Donald Trump Jr.‘s new book,Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us, became a bestseller with the help of the Republican National Committee, according to theNew York Times—a suspected assist that has angered critics since the book’s publication earlier this month.
On the day ofTriggered‘s Nov. 5th release, the committee blasted out campaign emails that promised signed copies in exchange for donations. And when the book reached No. 1 onTheNew York Times‘ bestseller list, the ranking was annotated to specify thatTriggered’s sales numbers included bulk orders.
“The RNC is giving away signed Donald Trump Jr. books to donors,” Zeke Miller, a White House reporter for the Associated Press,tweeted on Nov. 5. “This is a tactic that helps boost reported sales.”
Miller’s tweet included a screenshot of a campaign email from the RNC in which PresidentDonald Trump‘s oldest son said that “Democrats are DESPERATELY rooting for my father to fail.”
Mike Reed, an RNC spokesman, told theTimesthat thecommittee had supported authors who weren’t candidates before, including Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker.
“Using books as a means to fund-raise is standard practice from political parties on both sides of the aisle,” Reed told the paper. “Triggeredhas been very popular among our supporters, helping us raise funds to support the re-election effort.”
On Nov. 13, Don Jr.’s book reached the coveted top spot on theTimes‘ bestseller lists for“Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction”and“Hardcover Nonfiction.”But the latter entry included a dagger symbol, which “indicates that some retailers report receiving bulk orders,” according to theTimes.
The president’s son has also responded to theTimesreport.
“Don Jr. sold more books in his opening week than the number 2 and 3 nonfiction books on theNew York Timeslist combined,” a spokesman for Don Jr. told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday. “You could erase all of the books sold through the RNC and that would still be a fact. If Don’s book was only successful because of so-called ‘bulk buys’ as some in the media have claimed, how do they square that with the fact that he also topped Amazon’s non-fiction charts in his opening week for books currently available and held multiple book signings across the country that sold 1000+ books a piece?”
The book’s publisher, Center Street, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment about the RNC’s involvement in boosting book sales through bulk orders to support its own fundraising.
Center Street
Though Don Jr. began writingTriggeredbefore the House of Representatives began investigating his father for potential impeachment, the end result is part polemic, part defense of the president and part memoir about Don Jr.’s childhood as a Trump.
Don Jr.’s barrage against Democrats and the news media continues for almost 300 pages, as he explains that he feels he and his father are under constant — and undeserved — attack.
Both the RNC and President Trump have taken to social media to supportTriggered. Don Jr., who is running the family’s company with brotherEricand who is not technically a paid political operative or government official, is a regular surrogate for his dad on the campaign trail.
“Just finished reading my son Donald’s just out new book,Triggered.It is really good!” the president (known for his distaste for lengthy reading materials)tweeted on Saturday. “He, along with many of us, was very unfairly treated. But we all fight back, and we always win!”
The Trump campaign also promoted a clip fromDon Jr.’s combative exchange with the hosts ofThe Viewlast week, which was tied to the book’s release.
Online, criticswere quick to jab atDon Jr. after he boasted about his book’s No. 1 status on Twitter, even as he and his father have routinely denounced theTimesas fake news.
Many called out the fact that some of those bestselling sales came from bulk orders.
“You have to cheat at everything,” one userwrote back to himon Twitter.
Trolling comedians have even gone so far as toswap out the cover ofTriggeredwith one of their own making in a bookstore in N.Y.C., according toThe Hill.
The new cover wasDaddy,Please Love Me(with the subtitle “How everything I do is to try to earn my father’s love.”).
RELATED VIDEO: Meghan McCain Faces Donald Trump Jr. onThe View
“We did the stunt to reach Don Jr. It’s really sad to watch him try to earn his father’s love so publicly,” the duo, Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler, known asThe Good Liars, toldThe Hillin a statement. “It’s pretty obvious that President Trump doesn’t love him, and Junior’s attempts to get his father’s attention — dressing up as his father for Halloween and marrying a Fox News personality that looks conspicuously like Melania — have been really hard to watch.”
source: people.com
