about COVID and vaccines, pedophilia and Antifa and Black Lives Matter and George Soros and President Obama, and on and on and on—the forces of reason within the GOP are on the defensive, to put it mildly. The book also benefits greatly from reporting conducted in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, and other bellwether states in the country of the mind one might call a fever of undending conspiracies.

Robert Draper has been a wise, fearless, and fair-minded chronicler of the American political scene for over twenty-five years. He has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. He has never seen it this ugly. Ultimately, this book tells the story of a fearful test of our ability, as a country, to hold together a system of government grounded in truth and the rule of law. Written on the eve of the 2022 midterm elections, Draper’s account of a party teetering on the precipice of madness reveals how the GOP fringe became its center of gravity.

©2022 Robert Draper (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Vital and indispensable . . . [Draper’s] rigorous reporting adds an unusual level of depth . . . The book’s first section, ‘One Day in Washington,’ will be consumed by most readers in a single breathless gulp. For an event as widely reported as the insurrection at the Capitol has been, Draper provides a startling level of new, first-person detail. We have watched the hearings. We have read the newspaper accounts of that dreadful day. But Draper’s extensive interviews with 150 sources pierce the staid facts with vivid humanity . . . Fighting falsehood is all that matters if democracy is to survive, and Draper comes with the fiercest weapon yet: the truth.”—The Washington Post

“Engrossing.”—Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times

“Draper provides pungent new anecdotes about and original analysis of the most outrageous actors [in the Trump era].”—The Guardian

The Evil Has Landed

Draper does it again: No-holds-barred, terrifying account of how monsters like MTG have taken over the GOP.

Insightful

This is the kind of insight only available from good investigation and firsthand experience.
Of particular interest was the author’s bewildering reflections of his presence inside the capitol building 1/6

Fascinating

A well done, fascinating look at the last few years in politics. I enjoyed that it was current. I couldn’t put it down.

A reality check on today’s GOP and her passage into inconsequentiality, especially if Trump is the 2024 nominee.

This book documents the latest (the 2020 national election forward) iteration of what the GOP has become. There are many who declare that Trump/Trumpism is a recent phenomenon. But to me, they’ve forgotten that this is what the GOP has gradually come to represent since at least the era of McCarthyism of the 1950’s.

Pre/post 2020 election President Trump, AZ Congressman Paul Gozar, GA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, FL Congressman Matt Gaetz, CO Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, former NC Congressman Madison Cawthorn, former WY Congresswoman Lynn Cheney, former Mi Congressmen Peter Meijer and Fred Upton are all discussed in this book and their influence on the direction the GOP is taking today, whether it be to increased MAGA wackiness or away from it. In short, this book in reality is a cynical look at how the GOP is floundering and could very well become inconsequential after 2024,
especially if Trump is again the presidential candidate.

Very good historical record

This was clear, precise and easy to understand. I did research the Author, just to fact check authenticity.

Lots of Info Contained!

Love the narrator's voice of MTG. I had to go back a few times to relisten, but definitely packed with first hand experiences that cannot be duplicated.

Chilling and thorough

Marjory Taylor Greene is more canny and adept than I had imagined. She knows how to bob and weave when challenged for her inconsistencies. She gleefully serves her followers their favorite stew of conspiracy theories and hatred of the evil commie democrats. I now have a deeper understanding of how impervious to change Republicans are and how prosecution and conviction of Trump could easily spark widespread violence.

Good but too drawn out

Very interesting but I felt that the same info could have been provided in perhaps two thirds the time.

The crazy is on Full Display

Great writing. Draper has done his research. He has captured the trump clown show in all of its insanity. A must read for everyone concerned about a trump second term!

More like the MTG delusion

I gave it 4 stars even though to me it had nothing more about MTG that I didn’t already know. Just a puppet of tRump rhetoric and unsubstantiated claims of the D.C. cess pool that her faction freely spout and would more likely fit the bill themselves rather than anyone on the opposing side.
It’s really an insult to any American who will not buy into the Big BIG Lie!
Why? Because I do have a mind and try to keep it engaged though it doesn’t take much of its energy to dispute the ridiculous claims!
While it looks as if our country is falling prey to the new Republicans I still harbour the belief that they’re are more Americans who believe as I do that truth will win out in the end. After all even if 74 million people voted for tRump, 81 million voted for Biden. I just pray that it will be before our Country burns at their alters!
If you haven’t heard or don’t know anything about what these literally crazy people are espousing then this book is informative.
My final word, “Get out and vote”