Image - the speaker plus detail from his book cover
Past Event

Jonathan Alter: Trump on Trial

Regardless of who won the presidential election on November 5, one thing remains on the calendar: Former President Donald Trump heads back to court on November 26 for sentencing.

Bestselling author and presidential historian Jonathan Alter had a front-row seat to Trump’s felony trial, one of just a handful of journalists allowed in the courtroom. For 23 days, he sat just feet away from Trump, watching the spectacle of the century. In his new book American Reckoning, Alter shares everything he witnessed—from eviscerating takes on the colorful characters to the chilling legal ups and downs—to offer a barbed account of the trial and its aftermath, including fresh reporting about the historic events of the summer of 2024.

While experiencing a crisis of faith in the good sense of the American people, Alter chronicles the shaping of his political consciousness and his bracing, unpredictable relationships with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden, whose decision to stand down in favor of former prosecutor Kamala Harris put the criminal trial front and center as Americans render their own verdict at the polls.

Join us for a special online-only program as we hear from someone with a front-row seat to history.

Notes

This program is online-only. Please pre-register to receive a link to the live-stream event.

Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming.

Photo courtesy the speaker.

All ticket sales are final and nonrefundable.

November 18, 2024

Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
United States

Speakers
Image - Jonathan Alter

Jonathan Alter

Journalist; Historian; Author, American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial-And My Own; X @jonathanalter

Image - Melissa Caen

In Conversation with Melissa Caen

Political & Legal Analyst