When did you first get the idea to write this book? I first thought about it when I was writing my last book, which was a biography of Bobby Kennedy. Bobby’s widow, Ethel, told me that the public might have thought McCarthy was a “monster,” but he was “just plain fun.” Those are words you don’t normally associate with Joe McCarthy, so they made me curious. I knew there was a general link between Senator McCarthy and President Trump, but I didn’t realize how eerily echoing it was. And in secret transcripts of closed-door hearings, I realized that if you crossed out McCarthy’s name, you would think you were listening to our 45th president.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2020 09:00 UTC