Enough

Referred to as “mom” throughout Hutchinson’s work, the author credits her mother, Angela Hutchinson, with being a major positive influence and role model throughout her life. Through her anecdotes, Hutchinson characterizes her mother as determined, independent, and hardworking. Hutchinson was close to her mother growing up and valued her many contributions to their family. She recalls trying to support her mother as much as she could when she was little since she had so many obligations as a parent and business owner. Hutchinson remembers how her mother taught her to be independent and that “the biggest mistake a woman could make was to think she couldn’t do the same thing as a man” (12). The author considered her mother “invincible” until she was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer and portrays her as a resilient survivor. In Hutchinson’s adult life, her mother often acted protectively. For example, she asked Hutchinson to not go to work on the day of the January 6 rally and insisted that she could not go to the airport alone without protection after testifying for the Committee. The author portrays her mother as the voice of reason in her life that she often had a hard time listening to.

While Hutchinson shares some fond memories of her father, Richard Hutchinson, from her early childhood, their relationship was tense. Hutchinson attributes their contentious relationship to her parents’ divorce, her father’s emotional neglect and manipulation, and his erratic behavior.

Hutchinson shows her father’s importance in her life by bookending her memoir with memories about him. At the beginning of Chapter 1, a young Hutchinson is thrilled to welcome her father home from work, remembering it as her “favorite part of the day” (3). By the end of her book, Hutchinson accepts that she should move forward without a relationship with her father, calling herself “finally free” (352). The author shares numerous anecdotes to demonstrate his inconsistent and often aggressive parenting. For instance, throughout her childhood, he insisted that she had to be a “warrior,” which meant not crying or needing help. He often offered solutions that Hutchinson found unhelpful, such as insisting that she did not need surgery or offering to have her move in with him to hide from a government subpoena. When Hutchinson needed financial help, her father verbally abused her and put his politics over her priorities, chastising her for testifying when Trump did not want her to. This prompts Hutchinson to compare her father to a “captor,” holding her “captive” with false promises of love and support. Hutchinson suggests that her relationship with her father influenced her approach to her work and the relationships she formed with people in the Trump administration. She writes, “He liked being in control, a now familiar pattern of other outsize figures in my life” (253). 

Hutchinson’s Uncle Joe is married to her Aunt Steph, her mother’s sister. Hutchinson’s relationship with her Uncle Joe was a highlight of her childhood. The author claims that learning more about his work as a soldier informed her growing sense of patriotism. Rather than feeling wary of people who worked for the government as her father did, Hutchinson admired Uncle Joe and grew to adopt his service-oriented mindset. Their close relationship gave Hutchinson a male role model at a time when her father was often absent. By describing her interactions with her uncle and how they shaped her worldview, Hutchinson lays a foundation for her decision to go into politics later in life.

Donald Trump is an American businessman and was the 45th President of the United States from January 2017 to January 2021. Throughout his career, Trump established numerous businesses, many of which involved real estate. Already well-known as a businessman, he became a household name in 2004 by hosting the reality show The Apprentice on NBC. He remained the show’s host for 14 seasons.

Trump is known for controversial business practices and constant legal trouble. A 2016 USA Today article revealed that he and his companies have been involved in over 3,500 lawsuits (Penzenstadler, Nick & Page, Susan “Exclusive: Trump’s 3,500 lawsuits unprecedented for a presidential nominee.” USA Today, 1 Jun. 2016). As president, Trump was impeached twice. In 2023, he was convicted of sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, and he was recently indicted times for a range of crimes including conspiring to commit false statements, conspiring to file false documents, and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. These charges are due to his efforts to pressure an election official in Georgia to manufacture fraudulent votes for him after he lost the 2020 election.

Trump is a central figure in Hutchinson’s memoir. Hutchinson voted for Trump and became a fervent supporter at his 100-day Rally. Later, in her position as Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ top aide, Hutchinson worked closely with the president and was accepted into his inner circle, or “family.” Hutchinson recalls that during her initial months in her role, the president praised her organizational abilities and complimented her work. However, the president became more temperamental during the COVID pandemic and his campaign for the 2020 election. Hutchinson recalls his “volcanic temper and egotism” and portrays him as vain, insecure, and impulsive (307). As a loyal staffer, Hutchinson tried to make excuses for Trump’s erratic, unethical, and illegal behavior but ultimately changed her mind about him and decided that he was a “reckless and dangerous” man for his complicity in the January 6 attacks.