The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020

Jonathan Lemire

Jul 2022 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Jonathan Lemire

About this audiobook

This program is read by the author.

A probing and illuminating analysis of current state of American politics, focusing on Donald Trump’s lie about election fraud, by the White House Bureau Chief of Politico and the host of MSNBC's Way Too Early

Jonathan Lemire uncovers that “The Big Lie,” as it’s been termed, isn’t just about the 2020 election. It's become a political philosophy that has only further divided the two parties.

Donald Trump first tried it out in 2016, at an August rally in Ohio. He said that perhaps he wouldn’t accept the election results in his race against Hillary Clinton, that the election was “rigged.” He then mentioned it at more rallies and even at one of the fall debates. He didn’t have to challenge the result that year, but the stage was set. When he lost in 2020, he started the lie back up again and to devastating results: an insurrection at the Capitol in January 2021.

Republicans are still wholly under Trump’s sway. From his retirement at his Florida and New Jersey clubs he meets with Republican officials, aspiring candidates, and advisers and demands loyalty about this twisted way of thinking. And Democrats still deal with him as their opposition party is driven by a blatant lie. The parties aren’t divided by the aisle—they’re on different planets.

In the more than five tumultuous, paradigm-shifting years of Donald Trump’s presidency and beyond, his near-constant lying has become a fixture of political life. It is inextricably linked with how his party behaves, how the Democrats respond to it, and how he remains relevant, even after a decisive loss in 2020. Jonathan Lemire brings his connections, profile, and dogged reportorial instincts to bear in his first book that explores how this phenomenon shapes our politics.

Written with sharp political insight and detailed with dozens of interviews, The Big Lie is the first audiobook to examine this unprecedented and tenuous moment in our nation’s politics.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Ratings and reviews

Plenty of MAGA trolls giving one star that haven't even read, even so not bright enough to understand what they are reading

Stupid obvious lies.its amazing how the double standard still exists.

About the author

Jonathan Lemire is the White House Bureau Chief at Politico, as well as the host of MSNBC's Way Too Early. A native of the Boston area, he now lives in Brooklyn with his wife and children. The Big Lie is his first book.