Trump’s staff don’t like him.

And this, I think, is a fundamental and under-appreciated eddy current that we need to follow.

1. Obama’s staff didn’t want to get on his bad side, but all respected him, almost to a fault. They trusted his judgment. They liked him.

2. Trump’s staff (from my conversations with a few) don’t like him. Many don’t seem to respect him, though some do. Some feel bad for him.

3. The lack of respect shown to @realDonaldTrump by his senior staff at times (through leaks, etc.) is real, damaging, and inevitable.

4. Many senior Trump folks want him to succeed, but fear he doesn’t have the capacity to. Fairly unprecedented.

5. BTW: George W. Bush’s staff loved him, respected him, and mostly trusted his instincts, too.

6. I would still encourage anyone who wants to serve in government to serve. Good people need to serve, because government serves billions.

7. I can’t pretend I know how to avoid the inevitable (and often immediate) dissonance one would face in working for this administration, but..

8. Even I would try to find a way to serve, if it ever came to it. (It won’t). I honor those who try their best.

9. These Gordian knots aren’t meant to be easily untangled. But I will never shame someone who goes to work for the government, ever.