The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind

THE EYE OF THE STORM explores Washington's New Normal through the eyes of a diverse cast of Beltway characters. THE EYE OF THE STORM investigates how Washington works, and how different kinds of people try to make it work for them. Ben Terris presents an inside history of this crucial moment in Washington, reporting from exclusive parties, poker nights, fundraisers, secluded farms outside town and the halls of Congress; among the oddballs and opportunists and true believers. The ominous calm that settled over Washington after President Donald Trump left town and which has started to dissipate ahead of his possible return. This book is about the people who see this interlude as an opportunity to build something -- for their country, for themselves -- amid the wreckage. It will take a close look at Washington's bold-faced names as they try to get their bearings on the post-Trump (and possibly pre-Trump) landscape. And it will introduce readers to the behind-the-scenes players -- MAGA pilgrims and Resistance flamekeepers and shapeshifting veterans -- who believe they know what Washington, and America, must do if they're going to survive, or even thrive, as the next phase of the hurricane approaches. Trump really did hit Washington like a hurricane, testing the structural integrity of government institutions from the NOAA to the FBI. He surrounded himself with outsiders; power structures reorganized around those who knew him or his family and those who could flatter and influence his base. Hurricane Trump reached the peak of its destruction near the end, when pro-Trump elements both inside and outside of government plotted to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The Capitol became a combat zone, then a military fortress. It was, to put it lightly, a destabilizing time. But how much did the Trump years really change Washington? Has Joe Biden's presidency heralded a return to normal, as many had hoped? What did 'normal' mean before Trump, and what do... "No one gets today's Washington like Ben Terris...THE BIG BREAK is the definitive accounting of ‘how it works’ in this ongoing post-Trump (pre-Trump?) maelstrom. I just imbibed this book." ―Mark Leibovich, author of This Town In this fascinating investigation into the real life inner workings of a post-Trump American government, uncover the odd and eccentric personalities grappling for their own bit of power in D.C. The Big Break investigates how Washington works, and how different kinds of people try to make it work for them. Ben Terris presents an inside history of this crucial moment in Washington, reporting from exclusive parties, poker nights, fundraisers, secluded farms outside town and the halls of Congress; among the oddballs and opportunists and true believers. This book is about the people who see this moment as an opportunity to bet big—on their country or maybe just on themselves. It will take a close look at Washington’s bold-faced names as they try to get their bearings on the post-Trump (and possibly pre-Trump) landscape. And it will introduce readers to the behind-the-scenes players — MAGA pilgrims and Resistance flamekeepers and shapeshifting veterans — who believe they know what Washington, and America, must do if they’re going to survive, or even thrive. Trump’s arrival in Washington represented a big break in how the city operated. He surrounded himself with outsiders; power structures reorganized around those who knew him or his family and those who could flatter and influence his base. He changed the way the game was played, only it wasn’t actually a game at all. When pro-Trump elements both inside and outside of government plotted to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election, the Capitol became a combat zone, then a military fortress. It was, to put it lightly, a destabilizing time. But how much did the Trump years really change Washington? Has Joe Biden’s presidency heralded a return to normal, as many had hoped? What did ‘normal’ mean before Trump, and what do people think it means now? The Big Break will follow a cast of D.C. characters in search of answers to these questions. They are a diverse crew—a pollster with a gambling habit, an oil heiress with a big heart, a cowboy lobbyist, a Republican kingmaker who decided to love Trump and his right-hand man who decided he couldn’t any longer. They all share at least one thing in common: They had seen their country go through a Big Break, and they’d come to get theirs. Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue: Is Any of This Normal? Part 1: The Players Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Parties Chapter 2: The Gambler Chapter 3: Creature Comforts Chapter 4: The Guy Who Left Chapter 5: The Cowboy Diplomat Part 2: The Doers Chapter 6: Best Night of My Motherfucking Life Chapter 7: Dear White Staffers Chapter 8: The White Hat Chapter 9: Scribe of the Subaltern Chapter 10: They Know How to Run the Game Part 3: Placing Bets Chapter 11: The A-Bomb Kid Chapter 12: Betting Clears the Mind Chapter 13: New Money Chapter 14: Save the Swamp! Chapter 15: What Stinks in Building B? Chapter 16: This Is a Great Intentional Smokescreen (Papa Bless) Chapter 17: Welcome to the Canceled Hall of Fame Chapter 18: Trying to Transcend the Morass of Shit Chapter 19: The Billionaire’s Brother Chapter 20: Look at This Coalition Part 4: The Undone Chapter 21: The Spiritual Chief Chapter 22: Police Unreformed Chapter 23: Your Allies on the Other Side Are Allies Second and Opponents First Chapter 24: Nobody Saw What I Was Seeing Part 5: The Game Chapter 25: The Original Big Boy Chapter 26: Chaos Is Good Chapter 27: The Tough Questions Chapter 28: Another Crack at It Chapter 29: I Will Spew You Out of My Mouth Chapter 30: No, No, No, We’re Doing Great Chapter 31: The Turn Chapter 32: Frank Luntz, Dr. Phil, and Roe v. Wade Chapter 33: Losing Traction Chapter 34: Homeboy Does Not Cry Chapter 35: Everything Is Not Okay, Dude Chapter 36: If You Find Anyone Else Like Me, Let Me Know Part 6: The Breaks Chapter 37: The Big Blind Chapter 38: October Surprise Chapter 39: Once You Go Down, It’s Really Hard to See How You Come Back Up Chapter 40: Dark and Stormy Democracy Chapter 41: What Side Am I On Here? Chapter 42: Washington in Winter Chapter 43: If People Think They’ve Seen the Last of Me... Epilogue Acknowledgments Discover More About the Author