Ex-MSNBC Reporter Mark Halperin's New Book 'How To Beat Trump' Tanks in Its First Week
Political commentator Mark Halperin’s new book, “How to Beat Trump,” reportedly sold only 502 copies during its first week on the market.
The Associated Press reported that the number was noted by NPD BookScan, an organization that tracks roughly 85 percent of print sales.
“How to Beat Trump” was published Oct. 29 by Regan Arts.
In the book, Halperin “interviewed the nation’s most experienced political strategists to discover what they think the Democratic nominee needs to do to win the 270 electoral votes required for victory,” according to a summary on Amazon.
The book promises to “give voters tools to evaluate which candidates are best positioned to defeat the incumbent.”
Halperin worked for MSNBC as a senior political analyst until being fired in 2017 after five women accused him of sexual harassment, according to The New York Times.
After his firing, the commentator admitted he did “pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me,” The Hill reported.
“I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain,” he said.
Judith Regan, the publisher of “How to Beat Trump,” told the New York Post’s Page Six that Halperin “had a right to write” the book.
“In this guilty-until-proven-innocent, cancel culture where everyone is condemned to death or to a lifetime of unemployment based on an accusation that’s 12 years old is criminal,” Regan told the Post in an article published Wednesday.
Despite the publisher’s support, “How to Beat Trump” received a tepid reception from major news networks.
Following news of the book’s coming release in August, the AP reported that CNN, NBC and MSNBC would not be inviting Halperin on their networks to discuss the book.
Even some of the political strategists interviewed for the book distanced themselves from Halperin.
David Axelrod, a political consultant and former adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted his remorse in agreeing to be interviewed by Halperin.
By answering Halperin’s questions, I did not in any way mean to excuse his past, egregious behavior and, in retrospect, I regret responding at all.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 18, 2019
“By answering Halperin’s questions, I did not in any way mean to excuse his past, egregious behavior and, in retrospect, I regret responding at all,” Axelrod tweeted in August.
When asked about her comments in the book by CNN’s Oliver Darcy in August, former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile said she wasn’t the author, redirecting questions to Halperin himself.
I also asked @donnabrazile about her participation in Halperin’s book. She replied to my email saying, “I’m not the author. Ask Mark why he chose us.” I followed up, noting that obviously he’s the author, but that she willingly participated in the project. She didn’t reply.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 18, 2019
“I’m not the author. Ask Mark why he chose us,” Brazile reportedly said.
“How to Beat Trump” is not Halperin’s only book. His 2010 book “Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime,” which he co-authored with journalist John Heilemann, sold over 1 million copies, according to The Hill.
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