AMERICAN SCOUNDREL: ROY COHN’S DARK JOURNEY FROM JOSEPH McCARTHY TO DONALD TRUMP by Kai Bird

September 29, 2026szfreiberger American Political History, Biography Leave a comment

(Roy Cohn, 1981)

One thing is certain, when you read a biography written by Kai Bird, and assisted by Susan Goldmark you will experience a deeply researched, insightful, and well sourced product. Among Bird’s biographies AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH OF ROBERT J. OPPENHEIMER, THE OUTLIER: THE UNFINISHED PRESIDENCY OF JIMMY CARTER, and THE COLOR OF TRUTH: McGEORGE BUNDY, WILLIAM BUNDY, BROTHERS IN ARMS stand out. All are superb works of history as is his latest effort tackling one of the most despicable and impactful figures of the post-war era in American history – Roy Cohn. Bird’s latest book is entitled AMERICAN SCOUNDREL: ROY COHN’S DARK JOURNEY FROM JOSEPH McCARTHY TO DONALD TRUMP, a monograph that presents a blueprint in understanding the actions and strategies employed by President Trump as Roy Cohn served as Trump’s role model for decades, in addition to educating him in the art of fear and loyalty.

Roy Cohn may have passed away in 1986, but he has forced himself into our contemporary world from the grave due to his influence on Trump. The current occupant of the White House (or what is left of it) always viewed Cohn as his mentor adopting his approach to opponents or what he perceived to be his enemies. How many times have we heard him utter; “Where’s my Roy Cohn” when things did not go his way? Over the last year it seems that Trump may have finally found his Roy Cohn in the presence of his Attorney-General and former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, who like Cohn does not seem to mind obfuscating, outright lying, dissembling, breaking the law, and disregarding the Constitution in carrying out the wishes of his client in the White House.

In a sense Cohn has forced himself into American history through the body and mind of Donald J. Trump. Fintan O’Toole’s commentary pertaining to Bird’s biography in a recent New York Review of Books article, “Devils in America” is emblematic of what we experience on a daily basis. O’Toole writes; “There is something eerie about the thoroughness of Trump’s mimicry of Cohn’s way of dealing with the world: lie relentlessly, refuse to pay small bills, respond to all criticism with smears and threats, claim all defeats as triumphs, sue everybody all the time, weaponize the law and, when you can, the entire justice system, learn from the Mafia, use the phone to avoid leaving a paper trail, always present your highly privileged self as a victim of the elites, divide the world into allies to be used and enemies to be abused, into the winners who must be flattered and the losers who are there to be exploited in every imaginable way.”

Getty Images Donald Trump and his lawyer Roy Cohn

(Donald Trump and Roy Cohn)

Cohn was a menacing post-World War II lawyer who served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin who tortured the American people with his bogus campaign against communists in the government for over four years. Later he would become the lawyer for a young real estate developer who sought to make a name for himself in Manhattan named Donald Trump who spent a great deal of time deflecting allegations of discrimination against prospective Black tenants. Bird’s book describes the evolution of how Cohn’s guile, paranoia, and shamelessness guided the McCarthy hearings which rubbed off on Trump and later impacted American society in such a detrimental way. The book further encompasses Cohn’s tactics as a lawyer, his client base which included the five mob families in New York, numerous celebrity types apart from Donald Trump, his personal life which had strong elements of debauchery, and his political and personal contacts which he would manipulate to achieve his goals.

If there was one coda that Cohn lived by according to Kim Phillip-Fein writing in the October 2026 edition of The Atlantic; “Cohn and Trump had the same attitude toward the law: It was not a system of rules, but a way of getting what you wanted.” Bird spends a great deal of time describing how Cohn got what he wanted by using threats, bribery, creating false realities, bullying, delaying outcomes are among his modus operandi. One might ask why would a person develop into such a nasty individual with such repulsive traits. In Cohn’s case it is clear that his father Al Cohn, a New York State judge whose political cronies were very powerful and his influence could allow him to take care of any important issue. Cohn would learn from his father by observing his- courtroom and being exposed to his contacts. Cohn’s mother Dora placed him on a pedestal and ingrained in him a certain hedonism that carried through his entire life.

Getty Images Where's my Roy Cohn? director Matt Tyrnauer told Esquire that Cohn "created a president from beyond the grave" (Credit: Getty Images) (Where’s my Roy Cohn? director Matt Tyrnauer told Esquire that Cohn “created a president from beyond the grave”)

Bird’s portrait is a complete one encompassing Cohn’s childhood including his education in the classroom and outside. Cohn soon learned how to ingratiate himself with important people and become their friends. These contacts included mob figures, media moguls, and other influential types who controlled Tammany Hall and the Democratic Party in the 1960s, 70’s, and into the 80s. This allowed Cohn leeway to represent clients be they John Gotti, Donald Trump, Generoso Pope, Frank Costello once he graduated from Columbia Law School in 1947.

When one thinks of Cohn’s early career it usually begins with his work for John McGohey involving the Alger Hiss case dealing with Whitiker Chambers. Once McGohey was elevated to the federal bench Cohn became an assistant to Irving Saypol who was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Cohn would make a name for himself playing fast and loose with prosecutorial standards. His most important case involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Interestingly, Judge Kaufmann who heard the case gained his seat on the federal bench because of Cohn’s father. During the trial Cohn and Kaufmann communicated with each other, which if not illegal was unethical. Cohn did everything he could to obtain a conviction once again violating judicial ethics and due process guarantees. After obtaining convictions and the execution of the Rosenbergs Cohn was offered a position in the Justice Department as Special Assistant for Internal Security. He used that position to go after Owen Lattimore, a Chinese scholar and a special envoy to China under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Once Chiang Kai-Shek was defeated in 1949 the who lost China debate was in full force and Cohn would take advantage of it. All that mattered to him was winning and letting the world know about it. This approach to the law led him to become the Chief Counsel to Joseph McCarthy, in effect he became McCarthy’s Rasputin. According to Bird, the higher Cohn rose, the brasher he became.

Bird’s coverage of the McCarthy era is detailed, insightful, and lays out the strategies the Wisconsin Senator employed which were mostly based on Cohn’s advice. The use of hearing transcripts, newspaper reports, and primary sources allows the reader to experience the “Red Scare” perpetrated by McCarthy and Cohn and how low they would go in order to achieve their agenda. According to Bird, for McCarthy it was in part a personal vendetta against his own insecurities and a desire to destroy the State Department and later the Eisenhower administration. Bird suggests that McCarthy wanted to run for president in 1956 therefore he had to discredit Eisenhower.

(Roy Cohn (left) consulting with U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the McCarthy hearings).

One of the most important aspects of the period developed by Bird is his analysis of President Eisenhower’s behavior toward the McCarthy hearings. As Cohn went after the Voice of America and the U.S. Information Agency libraries in Europe trying to prove that they had been infiltrated by Communists, and the Eisenhower administration did nothing. McCarthy and company went after former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, a close friend, McCarthy went after John J. McCloy, Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, banker, and diplomat, and Eisenhower did nothing. It is clear that the President was not equipped to understand the deep paranoia and insecurities awakened by Joe McCarthy and its impact on American society.

As Bird relates details of McCarthy’s inquisition, he explains how quickly the country became divided between those who saw McCarthy as a “crude, brutal demagogue and those who saw him as a god-like savior.” Bird points out correctly comparing the bedrock MAGA supporters of Donald Trump consisting of those who distrusted urban elites, college professors, immigrants, diplomats, and Blacks whose instinct were isolationist and nativist to those who supported McCarthy. Bird will rehash the relationship of David Shine and Roy Cohn, its relationship to McCarthy’s personal quest against the US Army and Eisenhower, and how it finally brought down McCarthy.

The McCarthy hearings served as a wonderful education for Cohn. He admired McCarthy’s guts and the fact he was afraid of nothing. Further, Cohn learned about the use of power and to have a thick skin, to figure out an opponent’s weaknesses and engender fear but also how to achieve revenge.

Bird follows Cohn’s post-McCarthy career in detail including attempts by the government to indict him. Cohn would apply the legal tactics that epitomizes his approach to the law and the federal government that allowed him to prevent any successful prosecution of him and of course his clients. Cohn was the epitome of self-dealing, a main strategy to develop his wealth and avoid taxation. He used his law firm, companies he controlled, and shell companies to pay for his expenses and lifestyle. All tactics that Donald Trump would emulate.

(Cohn with the owners of Studio 54)

The Trump-Cohn relationship is explored and nothing new is uncovered. Bird discusses how the federal government went after Trump Management in the 1970s for refusing to rent to blacks, the purchase of the Commodore Hotel and its refurbishment, the transition of Bonwit Teller into Trump Tower, Trump’s divorces, and other legal issues which Cohn acted as the go between with the Mob, New York City Government, construction unions as well as taking care of Trump’s legal needs. According to Martin Pengelly in his September 1, 2026, review in The Guardian; “ Everything brutal about Trump, in business and politics, he probably learned from Cohen. How to profit from ties to organized crime? Check. How to stay a step ahead of the law? Check. How to lie remorselessly and never admit wrong or defeat? Check.” According to Bird, Cohn never billed Trump for his services. He was enamored with Trump as he was enamored with David Schine during the 1950s. It is clear if Cohn liked you he could be wonderful, if he didn’t he would try and destroy you.

Bird includes fascinating chapters that delve into FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s relationship with Cohn and the director’s own sexual proclivities. The chapter on Studio 54 provides an eye opening characterization of Cohn’s private life and those celebrities who participated in the raucous drug and sexual experiences that took place in New York in the 1980s. The chapter entitled “Predator” provides examples of his sexual appetite. Other chapters delve into Cohn’s private life, being diagnosed with AIDS, and the impact that Cohn still has on our politics and society.

In the realm of politics Cohn became the role model for Roger Stone who became the master of dirty tricks. Cohn employed tactics like arranging for John Anderson to appear on the 1980 New York State presidential ballot which allowed Ronald Reagan to carry the state. In the election of 1984, he employed his mob connections to dig up dirt on John Zaccaro, the husband of Walter Mondale’s Vice Presidential running mate Geraldine Ferraro. Cohn’s impact on American political history was very consequential.

Roy Cohn’s life was out of control at times, though Bird presents a warm person who would do positive things for his friends and certain relatives. However, his pseudo-sociopathic tendencies would repeatedly win out fostering a hedonistic lifestyle which centered around winning at any cost be it committing perjury, bribing anyone who could change his reality of truth, threatening people, making up facts to fit his own narrative, act as a hypocrite when it came to sexuality, and acting as a bastard when he needed to, which was a good part of the time. He was a deeply disturbed individual who left a negative legacy and impact on history apart from helping to educate a clone in Donald J. Trump. Tutoring Trump may have been the most impactful thing he provided in his legacy. Cohn’s disdain for the American Judiciary and narcissistic politics can be seen every day in Trump’s behavior. In all areas Bird captures the essence of his subject and his monograph explains a great deal about the character Cohn was and Trump is today.

BASEBALL AS IT WAS: BUILDING CHAMPIONSHIPS BEFORE FREE AGENCY by John Ferling

September 22, 2026September 22, 2026szfreiberger baseball Leave a comment

(The Boston Braves meet the Cleveland Indians in the first game of the World Series before 40,135 spectators at Braves Field in Boston, Ma., Oct. 6, 1948. Boston won, 1-0).

When I find a seasoned historian authoring a book on baseball history it spikes my interest. In the past I have enjoyed the works of Charles Alexander, an Ohio University professor who wrote biographies of Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Tris Speaker, and John McGraw, in addition to the impact of the Great Depression on baseball among other historians. The books were deeply researched and insightful. John Ferling who taught history at West Georgia University has been noted for these traits in his many books dealing with the American Revolutionary period and when I learned he had tackled baseball history I was intrigued. His effort entitled, BASEBALL AS IT WAS: BUILDING CHAMPIONS BEFORE FREE AGENCY CHANGED EVERYTHING was a wonderful stroll down memory lane..

Ferling’s work focuses on the twelve years following the end of World War II when baseball was in a period of transition highlighted by integration, the movement of franchises, to new cities, and owners dominating labor, or the lives of their players. Ferling’s interest rests on how baseball rosters evolved to effectively challenge for a place in the World Series. His main focus is on the Boston Braves who would move to Milwaukee and the Cleveland Indians providing intricate details and many astute observations.

One of the key themes in Ferling’s work is today’s game and how it has changed from the post war decade. It was a time when baseball was truly the national pastime – a transformative period before players obtained a great deal of labor freedom with the end of the reserve clause that owners used to dominate their playing chattel. Ferling states that he chose the Braves and Indians because after years of mediocrity they rapidly developed into championship contenders. The author focuses on General managers like John Quinn and Hank Greenberg and how they approached building a winning roster, why they succeeded at times, and why some of their moves failed.

The 1940s and 50s produced players that are viewed as iconic even from today’s perspective. The names Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Joe Di Maggio, Henry Aaron, Bob Feller, Willie Mays and a host of others easily come to mind. It was also a period when baseball finally integrated with only one team waiting until the early 1960s – the Boston Red Sox with Pumpsie Green.

(Johnny Sain, right, of the Boston Braves, shakes hands with Cleveland’s Bob Feller, before the two hurling aces took mound, Oct. 6, 1948 at Braves Field, Boston, for the opening game of the 1948 World Series)

After a brief history of the pre-war period Ferling develops a number of important themes. First, the sport would enjoy a boom in popularity and attendance after the war as players returned and the quality of baseball lacking during the war improved immensely. Second, the author constantly discusses his topic in the larger context of American history. Third, Ferling integrates many topics that are not generally discussed by most books of this genre. For example, attempts by the Mexican League to lure players from the Major Leagues. Commissioner Albert “Happy” Chandler threatened any player who made the move to Mexico and later tried to return to the major leagues they would be blackballed for five years. Ferling also delves into the failed attempts by players to unionize succumbing to threats by baseball owners. Perhaps the best book on this topic is John Helyar’s LORDS OF THE REALM.

Ferling successfully examines the lives of many of the payers and how they dealt with the environment with which they were often confronted. Larry Doby’s struggle with racism even after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier; Ted Williams loss of at least five seasons to fly bombers during World War II and the Korean War; Satchel Paige’s elevation to the majors after years in the Negro Leagues are among the many portraits offered.

The author develops many interesting points. One in particular stands out in that most players were not homegrown – “they were acquired hither and yon.” The reason for this is that many men who would have grown up playing baseball were off fighting in Europe and Asia resulting in a lack of experienced players. Interestingly, pitchers who stood out for the Braves and Indians during the 40s and 50s fought in the war – Warren Spahn, Johnny Sain, Bob Feller, and Bob Lemon.

(Bob Lemon Cleveland Indian pitching in World Series game, Oct. 7, 1948)

Ferling dissects each season by following the pennant races and the performance of key players examining their strengths and weaknesses of the most important teams. In the late 1940s Cleveland was in a race with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the American League pennant. By the early 1950s the Yankees dominated except for the Indians unseating them in 1954. For the remainder of the decade, they went to the World Series except for 1959 when the Chicago White Sox met the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. For the Boston/Milwaukee Braves their main opponents were the St. Louis Cardinals in the 40s and in the 50s it was the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants (before they moved to California). The Dodgers would dominate the decade until the Braves emerged on top in 1957 and 1958, and the Dodgers won the World Series in 1959.

The issue of race is an underlying theme throughout the book. Even as late as 1955 with the arrival of Henry Aaron in the Braves locker room had an invisible line in the clubhouse that white and black players would not cross. Ferling explores the attitude of certain General Managers and managers toward race. George Wiess of the Yankees was known for not allowing the team to sign black players. He would succumb to pressure and bring in Elston Howard, a young catcher in 1955 which would spark their manager Casey Stengel to remark, “when I finally get a nigger, I get the only one who can’t run.”

Aaron poses with New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle in 1957. That season, Aaron was named the National League's Most Valuable Player and his team defeated the Yankees to win the World Series.

(Henry Aaron poses with New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle in 1957. That season, Aaron was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player and his team defeated the Yankees to win the World Series)

Ferling concentrates on the building of the Braves through the lens of John Quinn, their General Manager who was able to combine trades for opposing players with signing and developing prospects. Names like Lew Burdette, Billy Burton, Eddie Matthews, Hank Aaron come to mind who would lay the foundation for the World Series teams of 1957 and 1958. Quinn comes across much better than Cleveland General Manager Hank Greenberg. Quinn knew had to build a team and make important trades, two trades stand out; the acquisition of Joe Adcock from Cincinnati in 1953, and one that probably brought the Braves the pennant in 1957 by acquiring Red Schoendienst from St. Louis Cardinals. Greenberg, a former all-star slugger in his own right, his eight years in Cleveland only produced one World Series appearance. Ferling’s evaluation of Greenberg’s reign is dead on as he was seen as inflexible, cheap in rewarding players; fearful in making trades especially any of his top pitches like Mike Garcia, Bib Lemon, Early Wynn, or Bob Feller. The trades he did make did not pan out like trading Larry Doby, who was black, trading Minnie Minoso, and trading for Chico Carrasquel to the White Sox. One incident beyond Greenberg’s control should be mentioned, the unfortunate injury of Herb Score, who at the time, was probably the best pitcher in the American League was struck in the eye by a line drive by Gil McDougald of the Yankees. He would not return to the mound in 1957 and never was quite the same pitcher. As a result, attendance continued to decline and he eventually was forced to resign. One of the reasons the Indians could not catch the Yankees was that the Kansas City Athletics who had moved from Philadelphia constantly traded players to the Yankees who allowed them to fill holes in their roster. A case in point is Bobby Shantz and Art Ditmar to New York in 1957. Interestingly, Parke Caroll, the Athletics General manager had worked for George Wiess and saw his as a close friend! In 1959 Roger Maris was traded to the Yankees who would go on to break Babe Ruth’s home run record of sixty-one in 1961. Lane would be fired after three years before he could do any more damage.

(Henry Aaron holds his MVP award with Braves pitcher Warren Spahn, who won the Cy Young Award that year).

The decline of both franchises after the 1958 season resulted from the dismissals of their General Managers. In the case of Cleveland, they would hire “Trader” Frank Lane who would ruin team prospects by living up to his nickname by dispersing Norm Cash, Rocky Colavito, Early Wynn, Al Smith, and Roger Maris. If you are knowledgeable about this period in baseball history you are aware of the later accomplishments of these players. In the case of the Braves, team owner Lou Perini forced Quinn out of his job even though the team made the 1958 World Series in which they lost to the Yankees in seven games. Ferling goes on to describe the machinations of the sale of the team and its move to Atlanta in 1966. Interestingly, Perini’s reason for selling, low attendance +-would reemerge in the southern mecca of baseball!

Overall, Ferling has created a wonderful walk down memory lane for a “senior” baseball fan. Though I was familiar with most of what the author had to say there are a few important vignettes of which I was not aware. If there is a criticism of the book it is that at times too many facts and numbers are thrown at the reader. I for one have no problem with that approach, but others who might want a more general account could. In conclusion, Ferling’s work provides an updated history of the period by an exceptional historian.

Cleveland Municipal Stadium, former home of the Cleveland Indians

(Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium)

IN THE ARENA: THEODORE ROOSEVELT IN WAR, PEACE AND REVOLUTION by David S. Brown

September 6, 2026szfreiberger American Diplomatic History, American Political History, American Social History, Biography Leave a comment

A black and white photo of Theodore Roosevelt seated in front of the porch of his home, wearing a dark suit and riding boots.

(Theodore Roosevelt at his Sagamore Hill home).

There are numerous memorable biographies of Theodore Roosevelt. The best include the three volume work of Edmund Morris, Henry Pringle’s Pulitzer prize winning effort, David McCullogh’s National Book Award MORNING ON HORSEBACK, and Kathleen Dalton, H.W. Brands, and Nathan Miller’s critical works, among others. There are also a series of books that focus on critical aspects of Roosevelt’s life. Among the best include Douglas Brinkley’s discussion of Roosevelt’s environmental work to Candice Millard’s incredible adventure of Roosevelt’s exploration of a tributary of the Amazon. Based on this summary, why should I read another book on Roosevelt? For me, the reason is clear, it is because of David S. Brown whose biographies include subjects like Henry Adams, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Hofstadter and Andrew Jackson, which are exceptional. When his latest endeavor appeared; IN THE ARENA:THEODORE ROOSEVELT IN WAR, PEACE, AND REVOLUTION I was hooked.

After consuming Brown’s work, it is clear that it is well written, researched, and prepared for the general reader in addition to scholarly historians. Roosevelt’s life is fully captured with all of its positives and warts. Brown successfully integrates wonderful personal vignettes regarding Roosevelt’s life, along with his speeches, letters, and writings. My main concern is the depth that certain aspects of the book present. Though some areas are given complete attention, i.e., Roosevelt’s break with Howard Taft and the Election of 1912 his relationship with his father, Roosevelt’s attitude toward American entrance into World War One I wish he had spent more time on Roosevelt’s presidency, his philosophical evolution toward a progressive agenda, and his racist views and how they impacted his policies as for me they form the core of who he was as a person. I am not suggesting these areas are not discussed, but I wish the author had delved into them more completely.

Brown does argue convincingly that Roosevelt was a dichotomy; he was an imperialist, possessed racist ideas, whose upbringing was one of privilege and wealth. At the same time, he was a reformer whose progressivism led him to at times stand up to plutocrats by pursuing antitrust actions against monopolies, setting aside public lands for conservation, and future government assistance programs. He embodied a strong domestic program and a personalized foreign policy whose popularity rested on his charisma. Brown is correct that his subject can be seen as a bridge between the Gilded Age and the new industrial era as he captured the attention of the middle class making him a beloved leader.

(Theodore Roosevelt and his family)

At the outset Brown takes the reader through Roosevelt’s early years as he evolved from a blend of “northern hustle and southern Huguenotism” which created family tension dating back to the Civil War. Brown presents the traditional exploration of his childhood and stresses his relationship with his father and how impactful it was for his development. He absorbed a “decidedly Victorian world view” and his father would not tolerate selfishness or cruelty, idleness, cowardness or untruthfulness, principles Roosevelt mostly followed throughout his life.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is Roosevelt’s intellectual development, carefully focusing on his childhood travels , education at Harvard and his own writings as he developed as a historian. Brown successfully created the atmosphere surrounding Roosevelt’s life’s work, in addition to dissecting his writings and how we can see his later actions as a function of his earlier intellectual pursuits. Roosevelt developed into a Social Darwinist, though he was uncomfortable with the massive accumulation of wealth he experienced during the Gilded Age.

One of the main themes of the book is Roosevelt’s belief in moving on whether dealing with tragedy, the end of his presidency, or political defeat. Following the death of his mother and his first wife on the same day, despite the fact he had a baby daughter Roosevelt had little time for tragedy and refused to sit still and engage in a long mourning process – he always seemed to live in the moment drawn to the next event as was the case when he abandoned his family and left for the life of a rancher/cowboy in the Dakotas. This trend can also be seen upon the conclusion of his presidency in a detailed chapter entitled “African Exile” when Roosevelt spent a year traveling and hunting big game. Lastly, after his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon.

Brown discusses most of Roosevelt’s pre-presidential career from serving as a New York State Assemblyman, his role as New York City Police Commissioner and the Civil Service Commission, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and his involvement in the Spanish-American War. All are explored sequentially with each experience leading to the next as if they are linked.

(Senator Henry Cabot Lodge).

Roosevelt’s friendship with Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Corporate banker and Secretary of War Elihu Root, and Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary, and later Secretary of State John Hay who are important because of their attempts to influence Roosevelt and keep him from making poor political decisions. This is especially important as Roosevelt wages his battles with what he perceives to be the influence of the Railroad, oil and steel barons. Roosevelt engaged in many battles apart from corporate types, but in a sense they are linked as the plutocrats like Mark Hanna and the Republican “Old Guard” tried to control him.

Roosevelt’s role as an imperialist is developed by Brown through his friendship with Lodge, Alfred Mahan and Brooks Adams who are described as forming a ”jingoistic social club” as they all lobbied for a large naval fleet and the overseas possessions that would be needed to implement an American Empire. The pursuit of empire is another major theme with racist overtones as the seizure of the Panama Canal is discussed as are events concerning Cuba, and the Philippines.

Brown makes many salient points that help the reader understand Roosevelt’s raison ‘d’etre in many areas. For example, he argues that Roosevelt was not a true progressive until his inability to convince corporate leaders to see reason drove him toward a more reformist agenda. In the end his developing Square Deal, the breakup of trusts, ending mine strikes are emblematic of his approach as he plays a major role in the evolution of classical liberalism to New Deal liberalism. As much as Brown highlights aspects of the Square Deal and later Roosevelt’s New Nationalism, both could have been dealt with in greater detail.

Brown successfully uses Roosevelt’s “ego” as a tool to explain his approach to policy and negotiation as we witness in his role in the Treaty of Portsmouth that brought the Russo-Japanese War to conclusion. As his daughter Alice remarked, “my father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding, and the baby at every christening.” Roosevelt’s ego is fully on display as he bolts the Republican Party and runs for president under the banner of the Bull Moose Party in addition to his attitude toward Woodrow Wilson and American entrance into World War I. Once the United States entered the war Roosevelt’s pressure to create a regiment to fight in Europe reconfirmed how large his ego had become even in his late fifties. Perhaps had he controlled this personality flaw he could have influenced American history more favorably than he did.

In the foreign policy sphere Roosevelt was very insightful with a tinge of racism. In dealing with Japan, he saw them as “Asian whites” who he eventually worried eventually would become a competitor in East Asia. He did not trust the Slavs, Russian in particular, and worried about the Germans. He would warn his contemporaries about these three countries and many of his fears would come to fruition.

(President William Howard Taft)

At the conclusion of the book Brown attempts to draw a comparison of Roosevelt with Donald Trump. There are some similarities in terms of ego and presidency, but Roosevelt never used the federal government and the American people as tools to line his and his families pockets. Further, the corruption that surrounds Trump and his minions is in no way similar to Roosevelt. This one page comparison dulls my overall favorable opinion of Brown’s efforts.

(President Woodrow Wilson)

In conclusion, Gerard Helferich’s December 29, 2025, Wall Street Journal book review, “In the Arena’ Review: The Enigma of Teddy is well worth consulting. “More than a century later, what are we to make of Roosevelt’s crowded life in the arena? (The phrase comes from a speech he gave in 1910.) “It is from contrary opinions,” Mr. Brown writes, “that we often come upon insight, balance, and unexpected perspective.”

Roosevelt is a paradoxical figure. He was a political progressive who abhorred radicalism, an anti-monopolist who recognized the inevitability of large corporations and chose to regulate rather than ban them. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt expanded U.S. military power, promoted imperialism and exploited his status as a war hero for political gain. While espousing America as a land of opportunity, he professed bigoted views concerning nonwhites and non-Europeans. He was a nature-loving conservationist and an unrepentant big-game hunter, a Victorian moralist who betrayed his own party and skirted the law when it suited his purposes.

Faced with such a multifaceted figure, the best biographies of Roosevelt strike a balanced portrait of a man who was forward-looking but not immune to the prejudices of his times, an individual who, though admirable in many ways, was undeniably flawed. Taking his cue from Richard Hofstadter, an influential 20th-century American historian and Roosevelt revisionist, Mr. Brown hews largely to contrary opinions. The author cites Roosevelt’s critics prominently, and his own approval is grudging and qualified.

Mr. Brown gives short shrift to Roosevelt’s unparalleled record on the conservation of public land. Roosevelt’s challenge to Wall Street, he writes, “was largely a bully pulpit affair, with rhetoric exceeding action.” He faintly praises foundational laws regulating corporations and protecting workers as “real if measured achievements.” As to character, Mr. Brown portrays Roosevelt as a “flaming exhibitionist” with “megalomania” and “Napoleonic swagger.” Other detractors have made similar points, and though exaggerated, the criticisms bear a germ of truth. But Mr. Brown, in his refusal to credit counterbalancing positives, such as Roosevelt’s prodigious intellect or his genuine empathy for the less fortunate, risks reducing TR to a one-dimensional straw man.”