In the latest chess move by the Obamas, the former president and first lady—arguably the best to ever sit in the White House—have licensed a book about the Trump White House which could be crafted into a series that shows just how incompetent the Trump administration really is.
While nothing has gotten a green light just yet, Deadline is reporting that “Michael Lewis’ latest book The Fifth Risk has been acquired by Barack and Michelle Obama under their Netflix production deal for a possible series aimed to help people better understand the inner workings of the government.”
Or, how badly the Trump administration has fucked things up. Deadline reports:
The Fifth Risk, which hit shelves on Oct. 2 from W.W. Norton, follows the chaos and mismanagement that ensued in the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Commerce in the handoff from President Barack Obama to President Donald Trump. Lewis spoke with a number of federal workers from the Obama administration who worked in the Departments of Energy, Agriculture and Commerce. The previous administration created briefing books for the next staff, but those who showed up on behalf of the new administration were greatly unqualified and far and few between.
One interview in the book is with John MacWilliams, who served as the Energy Department’s first-ever chief risk officer. He conveys his worries that any shortchanging in the department under Trump could lead to a nuclear-weapons accident, a potential conflict with North Korea or Iran, or an attack on the U.S. electrical grid. Any cuts in the Department of Agriculture would impact critical anti-poverty programs like school lunches and food stamps. Meanwhile the Commerce department may not have enough staff to conduct the census properly. Lewis speaks to the unsung heroes and the linchpins of the system and learns what keeps them up at night; those public servants whose knowledge, dedication, and proactivity keep the machinery running.
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This isn’t the first Lewis book to hit the big stage. He also wrote Moneyball, The Big Short and The Blind Side.
Neither Netflix nor the Obamas’ PR team commented to Deadline on the development of The Fifth Risk. But here’s to hoping that the series is out before the 2020 presidential election.
