What His Co-Workers Say
Probably the only sustainable critique of Kamala Harris is that people feel they don’t know her well. That may be a problem, but it’s also pretty standard, considering that she is the Vice President, and, understandably, she has been a little under the radar in that role.
However, the problem with Trump is that we have had at least eight to ten years to get to know him, and, just like the people he has worked with, we know him too well. Once someone is not loyal to him, he dismisses them like they never existed. But we must remember that he hired and, at one time, praised all of the people below, who now sharply criticize his leadership and fitness for office.
His shortcomings are easy to see, even though some of his supporters choose to ignore them outright. He is a serial liar and a malignant narcissist, and he doesn’t even understand simple things like Tariffs and what they do to the economy. 200 notable Republicans endorsed Kamala Harris, but no former president or his vice president supported his reelection.
The comments below are just a sampling of the people who worked closely with him, respected his policies, and eventually discovered his true nature, especially during his final days in office. They are all adamant that he should never be close to the Oval Office again.
His vice president, Mike Pence: “The American people deserve to know that President Trump asked me to put him over my oath to the Constitution. … Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
His second attorney general, Bill Barr: “Someone who engaged in that kind of bullying about a process that is fundamental to our system and to our self-government shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.”
His first secretary of defense, James Mattis: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.”
His second secretary of defense, Mark Esper: “I think he’s unfit for office. … He puts himself before the country. His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.”
His chairman of the joint chiefs, retired Gen. Mark Milley, seemed to invoke Trump: “We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that is America – and we’re willing to die to protect it.”
His first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson: “(Trump’s) understanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of US history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking about this.”
His first ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley: “He used to be good on foreign policy and now he has started to walk it back and get weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine. A terrible thing happened on January 6 and he called it a beautiful day.”
His presidential transition vice-chairman, Chris Christie: “Someone who I would argue now is just out for himself.”
His second national security adviser, HR McMaster: “We saw the absence of leadership, really anti-leadership, and what that can do to our country.”
His third national security adviser, John Bolton: “I believe (foreign leaders) think he is a laughing fool.”
His second chief of staff, John Kelly: “A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”
His former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who resigned as US special envoy to Ireland after January 6, 2021: “I quit because I think he failed at being the president when we needed him to be that.”
One of his many former communications directors, Anthony Scaramucci: “He is the domestic terrorist of the 21st century.”
Another former communications director, Stephanie Grisham: “I am terrified of him running in 2024.”
His secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, who resigned after January 6: “When I saw what was happening on January 6 and didn’t see the president step in and do what he could have done to turn it back or slow it down or really address the situation, it was just obvious to me that I couldn’t continue.”
His secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao, who resigned after January 6: “At a particular point the events were such that it was impossible for me to continue, given my personal values and my philosophy.
His first secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer: “…the president has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices.”
His first homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert: “The President undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.”
His former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen: “Donald’s an idiot.”
His White House lawyer, Ty Cobb: “Trump relentlessly puts forth claims that are not true.”
A former director of strategic communications, Alyssa Farah Griffin, who is now a CNN political commentator: “We can stand by the policies, but at this point we cannot stand by the man.”
A top aide in charge of his outreach to African Americans, Omarosa Manigault Newman: “Donald Trump, who would attack civil rights icons and professional athletes, who would go after grieving black widows, who would say there were good people on both sides, who endorsed an accused child molester; Donald Trump, and his decisions and his behavior, was harming the country. I could no longer be a part of this madness.”
A former deputy press secretary, Sarah Matthews, who resigned after January 6: “I thought that he did do a lot of good during his four years. I think that his actions on January 6 and the lead-up to it, the way that he’s acted in the aftermath, and his continuation of pushing this lie that the election is stolen has made him wholly unfit to hold office ever again.”
His final chief of staff’s aide, Cassidy Hutchinson: “I think that Donald Trump is the gravest threat we will face to our democracy in our lifetime, and potentially in American history.”
People on the same team tend to give their leader the benefit of the doubt, so it is understandable why some of these people followed Trump and went along with his shenanigans for a while but ultimately had to admit there were things more important than their employer loyalty. When they separated, he quickly dismissed them and attacked their character, never stopping to evaluate the claims and examine his life.
Thus, he continues with his false narrative about himself, attacking everyone who doesn’t support him without remorse.
The criticisms seem to fall into a few categories, which I will attempt to elaborate upon briefly.
- He puts himself over the Constitution. Several of his inner circle said this, but some say he even has contempt for the Constitution. This is unacceptable in a situation where his entire job is based on pledging to protect the Constitution of the United States. He never understood his job description and did not fulfill it in his first term. Evidence points to the fact that he doesn’t intend to fulfill his obligation except to do whatever is best for himself.
- He bullies people. We all can picture the young boy on the playground who has low self-esteem and is sad inside, who has to dominate people around him to make himself feel better. I love what Kamala says: ” It’s not about who you can beat down; it’s about who you can lift up.” He may never understand this point.
- He divides people. We have all worked at places where our coworkers had differences of opinion and disagreements. But the best leaders bring people together, not the ones who stoke the fires of division.
- His understanding is limited. There are a thousand things we could talk about in this area, such as his claim to be the president who has done the most for black people, yet it is apparent that he doesn’t understand most of their issues. He claims to be a good businessman even though many of his businesses have failed, and he doesn’t seem to understand simple things like how tariffs affect the economy.
- January 6th was terrible, and we can’t forget it. Not only did he incite and encourage the insurrection upon his government, but he failed to respond when his followers became violent as he watched it on TV. He has never shown any remorse or apologized for any of the terrible things he has done. How can Christians be fans of a man who refuses to admit that he did anything wrong or never repents?
- His fellow Republicans are terrified. Now that we know what kind of person he is, his fellow constituents are afraid to speak up because that means they will lose their position of power, so they speak softly about it but not in any public way that would cause anything to change around this candidate.
I know that many have awakened to Donald Trump’s reality. Some speak up even at a significant cost to themselves and their reputation. Others actively persuade others to wake up and act before it’s too late.
In 2016, I remember saying, “Well, let’s give him a chance. He was a businessman, and maybe he could do something with our economy.” Fortunately, I woke up rather quickly and realized this was a little boy trying to make up for something in his past with no real ability to lead meaningfully. His ineptness became even more pronounced as he tried to cover it up with bravado, attacks, and temper tantrums.
Please wake up and reject this wanna-be dictator. The Republican Party needs to recover and rebuild into something better than the personal party of this narcissistic, pathological liar.
Please do the thing that is best for ALL of us!
Karl Forehand
Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning Forward, Apparent Faith: What Fatherhood Taught Me About the Father’s Heart, The Tea Shop and Being: A Journey Toward Presence and Authenticity. He is the creator of The Desert Sanctuary podcast and community. He is married to his wife Laura of 35 years and has one dog named Winston. He has three children that are grown. You can read more about the author here.
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