Too Much and Never Enough
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | July 14, 2020 |
| Founder | Mary L. Trump |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
| Parent | Simon & Schuster |
Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man is an unauthorized exposé authored by clinical psychologist Mary L. Trump, focusing on her uncle, President Donald Trump, and their familial relationships. Released by Simon & Schuster on July 14, 2020, the book provides an insider’s examination of the Trump family’s interpersonal dynamics and financial affairs, including Mary’s anonymous contribution as the source revealing Donald Trump's alleged tax irregularities. Attempts by the Trump family to legally prevent the book’s publication were unsuccessful in postponing its release.
Background
Mary L. Trump, granddaughter of Fred Trump Sr. and daughter of Fred Trump Jr., holds expertise in trauma and developmental psychology, with research centered on stalking victims and schizophrenia. Her father passed away at age 42 due to a heart attack linked to alcoholism.
Following the death of Fred Sr. in 1999, Mary and her brother Fred III challenged their grandfather’s will, claiming he suffered from dementia and was unduly influenced by Donald, Maryanne, and Robert Trump. Soon after, Donald and his siblings discontinued health insurance for Fred III’s son William, who experienced epileptic spasms related to cerebral palsy. The coverage was later reinstated after dispute resolution. In 2016, Donald cited frustration over the lawsuit as justification for his actions.
After Donald Trump's 2016 presidential bid, Mary anonymously supplied tax records to The New York Times, which formed the foundation for a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 investigation into Trump's financial practices. Journalist David Barstow initially approached Mary to co-author a book; however, ethical concerns prevented his involvement. Subsequently, she collaborated with agent Jay Mandel from WME and secured publishing rights through a competitive auction with Simon & Schuster.
Synopsis
This work is a chronological biography concentrating on Donald Trump, with considerable emphasis on the family's internal relations and financial dealings. As a clinical psychologist, Mary Trump offers an analysis of the family background to elucidate Donald’s behavior without issuing a direct clinical diagnosis.
Part One: The Cruelty Is the Point profiles the family patriarch, Fred Trump Sr., whom Mary characterizes as a "high-functioning sociopath" whose abusive conduct profoundly affected his children. To avoid appearing vulnerable, Donald adopted Fred Sr.’s severe demeanor, which constrained his emotional expression. Their mother, Mary, is depicted as a submissive spouse who endured health challenges and verbal mistreatment; she reportedly felt relief when Donald was sent to military school due to his aggressive behavior.
Part Two: The Wrong Side of the Tracks explores Donald's early professional life. Dissatisfied with his own public recognition, Fred Sr. allowed Donald to serve as the visible leader of the Trump Organization while managing operations through political connections and other intermediaries. Fred Jr., unfairly held responsible for business setbacks, left to pursue a career as a commercial pilot but struggled with alcoholism and personal difficulties exacerbated by familial disparagement; he died in 1981 at age 42.
In Part Three: Smoke and Mirrors, Mary recounts Donald’s difficulties managing the business following Fred Sr.’s death in 1999. She portrays him as an ineffective executive sustained by associates who valued his notoriety more than his capabilities. Donald negotiated creditor agreements securing a $450,000 monthly allowance. After Fred Sr.’s passing, Mary and her brother lost access to family health insurance, placing her nephew William in vulnerable circumstances. She resolved this by selling her stake in the family corporation at a substantial undervaluation but later uncovered the true scale of their wealth through her anonymous involvement in a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation.
Part Four: The Worst Investment Ever Made addresses Donald’s victorious presidential campaign. Mary contends that Fred Sr.’s legacy linked Donald to influential figures who exploited his psychological vulnerabilities. Due to emotional limitations imposed by his father’s upbringing, Donald remains highly prone to manipulation by both domestic and foreign actors.
Allegations
The book reveals that Mary provided The New York Times with private tax records belonging to the Trump family. This disclosure led to accusations that Donald engaged in fraudulent activities and transferred approximately $413 million from his father’s real estate enterprises to finance his own failing businesses during the 1990s. Additionally, the book alleges that Donald compensated a friend, Joe Shapiro, to complete the SAT exam on his behalf. Mary asserts that both Donald and Fred Sr. neglected her father, a factor contributing to his death caused by alcoholism, and later spoke disparagingly of Fred Sr. while he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Release of tape recordings
On August 22, 2020, Mary made public audio recordings of discussions with her aunt, Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald’s sister and a former federal judge appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. The content of these recordings corroborates many of the assertions made in Mary's book. She recorded these conversations as evidence that her inheritance settlement from her grandfather’s estate was based on a grossly undervalued appraisal.
Within the tapes, Barry denounces Donald’s immigration policy of separating children from their parents, criticizes his religious supporters for lacking empathy, and describes him as both ruthless and insincere. She also confirms the claim that Donald paid someone else to take the SAT exam for him.
Promotion
The book attracted extensive coverage both nationally and internationally. Mary Trump appeared on numerous prominent media outlets such as The Rachel Maddow Show, The Beat with Ari Melber, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, The View, Frontline, Cuomo Prime Time, Democracy Now!, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On the global stage, she was featured on Canada's CTV News, Australia's 60 Minutes Australia, the UK's Channel 4 News and Sky News, Ireland's The Late Late Show on RTÉ One, as well as Scandinavia's Skavlan talk show. These appearances played a significant role in expanding the book’s reach across various international markets.
Release
Originally scheduled for release on August 11, 2020, by Simon & Schuster, an exclusive excerpt was shared with The Daily Beast, which published it on June 15. Just two days later, the book climbed to No. 5 on Amazon’s bestseller rankings. Responding to high demand, the release date was moved up first to July 28 and then further advanced to July 14, overtaking The Room Where It Happened to become Amazon's top-selling title. On July 17, Simon & Schuster announced over 950,000 pre-orders had been placed, setting a new record for the publisher. During its initial week on sale, Too Much and Never Enough sold 1.35 million copies.
Legal efforts to stop publication
According to The Daily Beast, Donald Trump contemplated legal measures against Mary Trump, asserting she had signed a "very powerful" non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that barred her from authoring the book. He told Axios that she was "not allowed to write a book" because of this NDA.
On June 23, Robert Trump filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to prevent publication based on Mary’s alleged breach of the NDA. However, on June 25, Judge Peter J. Kelly of Queens County Surrogate Court dismissed the case due to lack of jurisdiction. Robert then pursued action in the New York Supreme Court in Dutchess County. On June 30, Justice Hal B. Greenwald issued a temporary injunction delaying publication until a hearing scheduled for July 10. The following day, appellate justice Alan D. Scheinkman overturned this injunction, ruling that Simon & Schuster was not bound by the NDA and could proceed with publishing under First Amendment protections; however, Mary remained restricted from selling the book pending further court proceedings.
Mary responded on July 2 by submitting an affidavit claiming she was not subject to the NDA due to fraudulent asset valuations involved in her settlement agreement.
On July 13, Justice Greenwald upheld Simon & Schuster’s right to publish the book, stating it would be “moot” to halt distribution after it had already been widely released. The ruling also indicated that Robert’s legal standing was weak since the book primarily concerned Donald Trump rather than Robert himself. Although Robert retained the option to pursue monetary damages, his intentions were unclear at that time. Robert Trump passed away on August 15.
Reception
The book was met with predominantly favorable critiques, with reviewers emphasizing Mary Trump's expertise in clinical psychology and her intimate family perspective as significant assets within the Trump exposé genre. Jennifer Szalai from The New York Times praised the author's bravery, characterizing the narrative as "born from pain and intended to wound," a portrayal Mary later disputed.
The Los Angeles Times highlighted the book's compassionate tone, setting it apart from other examinations of Trump's time in office. Megan Garber of The Atlantic concurred with Mary’s assertion that Donald Trump has exposed harmful family patterns on a national scale. David Aaronovitch of The Times pointed out that the work primarily functions as a biography of Fred Trump Sr., whose legacy heavily influences contemporary political discourse through Donald Trump. Offering a more critical perspective, Chris Taylor of Mashable argued that the author occasionally overreaches with broad statements and sometimes contradicts herself.