Trump Wants His Cabinet To Serve His Ego, Not The Nation
In commenting on his decision to remove Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from his position last week, President Donald Trump explained to reporters at the White House, We were not really thinking the same. Really, it was a different mindset, a different thinking.
That different way of thinking had been apparent from the start of Tillersons stint at State, visible not only in the secretarys disagreement with Trump on how best to handle North Korea, but also in the pettier matters that have come to define this pitiful presidency. Tillerson, a former Eagle Scout, reportedly objected to Trumps gross politicization of his visit to the Boy Scout Jamboree over the summer. And he found the presidents ability to command basic facts so unimpressive that he reportedly referred to Trump as a moron in front of other administration officials.
While the coming negotiations with North Koreas Kim Jong Un provided a useful cover for Trumps hasty actions, Tillersons exit really owed to his failure to fall in line with the president, something Trump assured reporters would not be a problem with his new appointee to State, Mike Pompeo. Were always on the same wavelength, Trump said of Pompeo.
Perhaps anticipating more criticism of the continually revolving door that is the White House these days, Trump defended his move. Im really at a point where were getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things I want, Trump explained, as if the West Wings constant turnover was some refining process of personnel rather than a crisis of presidential leadership.
On Thursday, Trump continued his staffing shuffle, naming John Bolton as his new national security adviser in place of H.R. McMaster. Trumps selection of Bolton, the warmongering U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, is a chilling prospect for those who hoped Trumps saber-rattling with North Korea might be tempered by cooler heads inside the White House. Bolton is an aggressive hawk who is certain to cheerlead Trumps worst impulses.
All of these moves undercut Trumps businessman boasts that he would bring only the best people to Washington, of course. But they also make plain that the real business of this administration is to serve Trumps ego rather than the nation. In cutting out dissenters or even strong counterweights in his administration for the steady stream of sycophants and, lets not forget, fawning family members he has gathered around him, Trump has ensured his White House will never be mistaken for Abraham Lincolns team of rivals. Instead, Trump is assembling a cabal of cronies.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-young-trump-cabinet_us_5ab51bbbe4b0decad0497fca
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)hedda_foil
(16,375 posts)He makes the Kardishian publicity clan look modest and self-effacing.