In the first week of its release,
Understanding Trump sold over 37,000 copies. The book eventually topped
The New York Times'
Hardcover Non-Fiction Best Sellers list on July 2. Jake Nevins of
The Guardian wrote that the book is "filled with Gingrichian platitudes of this sort. They don't exactly help us "understand Trump," though they do offer a look into the rhetorical acrobatics one might employ to defend the indefensible." Meanwhile, Alexander Nazaryan of
Newsweek noted that Gingrich used the word "elites" about 50 times, but does not explain the meaning of the word. Nazaryan also noted that Gingrich included
conservatives such as
George H. W. Bush and
George W. Bush as part of the "elite left". ==References==