H.R. McMaster: My Travels with Trump

America needs sober, fair assessments of Donald Trump. There’s enough people demonizing the once and future president, and enough people idolizing him, too. But as we prepare for his return to the White House, we need people who see all sides of the president. People like H.R. McMaster.

McMaster served as National Security Adviser for roughly the first year of Trump’s presidency. He was, and remains, a military legend. McMaster served as a captain in the Gulf War, a colonel in the Iraq War, and a brigadier general in Iraq. While working for Trump, he remained on active duty as a lieutenant general. He’s earned a Silver Star, among a dozen other awards. He’s also a scholar and best-selling author, most recently of At War with Ourselves, an account of what he calls his “tour of duty” in the White House.

It’s no secret that we admire H.R. here at The Free Press. He’s appeared on Honestly twice—to speak about America’s failure in Afghanistan, and the possibility of nuclear escalation between Russia and Ukraine. But with the Middle East on the brink and his old boss coming back, his voice is more important than ever. So we’re incredibly excited to announce he will be the star of our next Free Press Book Club, hosted by Michael Moynihan in the retired general’s hometown of Philadelphia.

To understand why At War with Ourselves is an essential read, we’re running an excerpt, in which H.R. reveals the inside story of Trump’s first foreign tour as president—to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, the NATO headquarters in Brussels, and a G7 summit in Taormina, Italy. It is a rare insight into how Trump thinks about the world, how he makes decisions, and how he’s influenced by the people around him.

H.R. will be talking to Michael about all this, and more, on January 7 at Philly’s National Constitution Center. You can get tickets by clicking here—and we recommend booking early. (Our last Book Club, with Peggy Noonan, sold out in a couple of hours.) In the meantime, you can order At War with Ourselves today—and scroll down for our exclusive excerpt. —The Editors

Saudi Arabia

As Air Force One took off, I felt a sense of relief. I was happy to leave behind Washington for a while. Maybe the overseas trip would allow us to focus on the substance of foreign policy.

I shared the four-person office between the galley and the conference room with the president’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn; his chief of staff, Reince Priebus; and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. They complained about the uncomfortable chairs that did not recline. I assured them that Air Force One was much more comfortable than the cargo aircraft I was used to taking to the Middle East. I learned on those flights that the key to getting rest was to stake out a comfortable spot on the floor.

President Trump was in a good mood when he popped into the office. He noted, as he often would on trips abroad, “General, you are always working.” And I gave what was becoming my standard answer: “Mr. President, that is what you hired me to do.”

Before dinner was served, I briefed the president and First Lady Melania Trump on the first three stops of what would be a nine-day odyssey.