Trump: ‘I Did’ Hire the Best People and Most of My Hires Were Good, But ‘I Didn’t Know’ Washington L

[mystery-ak]

Trump: ‘I Did’ Hire the Best People and Most of My Hires Were Good, But ‘I Didn’t Know’ Washington Like I Do Now

Ian Hanchett 19 Jun 2023

During a portion of an interview with the Fox News Channel aired on Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump responded to questions on why he hired so many people who he has now criticized or have criticized him by stating the overwhelming majority of people he hired were good hires, he did hire the best people, and that he “didn’t know” Washington, but does now.

Trump said, [relevant remarks begin around 16:10] “When I came down to Washington, I was in Washington 17 times in my life in D.C., and I never stayed overnight. I was never there. I didn’t know the people. I didn’t know that world, other than I was involved in politics from the other side very much. And I had — I put great people in, but I put some people like Bill Barr and Bolton and a few of them that — actually, Bolton was good because everybody — every time I negotiated, people said, oh, they’ve got this maniac here. He’s going to go to war with us and they’d concede every point. It was actually pretty good in a certain way. But we put people in that were great and we put people in that weren’t. I now know Washington probably better than anybody. I know the good ones and the bad ones.”

Host Bret Baier then noted that Trump vowed to only hire the best people in 2016. Trump responded, “Well, I did do that.”

Baier then listed various people from the Trump administration who are either running against Trump in 2024, have criticized him, or who Trump has criticized like former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, former Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and then asked Trump why he hired all of these people.

Trump responded, “Because I hired 10:1 that were fantastic.” He also maintained the ratio of hires who still praise him to critics is 20:1.

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/06/19/trump-i-did-hire-the-best-people-and-most-of-my-hires-were-good-but-i-didnt-know-washington-like-i-do-now/

[libertybele]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.  He quickly learned he was wrong and scrambled to learn the ins and outs of gov't proceedings and having to deal with a Senate and House and that there was a document called the Constitution.  He often would say he was going to do something only to be told or realize that, that wasn't part of the executive branch duties.

He picked Pence and from that point forward most of his picks were failures.

No.  Trump did not hire the best people. 

His lawyers that he has hired have turned away from him and he's going to be hard pressed I believe to find a competent defense team that will keep him out of prison.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

The big omission in this is that Trump didn't just hire people in 2017 when he was new, and that's it.  There was a lot of turnover so he also hired people in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as well.  The "I was new and didn't know Washington" excuse only works if his hires got better as he went along.  And they didn't. 

Just as one example, he was more than halfway through his Presidency when he hired Bill Barr, who he now excoriates.  Likewise, he didn't hire Kayleigh McEnany to be his Press Secretary until April 2020.  By that time, he had more than three years of experience as President so it should have been easy for him to pick "only the best people".  Yet, he slammed the hell out of her just a few weeks ago and called her "Kayleigh "Milktoast" NcEnany.

There is zero actual evidence that his ability to select "only the best" has improved, and a bunch of evidence that the second term will be even worse than the first in that regard.

It's not about "knowing Washington", either.  It is about knowing specific people who are capable and worthy of trust.  Well...who are they, Donald?  Mike Flynn, the guy you told a few weeks ago to "stay ready" even though he tweeted back in January 2020 that Trump should have declared martial law??

It was a poopshow the first time around, and it would be worse the second.

[MeshugeMikey]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.  He quickly learned he was wrong and scrambled to learn the ins and outs of gov't proceedings and having to deal with a Senate and House and that there was a document called the Constitution.  He often would say he was going to do something only to be told or realize that, that wasn't part of the executive branch duties.

He picked Pence and from that point forward most of his picks were failures.

No.  Trump did not hire the best people. 

His lawyers that he has hired have turned away from him and he's going to be hard pressed I believe to find a competent defense team that will keep him out of prison.

if he keeps running his mouth about the docuemtns like he did today he MAY BE going to prison a lot sooner...

[Kamaji]

The big omission in this is that Trump didn't just hire people in 2017 when he was new, and that's it.  There was a lot of turnover so he also hired people in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as well.  The "I was new and didn't know Washington" excuse only works if his hires got better as he went along.  And they didn't. 

Just as one example, he was more than halfway through his Presidency when he hired Bill Barr, who he now excoriates.  Likewise, he didn't hire Kayleigh McEnany to be his Press Secretary until April 2020.  By that time, he had more than three years of experience as President so it should have been easy for him to pick "only the best people".  Yet, he slammed the hell out of her just a few weeks ago and called her "Kayleigh "Milktoast" NcEnany.

There is zero actual evidence that his ability to select "only the best" has improved, and a bunch of evidence that the second term will be even worse than the first in that regard.

It's not about "knowing Washington", either.  It is about knowing specific people who are capable and worthy of trust.  Well...who are they, Donald?  Mike Flynn, the guy you told a few weeks ago to "stay ready" even though he tweeted back in January 2020 that Trump should have declared martial law??

It was a poopshow the first time around, and it would be worse the second.

[kevindavis007]

I did think some of his picks were good like Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador and Jim Bridenstine as head of NASA.

[GtHawk]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.  He quickly learned he was wrong and scrambled to learn the ins and outs of gov't proceedings and having to deal with a Senate and House and that there was a document called the Constitution.  He often would say he was going to do something only to be told or realize that, that wasn't part of the executive branch duties.

He picked Pence and from that point forward most of his picks were failures.

No.  Trump did not hire the best people. 

His lawyers that he has hired have turned away from him and he's going to be hard pressed I believe to find a competent defense team that will keep him out of prison.

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.

And that's yer problem right there in a nutshell, Trump had absolutely no idea how government actually works and truth to tell I don't think he ever bothered to learn.

[Kamaji]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.

And that's yer problem right there in a nutshell, Trump had absolutely no idea how government actually works and truth to tell I don't think he ever bothered to learn.

Exactly.

[Bigun]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.

And that's yer problem right there in a nutshell, Trump had absolutely no idea how government actually works and truth to tell I don't think he ever bothered to learn.

I don't think Trump is alone there either. I think most people who don't work for the government as well as many who do would be right there with him.

[Kamaji]

Survey sez:

[DCPatriot]

I don't think Trump is alone there either. I think most people who don't work for the government as well as many who do would be right there with him.

Had been a 1099 contractor since the age of 12, when I delivered the daily city newspaper.

Delivered in my baseball uniform if the game was at 2PM.     @Bigun

[BellyAche]

It seems that he also prefers sycophants and that's never good for honest, professional hiring. I think that Trump is too thin skinned and insecure to be comfortable with people who are honest and capable. They need to bend to his will all the time! There always has to be give and take if possible. His experience in a corporate setting where you can be a bit authoritarian is not a good background for government work in my view. Some dictatorial business acumen will work, but day in and day out, not so much!!

[Bigun]

It seems that he also prefers sycophants and that's never good for honest, professional hiring. I think that Trump is too thin skinned and insecure to be comfortable with people who are honest and capable. They need to bend to his will all the time! There always has to be give and take if possible. His experience in a corporate setting where you can be a bit authoritarian is not a good background for government work in my view. Some dictatorial business acumen will work, but day in and day out, not so much!!

It would work far better if there were much less government to deal with if you ask me.

[GtHawk]

It would work far better if there were much less government to deal with if you ask me.

I don't think you'd get an argument on that from most people...who didn't work for the feral government.

[BellyAche]

It would work far better if there were much less government to deal with if you ask me.

I agree with that but it tends to be "muddy in the middle." You'd have to flush out the folks entirely and start from scratch!!!

[libertybele]

Trump went to DC thinking that he was going to run this country like one of his corporations.

And that's yer problem right there in a nutshell, Trump had absolutely no idea how government actually works and truth to tell I don't think he ever bothered to learn.

He tried doing things his way and well, a lot of times that just didn't work.

[Bigun]

I agree with that but it tends to be "muddy in the middle." You'd have to flush out the folks entirely and start from scratch!!!

  No doubt!

[berdie]

He tried doing things his way and well, a lot of times that just didn't work.

Agreed. He wasn't running a corp any longer. I really think his ego is so large that he thinks people will be loyal and love him because of who he is. That, in reality was probably never true.

I have heard an old saying that if you want love and loyalty in DC...get a dog.

[unite for individuality]

The great majority of comments in this thread
completely miss the point, which is -

There are close to ZERO people with ANY integrity in DC!
There are certainly FAR fewer people with any integrity
than there are jobs to be filled!

The DC Swamp systematically weeds out everyone with ANY integrity!
The DC Swamp is a PARASITE, at best!  America is the host.
The DC Swamp retains ONLY those whose loyalty is to The Swamp!
NOT to America!
The DC Swamp makes sure that
the only people they allow to accumulate any credentials and qualifications
are those who are loyal to The Swamp, and ENEMIES of America!

There are just over 4000 jobs that are filled by presidential appointment.
When President Trump was in office,
the Senate confirmed his appointments at a rate
that would complete Trump's appointments in ELEVEN years!

Expecting ANY president acting alone to clean up DC is like
trying to steer an aircraft carrier with a canoe paddle!

[LMAO]

The great majority of comments in this thread
completely miss the point, which is -

There are close to ZERO people with ANY integrity in DC!
There are certainly FAR fewer people with any integrity
than there are jobs to be filled!

The DC Swamp systematically weeds out everyone with ANY integrity!
The DC Swamp is a PARASITE, at best!  America is the host.
The DC Swamp retains ONLY those whose loyalty is to The Swamp!
NOT to America!
The DC Swamp makes sure that
the only people they allow to accumulate any credentials and qualifications
are those who are loyal to The Swamp, and ENEMIES of America!

There are just over 4000 jobs that are filled by presidential appointment.
When President Trump was in office,
the Senate confirmed his appointments at a rate
that would complete Trump's appointments in ELEVEN years!

Expecting ANY president acting alone to clean up DC is like
trying to steer an aircraft carrier with a canoe paddle!

I don’t think there’s anybody on this forum who believes that Washington DC it’s fine the way it is. There’s just nobody running that’s really going to do anything about it. They may say in campaign ads and rallies they will. But  they won’t.

Trump supporters and many that support Ron DeSantis are convinced their man is the guy to do it. But Trump’s history says he won’t and Ron DeSantis probably won’t, either

[jmyrlefuller]

The great majority of comments in this thread
completely miss the point, which is -

There are close to ZERO people with ANY integrity in DC!
There are certainly FAR fewer people with any integrity
than there are jobs to be filled!

The DC Swamp systematically weeds out everyone with ANY integrity!
The DC Swamp is a PARASITE, at best!  America is the host.
The DC Swamp retains ONLY those whose loyalty is to The Swamp!
NOT to America!
The DC Swamp makes sure that
the only people they allow to accumulate any credentials and qualifications
are those who are loyal to The Swamp, and ENEMIES of America!

There are just over 4000 jobs that are filled by presidential appointment.
When President Trump was in office,
the Senate confirmed his appointments at a rate
that would complete Trump's appointments in ELEVEN years!

Expecting ANY president acting alone to clean up DC is like
trying to steer an aircraft carrier with a canoe paddle!

Which is precisely why the only way to "drain the swamp" is to go over the fiscal cliff, and stop allocating money to them.

[massadvj]

Trump: "Hey, I did hire great people, all except my vice president, secretary of state, attorney general, chief of staff, secretary of defense and UN ambassador. Otherwise it was 20:1 good."

 

[Bigun]

The great majority of comments in this thread
completely miss the point, which is -

There are close to ZERO people with ANY integrity in DC!
There are certainly FAR fewer people with any integrity
than there are jobs to be filled!

The DC Swamp systematically weeds out everyone with ANY integrity!
The DC Swamp is a PARASITE, at best!  America is the host.
The DC Swamp retains ONLY those whose loyalty is to The Swamp!
NOT to America!
The DC Swamp makes sure that
the only people they allow to accumulate any credentials and qualifications
are those who are loyal to The Swamp, and ENEMIES of America!

There are just over 4000 jobs that are filled by presidential appointment.
When President Trump was in office,
the Senate confirmed his appointments at a rate
that would complete Trump's appointments in ELEVEN years!

Expecting ANY president acting alone to clean up DC is like
trying to steer an aircraft carrier with a canoe paddle!

  to ALL of that @unite for individuality Every word of it!

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump: "Hey, I did hire great people, all except my vice president, secretary of state, attorney general, chief of staff, secretary of defense and UN ambassador. Otherwise it was 20:1 good."

Let's say you were to venture outside the classroom for the first time in your life to run a global private sector construction corporation.  Where would you look for staffing assistance @massadvj ?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

The great majority of comments in this thread
completely miss the point, which is -

There are close to ZERO people with ANY integrity in DC!
There are certainly FAR fewer people with any integrity
than there are jobs to be filled!

The DC Swamp systematically weeds out everyone with ANY integrity!
The DC Swamp is a PARASITE, at best!  America is the host.
The DC Swamp retains ONLY those whose loyalty is to The Swamp!
NOT to America!
The DC Swamp makes sure that
the only people they allow to accumulate any credentials and qualifications
are those who are loyal to The Swamp, and ENEMIES of America!

There are just over 4000 jobs that are filled by presidential appointment.
When President Trump was in office,
the Senate confirmed his appointments at a rate
that would complete Trump's appointments in ELEVEN years!

Expecting ANY president acting alone to clean up DC is like
trying to steer an aircraft carrier with a canoe paddle!

That's a convenient excuse for Trump's own ignorance/incompetence.  He may have the desire to get rid of the "swamp", but he never bothered educating himself, or coming up with a detailed plan of action.  That's just not who he is, and it is a fatal flaw.

Your explanation/excuse for Trump's failure also is a 100% defeatist attitude.  Because if he can't clean it up himself, and everything else is corrupt, then his second term is doomed.

Coming from outside government is a weak excuse.   A man his age aspiring to the Presidency should have a large network of capable and loyal friends, who themselves know more good, capable people.

But that ain't Trump.  Just look at the guy - who are his close friends?  Who is/was his circle of acquaintances of sharp people?  He doesn't have them because he doesn't play well with anyone except those who occupy a much lower station in life.  He loves playing the noblesse oblige role of giving stuff away to working class people, because they are no threat/competition for him.   But other alpha types, who aren't just going to play to his ego?  Nope.  Doesn't get along with them.

Forget about government and Trump's "lack of experience.". Look at the professionals with whom he surrounded himself as a private businessman.  The Mooch?  Michael Cohen??  What the hell does that say about Trump's judgment/ability to form relationships with "consigliere" types?   It doesn't exist.

Trump's personal shortcomings are what will continue to make him a terrible choice to clean out "the swamp".