Newt Gingrich describes his time being with Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign.

[2] Speechwriters Joe DeSantis and Louie Brogdon developed the first draft for Understanding Trump.

[4] The book eventually topped The New York Times' Hardcover Non-Fiction Best Sellers list on July 2.

[5] 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.