The Business Of The Presidency/the Presidency Of The Business
Historians reconstructing the Trump years will need to work long and deep to understand the unprecedented nature of a business presidency, said Jonathan Karp, chief executive officer of Simon & Schuster, who edited the memoirs of Senate legends Edward M. Kennedy and John McCain and oversaw publication of Bolton’s book.
Unfortunately, those writers will get less of a head start from daily journalism than ideally would be the case. Trump was elected president on the strength of his self-proclaimed business mastery. But he reneged on his 2016 pledge to release his taxes, as every presidential nominee in the modern era has done. The New York Times has done landmark projects on the Trump familys tax history, and the presidents long and complex relationship with Deutsche Bank.
But questions swirl about the exact size of Trumps fortune and whether the reality matches Trumps claims the nature of the familys past and current business dealings overseas the extent to which foreign interests seek to influence Trump through favorable dealings with his holdings or those of family members the degree to which his hotels and other business operations have reaped enhanced revenue because of Trumps presidency. For historical context, consider that Bill Clinton was investigated by an independent prosecutor for most of his presidency over comparatively small business dealings that took place a decade or more before he came to Washington.
When The Documents Speak
The modern presidency keeps a lot of records, which is why modern presidents have often worked hard to keep those records secret as long as possible. When they do open up, they tell stories. The journalist Richard Reeves used them from the Kennedy years to write a book reconstructing in sometimes minute-by-minute detail key days of JFKs presidency.
When supplemented with oral histories, or contemporaneous journals there are lots of stories the documents might tell even if Trump wishes they never get told.
Who does Trump meet with and talk to on the phone? This might illuminate one of the major stories of the Trump years, which is the real relationships between an anti-establishment president with many establishment Republicans and corporate leaders who either publicly or privately profess to loathe him.
What is the role of Vice President Mike Pence, who never conveys anything but unqualified support for Trump, and what can we learn about his real views and how he put them into practice?
Did senior officials who have made clear they regard Trump as erratic ever take steps that we dont currently know about to implement the 25th Amendment challenging his fitness for office?
Have we come closer than is currently known to an impulsive military action?
Recommendations For A Future Administration To Hold The Trump Administration Accountable
It is critical that steps be taken to restore the rule of law after the Trump administrations sustained attack on it. To do so, there must be accountability for the many corrupt and, at times, illegal, actions taken that strike at the heart of American democracy and the legal system. Where laws have been broken, this will require investigation and, potentially, prosecution. In other cases in which agency rules are violated, administrative sanctions or other corrective actions may be the appropriate response. To look the other way with respect to the actions of the Trump administration would mean that the rule of law is not a constant, but rather that it only exists for certain administrations and for certain peoplewhich is to say that it does not exist at all.
Ensuring accountability has historical precedent. Take the Watergate scandal: While many people focus on President Gerald Fords pardon of Richard Nixon, that pardon did not mean that others in the administration were not held to account. Nixons former chief of staff, former chief domestic policy adviser, and former attorney general, among others, were tried and convicted after Nixons pardon.50 All told, nearly 50 people were convicted or pleaded guilty as a result of Watergate.51
Read Also: Buy Trump Shirt
Trump Administration Corruption Is Continual Unapologetic And Escalating
Corruption in the Trump administration is notable both for its breadth and depth. In some cases, these actions violate laws. In other situations, they may be contrary to ethical requirements, agency rules and regulations, or long-standing norms.
Efforts to undermine the rule of law began almost from the start of the administration, as President Trump and his allies worked hard to cover up their engagement with Russia during the 2016 campaign. Trumps national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his discussions with Russia.12 Trumps longtime lawyer Michael Cohen lied to congressional investigators about Trumps ties to Russia.13 His campaign manager, Paul Manafort, lied to the FBI about interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a man suspected of having ties to Russian intelligence.14 Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with a Russia-linked operative named Joseph Mifsud.15 And longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone lied to Congress about the Trump campaigns efforts to coordinate with WikiLeaks.16
The Trump administration has also shown no remorse for its actions. Instead, it has simply escalated them time and time again. The day after Mueller testified about Trump and his close associates myriad abuses and illegal actions, the president held a call with Ukraines president to try to extort him into interfering in U.S. electoral processes.
Possibly Getting Banned From Fox News
On September 24, Politico shed some light on the curious lack of Giuliani commentary in the lead up to 9/11. He reportedly learned on the eve of the anniversary that hes been secretly banned from the network for the last three months. Per Playbook:
Giuliani was slated to appear on Fox & Friends to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack. But the night before, host PETE HEGSETH called Giuliani to say hed been cut from the show and apologize.
The ban extends not just to GIULIANI, but also to his son ANDREW, who has not been on Fox News since he launched his campaign for governor of New York in May despite many requests to go on the network. His team has been frustrated that rival GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. LEE ZELDIN is a frequent guest.
But bookers have told both Giulianis the ban comes from the top, sources said. The former New York City mayor had been a fixture on the network.
A source said Giuliani is really hurt, as he helped get Fox News on New York Citys cable provider when it first launched in the mid-90s.
A Fox News spokesperson denied that Rudy Giuliani was ever scheduled to appear on Fox & Friends on September 11, and declined to comment on whether he is banned from appearing on the network. They also noted that Andrew Giuliani has appeared on the network multiple times since he announced his run for governor.
You May Like: Was Melania Trump A Prostitute
Npr: Nra Called Members ‘hillbillies’ And ‘fruitcakes’ In Recording
Donald Trump is acting like an ex-President with a constitutional crime to hide as the cover-up of his assault on democracy gathers pace alongside his political comeback.
Insisting That He Doesnt Have A Drinking Problem
It seems Giuliani gave NBC New York far more than they could have hoped for when they asked to interview him last month at the World Trade Center Memorial. The resulting piece is exquisite I wish I could send it to my past self as I was cranking out blog posts analyzing the viability of a Giuliani presidential bid.
Highlights include:
- Giuliani saying hes aware that people think hes gone off the rails in recent years, but in reality, whats happened is, our country has gone off the rails!
- Giuliani declaring that the Feds can torture me all they want. They can put me in prison. Could he be resigning himself to the privilege of being incarcerated for Trump, as Michael Cohen put it?
- Giuiliani denying reports that a drinking problem is to blame for the shift away from his Americas Mayor persona, and that hes talked to reporters while inebriated. I dont think Ive ever done an interview drunk. I mean, I drink normally. I like Scotch, I drink Scotch, he said. Im not an alcoholic. Im a functioning I probably function more effectively than 90 percent of the population.
Recommended Reading: How Much Does It Cost To Stay At Trump Hotel
Jared Founded The Abraham Accords Institute For Peace
The program, which hopes to cultivate trade and tourism between countries in the Middle East like Morocco, Sudan, Israel, and Bahrain, was mostly well-received. It was a historic step in the right direction for promoting Israeli-Arab peace.
On a public Instagram post in May, she stated: getting fully vaccinated is the best way to end this pandemic and protect ourselves and one another with a red heart emoji. Ivanka has taken the pro-vaccine side of the issue splitting many Americans today. Perhaps her choice to get the vaccine will affect others opinions on the jab themselves.
What Ever Happened To Donald Trump
Just months after leaving office, the former president has all but disappeared.
About the author: David A. Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic.
The president was insistent as he left office: Were not going anywhere. It had been a turbulent end of the presidencyimpeachment, appalling pardons, and a lengthy dispute over the outcome of the presidential electionbut he knew that he had a devoted following, and he had every intention to remain a force in politics. And not just him: His family was eager to cash in on his electoral success, too. Usually a former president laid low for a while after leaving office. He wasnt going to do that. Hed remain a political force, and the dominant figure in his party.
But the plan didnt go well. The president sat at his new homehe had decamped from his longtime home stateguzzling Diet Cokes and calling friends to rage about how unfairly hed been treated and complain about overzealous prosecutors. You get tired of listening to it, one friend confessed.
The year was 2001, and the former president was Bill Clinton. When a president leaves office we expect him to disappear for a while, cede the stage to the new guy, give us some time to forget why we werent so sorry to see him go, Time intoned.
Recommended Reading: Cost To Stay At Trump Hotel
Has Donald Trump Been To New York Since Ending His Presidency
Trump was seen leaving Trump Tower in Manhattan in the afternoon after spending two days to look under the hood of his family company that is under investigation by state prosecutors, The Daily Mail reported.
The 45th president had arrived at Trump Tower the night of March 7, with Security Service and New York Police Department personnel and was not spotted again until he departed on Tuesday.
It marked the first time Trump has visited New York City since he left the White House and moved to Florida.
On March 9, Secret Service and NYPD vehicles parked around the building as Trump waved to fans that gathered near his car.
Trumps son Donald Trump Jr trailed his father and got into another vehicle in the motorcade.
A source told the New York Daily News that Trump wanted to re-familiarize with the Trump Organization and his various business interests since returning to civilian life.
“Hes quite curious about his businesses and his employees, his organization, and is eager to look under the hood,” the source told the newspaper.
“Hes not entirely sure of the role he will play, but he misses it, for sure.”
Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance and New York state attorney general Letitia James have active investigations into Trumps business dealings.
Losing His Law Licenses
This summer Giulianis law license was temporarily suspended in New York and then D.C. over lies he told as part of his effort to steal the 2020 election for Trump, conduct that an appellate court said represented an immediate threat to the public. The New York State appellate court concluded that Giuliani communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as President Trumps personal lawyer, and these false statements were made to improperly bolster respondents narrative that due to widespread voter fraud, victory in the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from his client.
Giuliani now faces a formal disciplinary hearing, a process that could take months. While the court warned that permanent sanctions are likely, his attorneys said, We believe that once the issues are fully explored at a hearing Mr. Giuliani will be reinstated as a valued member of the legal profession that he has served so well in his many capacities for so many years.
The former mayor was characteristically less tactful in his response, telling radio station WABC-AM, The bar association should give me an award I defended an unpopular client. Ive been threatened with death. Ive had a good deal of my income taken away. Ive lost friends over it.
This is happening to shut me up, he added. They want Giuliani quiet.
You May Like: Does Trump Give His Salary To Charity
The Real Inner Circle
On different occasions, people close to Trump in an official sense have been described in books or journalistic accounts referring to their boss as an idiot , a moron, , like an 11-year-old child with an understanding of world affairs akin to a fifth- or sixth-grader .
But heres who you have not heard spilling secrets about Trump: Ex-spouses, or children, or other people who love Trump or once loved him, or even people like household staff who had occasion to observe him in an intimate settings
Washington Post writer Mary Jordan this month published The Art of Her Deal, on Melania Trump. The book came with a noteworthy scoop: That the first lady had renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with the president after his election.
But the book also underscored how little is understood about Trumps most personal relationships and their dynamics, and what Trump is genuinely like when hes not on television or Twitter. We know that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kusher are influential, of course, but have insight into barely a fraction of their interactions with the president.
Silence rarely lasts forever, especially once a president is out of office or is deceased, and these recollections promise to be a rich vein for understanding a president who is startlingly transparent about some aspects of his psychology and unnervingly opaque about others.
