New 'tell-all' book about Toronto's Rob Ford could teach us about the rise of Donald Trump

A new tell-all book about the crack-smoking ex-mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, has just been released. Written by his old chief of staff, it makes for revealing reading — but most interesting of all is what it can teach us about the surprising rise of Donald Trump.

For a while it seemed that nobody was going to learn their lesson from the crack-smoking scandal that rocked Toronto City Hall in 2013.

Rob Ford — the mayor who was filmed smoking crack cocaine in a drug-dealer’s house — obstinately refused to admit he had a drug problem and refused to stand down from office.