We can't say we weren't warned

[Mazungu]

Trump boasted in 2016 that if elected he would “surround myself only with the best and most serious people." “We want top-of-the-line professionals.” "I only hire the best people."

 

This is what "the best people" say about him after working for him:

 

“He will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead of everything else, including the country’s interest. There’s no question about it.” Bill Barr was attorney general from 2019 to 2020. 

 

“A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution and the rule of law.” John Kelly was the secretary of homeland security in 2017 and then Mr. Trump’s chief of staff.

 

“And yes, I do regard him as a threat to democracy, democracy as we know it, our institutions, our political culture, all those things that make America great and have defined us as, you know, the oldest democracy on this planet.” Mark Esper, a Persian Gulf war veteran, was the secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019 and the secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020.

 

“I believe anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.” Mike Pence, a former congressman and governor of Indiana, was the vice president from 2017 to 2021.

 

“Ultimately asking the vice president to sort of put aside the Constitution is a huge violation of your most important oath to the American people, to protect and defend the Constitution.” Marc Short was the chief of staff for Mr. Pence.

 

“This is beyond wrong and illegal. It’s un-American. The president undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.” Tom Bossert was the homeland security adviser.

 

“In no arena of American affairs has the Trump aberration been more destructive than in national security. His short attention span (except on matters of personal advantage) renders coherent foreign policy almost unattainable.” John Bolton was the national security adviser from 2018 to 2019.

 

“Putin, a ruthless former K.G.B. operator, played to Trump’s ego and insecurities with flattery.” H.R. McMaster, a retired lieutenant general in the Army, was the national security adviser from 2017 to 2018.

 

“He was extremely vulnerable to manipulation. And that became a problem for him as a president. And what I mean by that is, he had a very fragile ego, and he was very susceptible to flattery, as well as taking massive offense, as we all saw, to any kind of criticism.” Fiona Hill, a national intelligence officer under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, was the Trump administration’s top Russia and Europe adviser.

 

“It’s Fauci’s fault. It’s China’s fault. It’s Obama’s fault. It’s always someone else, somewhere else. He doesn’t want to hear the bad news. He doesn’t take responsibility for the bad news and wants to gloss over it and change the subject.” David Lapan was the deputy assistant secretary for media operations and the press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.

 

“To him, a lie is not a lie. It’s just what he thinks. He doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie.” Dan Coats, a former senator from Indiana, was the director of national intelligence.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/09/26/opinion/donald-trump-personality-history.html?campaign_id=241&emc=edit_nteb_20240926&instance_id=135313&nl=the-editorial-board&regi_id=65902800&segment_id=178861&te=1&user_id=f7addae68f812491684a0bdd10fca731

[jerrymahoney]

Anticipated response: War mongers and profiteers