When Donald Trump was running for president, he promised that he would “surround myself only with the best and most serious people”. Hilariously, he even said that they would be “top-of-the-line professionals.”
But let’s look at the people that Trump with whom has actually surrounded himself. And I’m not going to count porn stars and playboy bunnies.
There is Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Trump is complaining about Sessions almost daily and insulting him.
Or Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was a former aide to the President. Trump called her a “that dog” after she quit.
More than half of Trump’s White House staffers, his “best people people”, have already left their jobs. For example, Trump has gone through five communications directors.
And even those who remain are regularly insulted by Trump as being losers. When Trump appointed Wilbur Ross as his commerce secretary, he said that Ross was one of his “killers”. But in May, Trump said that Ross was “past his prime” and “no longer a killer”.
And then there are the people he tried to surround himself with but failed to, like White House physician Ronny Jackson. Jackson was forced to withdraw when it turned out that instead of being a “top-of-the-line professional” he was was really bottom-of-the-barrel.
And then there is Trump’s family, an example of blatant nepotism.
Going back earlier, Trump picked Paul Manafort as his campaign manager. Manafort is now a convicted felon who cheated on his taxes and lied.
Even before Trump even ran for president, he was surrounding himself with dubious people. Like Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer for 13 years and a vice president of the Trump Organization, but has now pleaded guilty to eight felonies including tax fraud and bank fraud.
I think the truth is that Trump desperately needs people to blame for everything that is going wrong. So he appoints potential patsies to positions of power. As a result, he can pretend that nothing is ever his own fault. Trump doesn’t care if he is himself a loser, as long as he can blame it on someone else.
3 Comments
The “best” people are not going to have much to do with Trump. At least not publicly. Mob connected, Epstein crony, and generally disliked in New York by those who know him. I suspect the toadies he uses and abuses hate him as well, but want to be near the power so they put up with him, until they don’t. And you have to question the judgement and ethics of those who do seem to like him.
I agree with wildwood.
What’s more, Trump seems to find excellence of any kind irritating (except, clearly, for the genius who makes his suits).
Could just be the old “bridesmaid syndrome,” where everyone around Trump has to be less than he is so he’ll seem better.
Could be the dread possibility that someone near Trump might get admiration, thus diminishing the constant flow of it Trump needs.
But it could also be the scars of a lifetime of being found “less than” — this is a guy who doesn’t have much to offer except a gift for bullying. And he does seem to have a visceral aversion to people who are admirable in any way beyond simple good looks.
I K , Maybe you should count the porn stars and playboy bunnies, they might actually come closer to being “top-of-the-line professionals” than some of his cronies.
BTW, it’s good to have you back.