Kirkus Professional Book Reviewers said: "Graham's book is an intriguing and informative ‘must read’ from a woman who is probably the best-informed American on the terrifying realities concerning Vladimir Putin's motivations and his control over Trump.”
Bestselling author Elizabeth Graham is an authority on the Trump/Putin relationship. Her articles have appeared worldwide, have been published on the websites of thousands of traditional media outlets and she writes a very popular Substack (https://egraham.substack.com) on topics relating to democracy, Russia, and U.S. politics.
In her eyes, "Trump's political dishonesty - bribery, graft, and malfeasance - has resulted in a state of moral decline in the U.S. – all while our citizens want truth, justice, law and the American way."
In a recent Substack post titled, "Corruption", she wrote in part:
How do successful anti-authoritarian movements work? They strongly attack corruption – framing the regime as dishonest, self-serving, and morally rotten. At the same time, they reclaim patriotic or national symbols and stories. This tells the world that they are not just ‘against’ the regime, but also ‘for’ the nation’s true values and identity.
I used to think that I knew our nation’s ‘true values’ and they were aligned with a democracy – truth, justice, and honesty. Over the past decade – with Mr. Trump serving as the central presidential figure for much of that time, the values of our nation have come under increasing scrutiny. Veracity – the habit of being accurate; Verity – a fundamental truth or reality; and Factuality – the quality of being based on fact, have nearly disappeared. Just laws relay the truth, and society’s legal system needs to recognize and uphold the truth. Laws play a pivotal role in maintaining social order and in protecting individual rights. While LAWS promote justice, Mr. Trump believes he is above the law.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, a U.S. federal law (Public Law 119-38) enacted on November 19, 2025, was approved by a unanimous vote of Congress. It requires the Department of Justice to publicly release investigative records and documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The legal deadline to release all records was December 19, 2025. “Amid an indefinite wait for the full release of the case files, some attention has shifted to a group of federal agents: The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. These agents and investigators monitor fraud, abuse, and weaknesses inside the Justice Department. (CBS News, January 8, 2026, written by Scott MacFarlane). Trump has managed to evade and dodge the full disclosure of this information - through one war after another to fill the news. And while the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the Trump-created sensationalism of the moment, time marches on. Trump’s deceit and general avoidance have circumvented justice.
From our early roots and our democratic beginnings, the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, states that “all men are created equal, and endowed with fundamental inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” At the time Mr. Jefferson wrote this glowing and almost Biblical phrasing, he owned over 600 slaves. This fundamental lie of American equality has set a countrywide standard of dishonesty and deceitfulness for generations of Americans. While considered a cornerstone of human rights, at no time in our post-Civil War history has American leaders and our society been more disoriented.
Our current president is a bigot – someone who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his own prejudices – daily treating others – whether world leaders or recent immigrants - with hatred and bias. In the case of Donald Trump, he closed USAID specifically to stop all aid to Africa. That was one year ago, and today it is estimated that about 15 million people will die by 2040 due to this bigotry. (The Lancet, by DM Cavalcanti) His inhumane treatment of immigrants to the U.S. is based on fanatical political views and his own intolerance to anyone whose skin is one shade darker than his daily sprayed on tans. There is no understanding of the hardships endured by immigrants, or to the fact that this entire country commenced through the hard work of individuals who traveled to this land to escape injustices in their own countries.
Today, President Donald Trump’s “public plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has quickly blown up in his face. Trump was humiliated as his public plea quickly falls flat,” (MSN, The Daily Beast written by Leigh Kimmins, June 7, 2026) Now, sirens blare over Israel and Iran launches missiles in response to Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon. Trump has pleaded with Israeli Prime Minister to stop the attacks on Lebanon, but his requests have fallen on deaf ears. This is the same man who promised the American people in his first week as the President in his second term, that “he could end the war in Ukraine in one day.” (CNN, Fact Check, April 25, 2025). In fact, he said the same thing 53 times. (Ibid, CNN) Does this mean he doesn’t comprehend what he says?
Does Trump ever learn? Or for that fact, does the American people ever grasp that Trump is corrupt? This ingrained corruption is demonstrated in everything he does and says and is in plain sight. “The Trump administration has exchanged government benefits, appointments, pardons, and policy decisions for financial contributions from wealthy individuals, corporations, and foreign governments, creating an unprecedented pay-to-play culture.“ (The American Bar Association, March 4, 2026) If key reforms are not passed, and if Trump is not held accountable, this corrupt political culture will do more than distort government – it will steadily destroy American’s faith in their democracy. This is exactly what Vladimir Putin wishes for.
The full post is available at her Substack at https://egraham.substack.com
'From Democracy To Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans' has received rave reviews from readers and reviewers alike. One Amazon reader said, "From Democracy To Democrazy is an excellent book about the threat that Russia poses to America. This is an urgent warning; If you care about our country and the survival of our democracy, you should read this book ASAP because our government under the Trump administration is not on our side. Most Americans are so overwhelmed by the fire hose of distractions by Trump's wars, schemes, and corruption that they aren't aware of the ongoing collusion between Trump and Putin whose primary goal is to destroy America. The evidence described in this book by the author Ms. Graham is substantial. "
Another stated, "This book is a must read to understand how the President in name only is clearly tied to Putin’s world, Putin’s plan to destroy America from the inside out. It is not a hard book to read as the writing is plain and easy to read about personal and professional details of life in Russia doing brave and courageous work at a high level that helped women and non-profits and much more. To live and work under dictatorships for 20 years gave her an understanding like no other of what is happening to our country and is beyond anything else I’ve read."
Clare Harwood, a publisher remarked: “Some books are written to entertain. Others are written because the author feels responsible for speaking. Democrazy is clearly the latter. . . Graham draws not from theory, but from lived experience in authoritarian and communist countries. . . When she writes about Donald Trump’s similarities to leaders she encountered overseas, it does not read as partisan commentary.”
More is available at https://substack.com/@elizabethgraham. Subscribe for $5/month at www.egraham.substack.com to receive Graham's daily or weekly Substack messages which draw on her decades of experience in Russia.
All of this information and much more is available in Graham's book, 'From Democracy To Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans', now available at Amazon, and more information is available at her website at https://democrazy2020.org/.
About Elizabeth Graham:
Elizabeth Graham lives in a quiet rural city in northern Arizona. She had 4 children and has 3 grandchildren. Her oldest daughter died July 16, 2016 - three months before the U.S. 2016 election and while living/working in Japan. The Tokyo Police ruled her death a homicide by an unknown substance – possibly a poison - which is the signature lethal method used by Russians. There is more about her death in From Democracy to Democrazy.
Elizabeth was indoctrinated at a young age by her father who was a senior manager working undercover with the CIA. Her college days were in Los Angeles with the desire to become a high school teacher. However, she was destined to study Russia, Russian language, and live a life of Top-Secret clearances and undercover work. This led to senior nonprofit management positions and consulting jobs in strategic places like Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, all the former Soviet - Central Asian countries, and Ukraine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and many other locations. In this process of living and working abroad, she became bi-cultural - American to Russian and back – only to find that her birth country was in the process of losing its democracy and becoming a dictatorship.
Contact:
Elizabeth Graham
https://democrazy2020.org
https://egraham.substack.com
graham1elizabeth@aol.com
