You enabled him, Priebus, so cut the hypocrisy.
9
The best-selling tell-all book on the Trump presidency will be written (ghost-written) by Mr Donald Trump, sometimes in the near future.
-----
The book will be number one on all best-seller lists.
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The man will laugh at you all, one last time perceived as winner by some, certainly by himself.
-----
Then, the man will vanish into "dementia land", happy and certain that he was the best, the most-loved....
1
I've worked with untamed horse; there was never one instance where such a beautiful animal would intentionally hurt, diminish, or belittle another creature or human in order to express or establish its independence.
trump is more like a confused, self-absorbed bug.
In other words: trump, I know of untamed horses, and sir, you are no untamed horse.
13
Working for Mr. Trump, he added, was “like riding the strongest and most independent horse.”
So... being carried around willy-nilly by a stupid, untrained animal that makes a mess wherever it goes and has no business being president? I think we're all living that reality now. Thanks again, Reince and the RNC.
9
I wondered when Reince Priebus would start talking. Too bad he turns out to be just another apologist for much of Trump's behavior. I had hoped for better.
5
I object to Mr Priebus's analogy of an untamed horse. No untamed horse is as evil and devious as Mr Trump. No untamed horse spends his time figuring out ways to make rich richer, poor poorer and himself out as a King.
Mr Trump is ..... Words fail me. Prayers are inadequate. The children of Florida are right. Without action, correct action, we will see the end of our Republic. No man is that powerful. Why are there still enablers?
9
Will he or won't he bankrupt the Unites States the way he has every oendeavor of his - and will there be enough Russian money around to bail him out once again - THAT is the question!
4
Nice work. Enable a sleazy, lying huckster in trashing our federal govt. Next make lots of money off your sad and tragic role. Congratulations on your good fortune!!
4
Disorganized is the smallest problem for Trump and staff. Morality is the biggest problem. Priebus says tweeting gets them off message. But not a word on them being racist, insulting, full of lies, offensive, and divisive.
9
Poor Reince Priebus. Too naive, or too stupid, to figure the dues for joining this particular club.
Sooner or later, all them--including the (mystifyingly) revered General Kelly--will learn what their mothers surely taught them: if you swim in a sewer, you not only get covered in sewage, you swallow lots of it.
13
Mr. Priebus' admiration for his former boss is laughable considering this article. But, even after Hitler was gone, there were many people who still admired him and celebrated his birthday year after year and tried to whitewash his evil deeds with "but he helped the unemployed" and "he built the Autobahn". It seems that History repeats itself.
10
Cashing in after selling out the American people. Nice!
9
These Trump sycophants who are now trying to cash in on their stories don't garner much sympathy or respect from me. This reality TV show president and those who serve him have turned this country into a disgraceful mess.
16
Does multiply by 50 means that Stormy Daniels is just one of 49 other porn stars paid off during the election time? Mrs. Trump, the 3rd, must be very very angry. Can't wait to read her tell-all book.
8
I'm looking at all the top rated comments, and there is nothing in the ten highest rated comments thst is anything other than an emotion rant about how terrible Trump and his supporters are, with no real substance to back up those arguments.
And it's not that there isn't substance to be had. I could point out ten or fifteen distinct, objective observations of things I disagree with Trump about, and I'm a moderate conservative.
What bothers me isn't the criticism. It's the fact that only the most hyperventilating arm-waiving "LITERALLY HITLER!!1" hysterics are what actually get the upvotes in our civil discourse today.
If liberals had simply stated objective facts and criticisms about Trump, instead of "LITERALLY HITLER!!1" every time he tweeted, and a hundred upvotes for the guy Here who says all conservatives share the worst qualities liberals attribute to Trump, there would be no alt right today.
Trump is a dumpster fire, but he is only the fire. The gasoline and matches were supplied by the identity politics of the Democrats, painting everyone who disagreed with their brand of progressive corporate globalism as a racist omniphobe.
7
Like the objective facts and criticism you state? Your post is just the pot calling the kettle black.
The country it seems is hopelessly divided.
4
Chris make some good points but this one is off-mark: "The gasoline and matches were supplied by the identity politics of the Democrats, painting everyone who disagreed with their brand of progressive corporate globalism as a racist omniphobe." Fox/Limbaugh-fed identity politics, presumably meaning "race", and corporatism have become synonymous with "conservatism".
I encourage Chris and fellow center-rightists to vote against Republicans whose far-right dogma have been the predominant contributor to today's Washington. Your party had better find people like you to run for office, or it's going to be a bleak future for the GOP.
1
Trump is a fungus. Anyone who comes in contact with him is contagious for life.
10
Can't wait till his detractors all flip! Jeff Sessions, his AG, hates him, Sean Spicer hates him, Reince Priebus hates him, Jim Comey hates him, Andrew McCabe hates him, Chris Wray hates him, Mitch McConnell hates him, Steve Bannon hates him, Mike Flynn flipped, Papadopolous flipped, Carter Page flipped, Maanifort wil soon flip, Mueller has interviewed all of them plus the Russian's Don Jr. and Jared met with. Heck, if I was Mueller, despite my professional objectivity -- I'd hate Donald Trump too
!
5
If you sleep with dogs, you get fleas.
With the exception of the main military posts, no professional person should accept any top cabinet post from the ego maniac Trump. It is a black stain on their resume.
Let the career servants handle things until Trump is impeached, loses, dies from cardiac arrest or runs out his term.
5
I take exception to Priebus comparing Trump to a horse. Horses are intelligent, majestic animals. Donald J. Trump is an intellectually and morally bankrupt, monosyllabic, school yard bully in cheap Asian made suits. Priebus should apologize.
5
A "tell-all" book by slime about slime. Sorry, not interested.
4
The adjectives in this article are quaint: independent, undisciplined, tough; the accurate descriptives for our Russian sock puppet are in fact incompetent, corrupt, stupid. It's fascinating, too, how these malcontents leaving the disaster area are never concerned about what the sock puppet is doing to the country, but only what it has done to them.
4
As seen on a bumper sticker yesterday...
"When you elect a clown, expect a circus"
9
Donald Trump and every member of Congress, including Democrats, need to awaken themselves from their self-induced, narcissistic stupor and cowardly terror of the horrible NRA and pass effective laws restricting the sale and ownership of guns. And media people: Enough about tweets and White House psychodrama. We need effective legislation and enforcement to protect our children and all of us from the Second Amendment worshipers.
7
I think the word "Byzantine" should be applied to the current administration.
2
If you don't want fleas, don't sleep with dogs.
2
So, what's new? Priebus tried to destroy Hillary Clinton at every step. And now he is complaining about the very man he helped attain his goal?
Spending time and money on this garbage? No thanks. We all know how mentally unstable Trump is.
5
Why would anyone pay attention to anything that a fool and classic Republican factotum would say about anything, even if the comments are derogatory towards the sleazy, criminal Mr. Trump? Mr. Priebus has spent his working career catering to the whims of plutocrats in return for their bribes to the Republican Party. That is the extent of his experience.
5
This recounting of time in WH by Priebus is sooo boring. He's carefully not burning any GOP bridges. Not worth buying the book just for this new chapter.
4
Obviously Reince Priebus does not know that difference between “toughness “ and Mentality unstable.
2
He decided to sell his soul to the devil. We don't need to know the details.
1
We all saw Priebus throw every bit of dignity he ever might've possessed at the "Dear Leader" cabinet meeting when Trump instructed everyone at the meeting to sing praise:
"On behalf of the entire senior staff around you, Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing that you've give us to serve your agenda and the American people," Priebus said.
"And we're continuing to work very hard every day to accomplish those goals."
Priebus had lots of choices after the election, he made an awful choice to join up with this band of grifters inhabiting the White House.
Hard to feel any empathy for him now.
5
Sorry but an untamed horse is beautiful and majestic. Those are not traits I associate with PINO trump.
3
Poor Reince: Nearly 66 million people predicted this scenario and millions of others had their fingers crossed, hoping for the best, like the choice between Clinton and a narcissistic TV celebrity and oft indebted real estate mogul was a crapshoot. Now it is worse than most of us imagined, except for a mushroom-shaped cloud or two.
But let’s not forget you were chair of the RNC when your party took a hard turn toward the crazy world of Trump Land and elected this maniac. You could help make amends and join your predecessor Michael Steele to call out this circus of a presidency and convince others that the ring leader needs to be removed from office, forthwith. No, like yesterday.
4
If Priebus admires Trump's "toughness", that says far more about him than it does Trump. No need to waste money on the observations of a willfully blind man.
3
At least a wild horse has some "Horse Sense"...this Orange Highway cone has none. It is so sad that this is how far the highest and most respected office of our great democracy has fallen. Hoping this is a 1 termer...
Nothing in this news report should be "news" to anyone who paid any attention to Trump's campaign or any attention to his conduct, for years, prior to his deciding to run for president. Anyone who thought Trump had sufficient qualifications to be the president of the United States, and voted for him, was either in denial, naïve, ignorant, or . . . just plain stupid. For those, such as the Kochs, who likely think it's ok if we believe they were "crazy like a fox" because they obtain more control over government because of Trump's idiocy, there is "special place" for you, who show such a lack of respect for the country that has enabled you to become so wealthy an powerful. Time to vote to change Congress so the country can be better able to limit the damage that is all things Trump.
1
Great, a new copy of roadkill coming out for MSNBC to disembowel while I’m trying to eat my dinner.
1
Surprise, Surprise!!! The truth is finally being exposed, little by little. Too bad for Priebus, but he is simply one in a long line of casualties. I fear that the American people, all of us, will soon join the casualty list as Trump converts the USA to a Dictatorship. Just you watch !!!
1
There is no Chief of Staff brilliant or skillful enough to make an idiot and jerk like Trump into anything resembling a qualified leader. They might as well be taking about the difficulties of getting a four year-old hopped up on sugar to calmly sit still and appreciate a Caravaggio.
Priebus is simply another hypocritical self righteous toddy of the new republican conservatism. Very much like the now revered former talk show host Charlie Sykes, Priebus fostered and supported Trumpism and the like until it turned on them. Now they want to look all moral and moderate but they're liars and hypocrites all the same. Those of us in Wisconsin who knew of Priebus prior to Trump knew of his incompetence and immorality long ago. But today anything goes in the Republican Party in pursuit of its
selfish, greedy, racism, classist, and self serving goals. Priebus always was part of this and there's no way, nor should he be allowed to make amends.
1
Pretty plain and simple: Trump's a crazy man.
Reince and Repeat. SAD.
This is an insult to horses.
1
"Take everything you’ve heard and multiply it by 50!"
And yet, Mr Priebus, you stayed anyway and supported the President for as long as you could... that is until HE no longer wanted YOU.
I sure hope you were completely truthful with Mr. Mueller.
3
Not only is Trump an untamed horse. He is a horse that refuses to be trained, therefore will remain a wild animal, wrecking havoc on our government.
His unruliness causes Congress, specifically Republicans in Congress, to do nothing to rein this horse in. John Wayne they are not. The mismanaged rodeo continues.
Cynical cash-in or not, I'm glad Priebus is opening up. This is still (for now) a democracy, and the White House belongs to the people. The people ought to know what kind of crazy nonsense goes on in there under Trump.
Consider this: if the company you work for suddenly replaced your supervisor with someone who knew nothing about your business, how your company works, or demanded potentially unlawful changes in your job description; what would you do? Quitting is not an option here. You are forced to endure his/her incompetence, berating of you and your co-workers, unreasonable suspicion that you are accused of undermining your supervisor. And to top it off, you suspect your supervisor is grafting the company. You can't go to your company's top people, because they don't care about your opinions. Still you can't quit.
Now think about this president. He's appointed your country's incompetent superintendents. You can't quit. The only thing you can do is wait, and wait and get mad and madder, and wonder how do we fix this situation.
Your country's board of directors (the voters) made a huge mistake. What are you going to do now? It's not too late to start to demand changes in the upcoming election. What are you waiting for? Your country, your company, you deserve better.
1
Reince was weak! Trump knew this and exploited/berated him during his stint as Chief of Staff. Reince knew the best thing he could do was exit that mad house- why he still has "kind words" and adulation for Trump is beyond me- but proves that he is still weak.
1
So, Reince takes the blame for us having an Attorney General that wants to take us back to the 19th century...lovely.
2
Mr. Priebus,
what are you saying? Say it clearly as your accounts of six months may be a valuable lesson for GOP and his deplorable (women bashers and white nationalists) supporters. Are you saying the following?
1) Is Mr. Trump unfit to be president?
2) Does Mr. Trump understand running a real estate company is not the same as running a federal government?
3) Does Mr. Trump realize that Government does not belong to him and he is in charge of serving People not make money out of it?
4) Is Mr. Trump a constant liar?
5) Is Mr. Trump decisive on wrong political/social value detrimontal to the country?
Mr. Baker,
can you rewrite the article shedding some lights of the above that goes beyond a story behind the book?
Why would anyone with sense try to ride an untamed horse? On the other hand, horses, tamed or not, do have sense--unlike the current occupant of the oval office.
Describing Trump as an "untamed horse" implies a kind of innocence that practice and experience will alter. That is not an adequate description of Mr. Trump. I have been trying to think of another negative adjective that could be applied to him because every negative adjective I think has been used incessantly. "Untamed horse" is is NOT.
The irony.
All the hapless minions Trump felt he could wield his power upon however without worry,we little did he think that the minute the threw them under the bus, and/or they were out, loyalty would end. How ironic!
Mr. President must have slipped your mind these jokers have no longer have nothing to lose especially after their tenure and contribution in the slow demise of what was once a proud Nation.
Trump generates a lot of gossip, but the gossip does nothing to solve the problems facing our country and humanity as a species.
I suppose that's why there's so much Trump gossip swirling around.
The titillation floats us in a bubble of moral superiority that keeps us from feeling any worry about the real and difficult issues facing our country. Venal politicians inflate the bubble because it diverts attention from the factional slop trough they've made of national welfare. And the press, of course, simply has to fire up a Twitter account for new outrage to report.
How dare he capitalize on his relationship with Trump and his position with this Administration! It's shocking this sudden trip to the confessional. What will he reveal next? That Paul Ryan, Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell are fellow enablers of Trump? Or will the 11th Commandment of the Republicans prevent him from really talking about the rot within the GOP?
2
I find it interesting those who, for good or ill reasons, joined the Trump train are cashing in on the predicable outcomes. Yep, the boss was awful, mistreated his people, etc., these things were all known before they jumped onto the Trump train. Now, these folks want us to spend money to get the inside gossip. I would rather spend my money on a good cause, including making sure Trump is a one-termer.
I'm sure Mueller is reading this book today and checking it against what he already knows. We are just looking at the top of the iceberg when it comes to internal tell all books, but they all show us an infantile, petty, vindictive Resident Trump. Mueller continues to add to a mountain of information that would have been rid of any other president in a week. Trump depends on the ignorance and greed of his base to keep his squatter status in the White House.
3
Will any of Mr. Trump's supporters read this and think, "I've made a terrible mistake!"?
1
He's already out there cashing in with speaking engagements. Why not a chapter in a book, too, right?! Jeez.
So, is Sarah Huckabee Colonal Sanders going to now claim that that Priebus is also part of a vast DNC conspiracy against Trump? IN the Vanity Fair interview, Priebus mentioned that Trump - in order to publicly humiliate him - commanded Preibus to chase after a fly and swat it for him during a meeting.
What I want to know is who's being asked these days to be the royal court fly-swatter. Maybe Trump can find someone named Renfield who not only catches flies but eats them for Trump while laughing maniacally.
Good grief, November, please get here soon.
4
Rather than cashing in on after the fact tell-alls, complicit, greedy co-conspirators should be seeking to redeem themselves (and the future of the country) by shouting from the rooftops immediately upon exiting the dumpster fire that consumes and defiles our white house. In fact, if they were true patriots, they wouldn't even wait. They would resign immediately to begin fixing what's been broken.
1
The fact that Trump wanted to fire Sessions because Sessions recused himself from the the Russian investigation should tell us every thing we need to know about Trump trying to obstruct justice. We have now 3 examples of Trump trying to interfere with the investigation. One- the firing of James Comey; two - Trump's anger over Sessions recusing himself; three-Trump's anger over a Special Counsel Mueller. If Trump is not guilty of trying to obstruct Justice, I do not know who is. And he now has most of the Republicans in the House and Senate playing right into his hands by questioning Mueller's investigation.
Priebus should be glad he escaped. And of course he will be rewarded for his service by having a best seller. Lack of ethics and integrity seems to payoff for everyone in the White House and especially those who leave, like Priebus.
2
He didn't write his commentary in a new book. His tenure and interview is part of another writer's book on presidential chief of staffs. Nonetheless, It's interesting how Trump in all his infantilism can slay some of the most powerful men in the U.S.
The one thing the Trump crowd, and its associated supporters will never understand is that the government official is accountable only to the people and not the President. The AG's proper role, regardless of President would have been to recuse themselves from investigations such as this wherein they had personal stake...
I can't wait for more tell all books. Maybe a Trump voter or two will see the light of the abject failure in their decision making process.
With a 35% attrition rate in the White House within the first year of this administration, a plethora of books is bound to keep publishers burning up the presses. However, there surely can't be even one person who was willing to join 'the team' from day one who didn't know exactly what they were getting into...those that bothered to read more than their Twitter posts, anyway. They're all accountable.
1
Didn't think it possible for me to think even less of Trump. Surprise! New low. Priebus is wrong; it's not a "wild horse" we are riding, it's an express elevator to the core of the earth. The only question is, how far will Trump drag this country down, with him?
2
If you are reasonably smart, you don't take a job where you know in advance you can't be successful. All of the people who have signed on to The Trump Train have done so against their own best interests and those of the nation. In the end, they will all suffer for it in various ways, though some will enjoy momentary celebrity and get lucrative book deals. Trump has no intention of ever being tamed by the presidency, he has a life long resume of reckless business deals and, somehow, surviving long shot efforts to be "the biggest, the best". He was in many ways his own worst enemy in business and he continues, adamantly, in that pattern in the White House.
Like many, I am distressed that millions of fellow citizens don't care and cheer his every insult to decency and orderly procedure. The isn't a case of electing a jerk to be student body president because people thought it would be a good joke. This is war and peace, life and death and the struggle of our democracy to survive attacks from within and without. I can't think of a more challenging time other than the American Civil War or the Revolution against British rule.
No American patriot should support Trump in anything. The highest duty is to find a way to reel him down to earth and try to survive until the voters can send him packing or he is finally fully exposed and impeached.
3
The only thing I can say is that the portrait of the president is that of a man who has been spoiled and enabled by just about everyone around him his entire life simply because he has a lot of money. Now he has that and power. They grovel, they enable, they kiss his ring while complaining behind closed doors. All of these books reveal as much about their own spinelessness as they do about the President.
1
If Trump had listened to almost anyone, he wouldn't have won. He can't effectively communicate to the public through the media, which is hopelessly biased against him. Even Fox News is roughly 50/50 on him. Most coverage is laughable, causing many of us to find ourselves defending the almost indefensible every day. For all his faults, he knows how to use social media. Yes, he hurts himself b/c in many ways by tweeting b/c he is often says things in the dumbest way possible (even if he's right), but very often it is with people who already despise him and would not give him the time of day anyway. Meanwhile, he delights his supporters - which seem to be growing. Bannon and Conway (or others) did not win the election for him. He won it by exasperating the media and b/c the Ds put up HC, who is obviously much more competent and would be more presidential, but has her own legion of problems. I like Priebus, and he did the best he could chairing the RNC and as Chief of Staff, which Trump made almost impossible, but he hasn't won anything himself; lost his only effort. Trump won his only try. Unlike Fire and Fury, I might read his book. He has a lot more credibility.
I don't doubt his description of the goings on in the WH though.
And you and Ryan sat silently by. Reach down and see if you can still feel them.
3
I think I have reached my saturation point with the Trump White House: a revolving door of who is in and who is out seems to occur almost daily, with a childish president throwing fits if he doesn't get his way and his family and those close to him trying to calm him down or speak to his vanity. Really? This 5 year old, no a 3 year old, is the President of the United States? His White House is another type of soap opera, but sadly this isn't for entertainment but is reality.
I am tired of reading about how awful it is to work with the man. Again, REALLY?
2
Priebus was in Indianapolis yesterday talking to business leaders. He had nothing but good things to say about Trump. The Vanity Fair article excerpts give the impression that Priebus has seen the light on Trump, but evidently he has not. He's just telling a few tales, making the rounds, looking to make money from his "difficult" experience.
1
Fire and Fury. It says it all. No other book needed.
1
For Priebus the problem with Trump was his impulsivity and difficulty in taking any counsel...he was not concerned with the direction Trump was taking the country....probably he agreed with the "deal with the devil" that the GOP has made...That is...they retain power and the benefits that come with power...they can appoint conservative judges...they have lowered taxes for their wealthiest contributors...and they have dug a deficit hole so large that they will claim it needs to be filled by cutting social welfare programs...oh! also education, pollution controls etc. What a great guy...what a great team.
1
I'm deeply troubled by articles such as this. They serve to normalize or at least lessen the insidious destruction of our system of government as we've known it, as led by Trump. Staffers such as Priebus no doubt have been witnesses to criminal activity, perhaps enabling it, which makes them accomplices. I don't want to read their books or see them hosting talk shows. I want to see justice and a return to civility, integrity, and the restoration of the American Experiment we have taken for granted, until now. There are many members of Congress who will no doubt find themselves sullied or worse as a result. And you, New York Times, are diminished by allowing discussions of Trump as some sort of tough, idiosyncratic leader whose behavior is in some way how strong presidents are supposed to act. We're watching a truly anti-American villain in action, with his consiglieres profiting from his unethical behavior, just like he is. We cannot now or ever allow this to become acceptable; the risks are apparent and too great.
2
Prince Rhebus was a toady to Trump from day one and apparently still is, even after being fired. The only insights he could have offered Whipple that would have been remotely interesting were why Trump is so scared of the Russia investigation and so eager to please Putin. But he apparently never thought to ask, or even ponder, that question -- like the rest of Trump's GOP enablers.
2
The latest episode of Real White House Staffers
1
So, a sniveling enabler wants to provide insight on why even he couldn't handle the bully in the pulpit? Does anyone care about the explanations of a craven fool?
10
Donald Trump will remain the same sociopathic egomaniacal huckster till the day he dies. He will never become presidential, or responsible, and every day he is in office harms the United States further.
13
No doubt why IKEA has been able to sell so many bookcases. So many useless books whose only worth is filling up countless IKEA bookcases thereby giving each other a their sole purpose in this world. Go for it, Reince, Ingvar, RIP, will appreciate the boost in sales.
1
No doubt when prejudice includes books and Scandinavians capable of reading them, I'd refer to the alt.right fans of Truymp to be so myopic in scope and dull that they might as well get Trump to buy them an island, build a wall around it and be their king, and just leave already. Because this is, and will be, the United States of America. This will never become the Confederate States of Ignoramus, not in Trump's short term, or ever.
It's called freedom of speech. That's why his books sold in America will sell and the alt.right drivel that is fascism wouldn't. And Ikea's not doing too badly, either.
What has become repeatedly obvious to many people is that the Gangster-in-Chief behaves like he has something major and hideous to hide. As a clinical psychologist, I see things at times through that lens. So, I'd remark that the essence of this whole situation is the dangerousness of Donald Trump's behavior, clearly having plenty of the features of a mental disorder. It's a sad situation for anybody intimately connected with such people because of their toxicity. The disordered cannot help but display their pathology. And they need help, of course not of the enabling kind, but evidenced-based treatment. The unfortunate thing about Trump's case is that people like him don't see the need. Their problems are "ego syntonic" or so ingrained as to feel natural to them. The only problem they recognize is the problems that normal people have with their behavior. And the Trump types will always have their enablers and defenders, to their and others eventual harm. Several groups of Trump voters and die hard supporters (in addition to the racists among them) have included those who are so anxious, frustrated and angry as to follow him over a cliff. Another group, through their selfish schemes, will cry all the way to the bank, always thinking that more than enough money will save their soulless selves. And a third will have their reputations and careers ruined. I hope the rest of us aren't included in ruin, too.
7
“Take everything you’ve heard and multiply it by 50.”
Time to sell books, eh, Mr. Priebus?
Out of all the petty crooks serving the big crook, you were the one most often heard saying, "Nothing to see here. Move along, folks. Just business as usual in the ol' White House..."
Absolutely NO ONE tried to normalize having an out-and-out criminal running the country than "Reincy Priebus."
But now it's time to cash in - smart to get your book out quick, before all the good gossip's gone - and it was all "50 times bigger" than anyone could possibly imagine!
Yep, you're a Republican. Yep, you're a politician. Yep, you're a lick-spittle.
And now you're gonna get yours.
Thanks for your service to the country.
9
‘We’ve got a problem,’” Mr. Priebus recalled. “I responded, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘Well, we just got a special counsel and Sessions just resigned.
No. The "problem" is Traitor Trump and the D.C. sewage system that has backed up into the White House.
8
I honestly do not know what's the more appalling: Priebus' total lack of the slightest sense of responsibility for what he's aided and abetted, his poor pitiful me tone, or his closing reversion to abject toadyism.
Cripes, and the Berniacs howled endlessly about Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and the DNC.
4
Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017, that is all I need to know about him. Anything that befalls him is not a concern for me.
6
And who ran the Republican Party throughout the last election cycle? He’s your horse Mr. Priebus. All you are is the horse’s (figure it out, you political genius.)
10
How sycophantic to frame it as riding an untamed horse, a description he knows will make Trump happy.
11
"‘It really upsets me that I walk in the Oval Office and it’s like Grand Central Station,’”
More like the hardcore ward in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," General Kelly. I mean, Nurse Rached...
13
Mr Priebus meekly tried to ride the horse (actually a very weak horse) and ended up the gelding. Infinitessimal credit for the little he tried to push back the tide. Sessions, a backbench Senator to the full definition, is a predictable failure. They're both among the party (and self-interest-first) acolytes in Washington who don't represent the majority of us. And it's us that had better stand up in the mid-terms and in every election after. Only we can stop this dismantling of America.
14
"But even his detractors have to admit that he is just a tough negotiator, not an impossible obstacle to a solution." I'm a detractor and I don't have to admit anything of the sort. His first negotiation with the president of Mexico over paying for the wall was a complete bust He couldn't even talk him into coming to Washington for talks let alone commit to paying anything, and he has only succeeded in insulting several heads of state who are our allies.
17
Our president is a good bit worse than a wild horse. He is an autocratic personality, and Priebus is one of many who mistakenly thought they could control those impulses. I hope the voters can, but our current congressional representatives and advisers are not up to the task. Looking at other autocrats throughout history, this should not be a surprise.
That Priebus admires the president's "toughness" raises serious questions about his own judgement, and how insightful any book chapter he authored might be.
11
Priebus aptly sums up Trump: “The idea that he was suddenly going to accept an immediate and elaborate staff structure regulating every minute of his life was never in the cards." This one statement illustrates what the American people know as well; Trump aint presidential material. Public servants must exhibit humility and the willingness to seek the advice of experts. Trump has neither. Too bad for all of us.
10
Well, his voters wanted a different kind of President, and they certainly got one!
But I wonder how many of the successful businessmen that thought, perhaps wrongly, that he was one, too, actually run their own businesses like this . . . without order, without standard processes imposed on all their staff.
Not many, I bet.
10
Manafort/Gates trial will blow up the news cycle soon. Judge is angry about delay tactics and Gates' lawyers are withdrawing. Gates may turns state's evidence on Manafort and the Donald, and maybe that's connected to the lawyers bailing out while they're not yet halfway across the ocean. It's all related to domestic and international financial transactions that won't reflect well on the accused once they are exposed to light of day.
10
Gates spokesman was reported to be one of the four Americans killed in the January hotel bombing in Kabul. Within days thereafter his attorneys sought to withdraw. Hmmm.
Furious with Mr. Sessions for doing the right thing and furious with losing control over the investigation? Well, that sounds like the Trump I know. So much harder to lie about and conceal information when you can't control everything. Trump must spend most of the day being furious.
11
In a just world Priebus should be indicted for his being complicit in the Trump administrations many destructive actions. People like Priebus, Bannon and a host of others should not be allowed to profit off their part in the Trump disaster.
I will make a point to not buy books by guys like Priebus.
8
Who would believe that we are witnessing a real high drama soap opera in the highest office in the land?
7
All these "tell all" people simply confirm how unfit DJT is to occupy the presidency. Step 1: Vote the Republicans out in the mid-terms - stay focused.
11
The one (and possibly only) good thing that could come out of this presidency is that rational checks on presidential power, including the ability to launch nuclear weapons, might be codified into law when this national nightmare is over.
7
This is more distraction served up by current or former members of the Trump administration. This is not serious news, to be reported by a serious news agency. Instead, what should be a mainstay in the headlines are these facts: Congress approved sanctions against Russia, still have not been approved by the President, despite the fact that intelligence officials believe Russia has compromised American democracy; several Trump Administrative officials still do not have proper security clearance for classified information; DACA agreements have been reached in a bi-partisan fashion by members of Congress, but continues to be rebutted by the Trump administration. I can go on. These are serious times, which really requires serious journalism. This story is meant to distract. I am certain noone in the Trump Administration is blindsided by this.
7
Craven. Dishonest. Lickspittle. Liar. Toady. Go-fer. Suck-up. Spineless. Corrupt. Amoral. Cowardly.... All this and more comes to mind when I recall Priebus's shameless shilling for the GOP and his years of partisan playbook slandering of President Obama, let alone his fawning over Trump.
61
What would it take for you to stop perfuming them with that "GOP" branding statement?
You say all those terrible things about them, but when you end with "Grand Old Party," they just giggle. Because they know they've Luntzed you.
Despite all that he witnessed, Priebus still admires Trump and talks to him every so often.
Does Priebus ever ask himself why Trump wanted to get rid of Sessions, Omey and Mueller? Why such rage and animus?
Is it because Trump is just wildly impetuous and so unable to control his emotions that he does destructive things?
Or perhaps because Trump is trying to derail the Russia investigation.
Incurious Priebus?
24
Many individuals made a conscious decision to serve with Trump in the White House out of the allure and glitz of power and opportunity. It was neither out of a sense of idealism nor a genuine desire to make a difference - such as those staff who came in with Obama, Reagan, and Kennedy to name just a few. Trump White House staff members, and political appointees at all levels across federal agencies aligned their careers with a person who was and is morally reprehensible, belligerent, and unseemly. Of course, we must always strive for the disposition of forgiveness. We are human. Yet individuals such as Mr. Priebus, and so many others, must recognize that their personal ambition carried them so far that they have forever connected themselves to a professed leader who will go down not just as failed president, but as a man who perpetuated genuine hatred and division. They must be willing to accept the humbling consequences of their decision to do what they did rather than capitalize on 'inside stories' for gain.
20
I thought I was going to feel a bit of sympathy for Priebus in this article until I read this: "But he expressed admiration for Mr. Trump’s toughness and allowed that perhaps the president was right about Twitter."
I muttered, "Oh please" to myself and quit reading.
35
It's too bad Trump never did a stint in the military. He might have learned self-control and the value of organization and listening to the more well-informed.
12
Had Trump been inducted, bet folding money he would have been sentenced to a stay in Leavenworth before he would have gotten out of basic training...bone spurs indeed.
I hold Priebus, in his capacity as head of the RNC, as one of those most responsible for inflicting the Trump calamity on the world, the USA and a once great political party.
That he suffered through some awkward moments when groveling as Chief of Staff inspires no pity, just further contempt. All the more so that apparently, he 'still loves the guy.'
25
This is the same man who couldn't be more enthusiastic about Trump in the primaries. Did he address that in his book? The willful blindness exercised by Trump's enablers is so quickly forgotten when he turns on them. Is this lack of judgement or complicity?
11
It brings to mind the Stokholm Syndrome.
As long as Donald J. Trump is President, the White House will be dysfunctional, no matter who the Chief of Staff is.
19
"Things would have been a lot worse if it weren't for me". Classic Reince Priebus.
6
I can only hope something in this book in any small way helps rid this country of Trump, the worst scourge to affect the nation since it's founding.
5
Mr. Priebus likens our president to high-strung horse. Here's another observation:
"Observers likened him to a volcano, and only the most intrepid or recklessly curious cared to see it erupt. ...His close associates all had stories of his blood-curdling oaths, his summoning of the Almighty to loose His wrath upon some miscreant, typically followed by his own vow to hang the villain or blow him to perdition. Given his record—in duels, brawls, mutiny trials, and summary hearings—listeners had to take his vows seriously."
Sound familiar?
It's from biographer H.W. Brands' account of Andrew Jackson.
We've all read the articles regarding our president's adoration of Andrew Jackson. He's even hung a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office.
What we need to remember is our president was basically an actor on The Apprentice. He's acting like Jackson because he wants to be Jackson. But, our president is just acting. Even Mr. Priebus could get our president to back down.
Ha! Some bully, huh?
58
One was a bully and the other is both bully and coward.
2
Riding an Untamed Horse:?
What kind of title is that?
Trying to make snowflake trump look tough or wild instead of petulant and childish?
10
Traveling in Europe and I have been in several airports and train stations. Was seriously tempted to purchase Wolff's "Fire and Fury" in several languages, just for fun. The Rosenmontag Karneval Parade in Koln, viewed for several hours from the Dom was tame compared to the Dusseldorf Event. The floats were amazing, Donald Trump being sexually accosted by Putin! They loathe him....Trump and Putin.
73
It must be rewarding to be around people who enjoy stereotyping, misrepresenting, and looking down their noses at our president and the millions of your fellow citizens who support him as you do.
If only their immigration policies were as lenient and as loosely enforced as ours, you could just overstay your visa and demand to be accommodated as a citizen because it's so much better there, and sending you back here would be inhumane and xenophobic.
Good luck with that.
I'd love to have seen that. Is there a YouTube?
Chris, your Post is well written, I’ll give you that. I enjoy reading posts that make good use of the language even when I disagree with the sentiment.
Trump obviously does not know how to govern (or rule!) and counts on his faithful to do his bidding. Priebus you fell for the trap. You will have to live with that.
3
Seems to me like Trump counts on his advisors to mitigate his lack of political experience by "wrangling" him, than to sychophantically proselytize in his name.
When he describes the president like a strong and independent horse does he really mean rabid?
3
Or a broken down old wannabe bull, suffering from mad cow disease?
This is how much Trump knows about government: in his speech today regarding the tragedy and crisis in Florida, President said he's calling a meeting to include all of the "Attorney Generals"...imagine forging a functioning government with that level of stupidity. Each day is worse than before...
10
So, Reince, what was the purpose of this interview? To let us in on the fact that Trump is unfit to serve?
We already know that. Couldn't you have figured out a legal way to remove the old man from office while you were still officially (or maybe it was just nominally) serving the country?
Or are you, like Omarosa, simply hyping your upcoming tell-all?
11
Notice that Trump never does the actual face-to-face firing. If he doesn't do Twitter-firing, he has one of his minions do the dirty work. So Trump isn't this tough-as-nails executive, he just plays one on TV.
Shades of Tricky Dick Nixon! He had Haldeman do his dirty firing work for him. The only exception to that rule was when he had to fire Haldeman!
Good executives never let subordinates fire someone for them, or do their firing via social media. The suck it up and do the painful but necessary work themselves. That's called leadership.
8
Why now, Mr. Priebus? Why did this statement not come out when he was in Trump's inner sancto santorum? Oh, he is a spurned lover who got fired! Too little, too late, Mr. Prieibus.
11
"and allowed that perhaps the president was right about Twitter."
What?! This is proof that looking reasonable when compared to Trump is not an accomplishment, but rather a default. Contemplating that the president might be right about Twitter is further evidence that Priebus' judgement is questionable. Why would I take this man seriously?
8
"Take everything you've heard and multiply it by 150," Priebus said. I already think the White House is in total chaos. What is 150 times total chaos?
Meanwhile, Mr. Priebus makes money from his experience through a tell-all book, while Americans try to fend off the dire consequences of Mr. Trump as president. We are already seeing negatives effects from the ill-conceived tax bill, which is likely to stoke inflation and interest rates, while providing little for most workers.
Yes, some are getting small raises and some are getting bonuses. Bonuses don't count toward another raise, a crafty way for companies to give a little without any commitment down the road.
Meanwhile, all is chaos and Mr. Trump may have damaged the Office of the Presidency forever.
5
One-time bonus for the poor working people, however, permanent tax cuts for corporations and their bosses as well as bonuses for them (which will probably occur yearly). I guess people are happy with their one-time fling of $1,000 (if they were lucky to get that).
5
Fellow readers, please do not mistake Chris Whipple's accessible, fascinating, and well researched "The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency" with yet another trashy attempt to cash in on our nation's political crisis. The book was already well received last year when it first published and has only added a chapter about Mr. Priebus upon the imminent release of the paperback addition.
While politicians like Mr. Priebus deserve our reprobation for concealing and enabling the chaos in the White House, "The Gatekeepers" is not his book. In fact, Mr. Whipple's book, based on interviews with seventeen men who have filled what is arguably the second most powerful position in the world, provides a sound basis on which to examine the failures of Priebus and others on Trump's staff to control a person they should never have attempted to make credible in the first place. I highly recommend it.
159
Just one more data point amongst myriad accounts. Trump supporters sneer at the use of unnamed sources describing the chaos and instability Trump has injected into the White House. But these sources are consistent with the accounts of known sources who have worked for the president.
Trump's critics rightly identified the president's transition as being absolute chaos. At the time, Trump supporters and the White House swore up and down that everything was fine. Fast forward. Under questioning about its knowledge of any matter, the Trump administration routinely claims that it couldn't possibly have known what anyone was up to because of all the chaos and confusion. Indeed, Sessions may one day WISH he had just cut bait and retired rather than let Preibus drag him back into the fray. After all, the scrutiny Trump's dubious leadership has brought down upon his entire campaign and administration has become a serious reputational and legal liability for plenty of people, including the president himself.
If we're all honest and drop the conservative "P.C." nonsense about Trump being merely "unconventional," the misconduct and incompetence of Trump and his personnel is unsurprising. To paraphrase former Coach Green: "They ARE who we THOUGHT they were! We saw them during the campaign! Now if you want to crown 'em, then crown 'em... But they ARE what we THOUGHT they were!" The only question is, will we "let 'em of the hook"? #TBD
7
Yet another political apologist, banking on discourse, rebuttal, and rationality to explain past immoral, dishonest, self-interested duplicity.
However much Priebus may have hustled damage control behind the scenes, he was no naif. He knew the man, he surely understood the scope of his position.
The details of his tenure are useful for posterity, for historical analysis, but not for vindication. Too soon, Priebus, too soon.
3
What is it about these politicians that makes them think it isn't an utter disgrace that they sold their souls for a chance that Trump would serve their agenda? The rank cynicism of this way of being is utterly destructive.
Where are the public servants that actually believe that action for the greater good is a sacred duty?
6
The one thing every sane, decent American can do to remove the malignancy from their government is to vote straight Democrat in 2018 to fire his enablers in both houses. If you do that, the malignancy in the Oval office will leave on his own accord or be impeached. Even Republican strategist are exhorting their fellow GOP members to do just that so that they have a chance of saving and reviving their party.
9
Rural conservatives were just as alienated by Obama's corporate globalism and progressive identity politics as liberals are by Trump's bullying and malice.
Unless the Democrats can come up with someone who doesn't call a third of the country deplorables, clinging to their guns and religion, or other such malicious, stereotyping nonsense that would be excoriated by every rational human being if it were said to a member of a historically oppressed minority, then the malignancy you correctly point our will remain exactly where it has been festering for the last 20 years in our politics.
I'd give my left arm for a real statesman at this point. Even someone with the best qualities of Reagan and Bill Clinton would be George Washington next to the partisan garbage both parties have been selling us since Bush 43.
This tyrant Donald wants a loyalty oath from everybody in government. (Remember how he had each member of the cabinet around him blessing him and praising him??) He sees no checks or balances. The DOJ, the FBI, the CIA, should praise and protect him. He is above the law. He will pardon any and all loyal members of his circus. Yes. There will be lots of revelations in books about the perversion (on all levels) of our Democracy by the arrogance of his yes-people. However, someday this bully will be meet an end all bullies finally find.
8
Keeps,
You say "this bully will find the end all bullies find". But due to his narcissism, Trump believes, truly misunderstands, that he is America. That he is the state. If he isn't disabused of this notion and is allowed to continue to behave in this manner: this bully that goes down will be America. And because you are the worlds sole superpower, when he goes down - you may well take us all down.
3
He is another example of a ambitious man willing to do almost anything to be successful. He knows that trump is incompetent, ignorant and dangerous. He shows this in his book. Yet he still tries to make "nice' since he hopes to be back in the game.
5
What happened to that person who sat in that staged fawning round table event who used the word "blessing" to describe his working for Trump. This is the most pathetic bunch of sycophants ever assembled.
9
Wasn't that Pence, Trump's Little Lackey?
2
You are probably correct. Honestly, it's hard to keep track of this despicable display. Pence certainly has perfected his "bedroom eyes" that's for sure.
Working for Mr. Trump was “like riding the strongest and most independent horse.”
Translation: he behaves like a rabid boar.
5
It was written in English. Your "translation" is actually a reinterpretation based on your own bias, also known as a "mischaracterization".
George Washington warned us about these in the context of partisan politics during his own farewell address as our first POTUS.
"In contemplating the causes which may disturb our Union, it occurs as matter of serious concern that any ground should have been furnished for characterizing parties by geographical discriminations, Northern and Southern, Atlantic and Western; whence designing men may endeavor to excite a belief that there is a real difference of local interests and views.
One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heartburnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection."
1
I love horses. This is an insult.
“Am I going to go to war over this with the president of the United States?”
No, when you succumbed to the ranting idiot you went to war with the truth.
6
Sorry, Rance, not buying it. You and Spicer's attempts to reset your reputations after groveling before lord and master Trump for months are about as convincing as Omarosa's.
What you all are is pathetic. Your books and promotional appearances simply confirm that. Is there anything a current and/or former member of this administration won't do for money?
(Rhetorical question.)
25
Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas: Republicans in Congress and the SCOTUS and state and local governments and voters for DT and the MAGA rich who empower the rope that is hanging our democracy are all responsible for the debacle that is our present federal government.
Mueller is no Savior either, even if he interrogates DT who incriminates himself for something, the Republicans in Congress will insulate him. The military parade just before the November elections will energize T’s base and the effort to save ourselves and our children will be washed down the drain.
Our democracy, it was nice while it lasted. Learn Chinese.
12
Who knew working for an unhinged autocratic would-be dictator could be so difficult?
25
These venal types who voluntarily assumed the position of trump toadie cannot deslime themselves by resigning (or being fired), waiting a few months, then trying to put on a PR effort to distance themselves from the bed they chose to lie in. They are forever stained. They did not serve their country. They acted against the best interests of their country.
13
People serving this president aren't doing so for the good of the country. They're there because of the moment, the access to power, being on top of the heap. Priebus is no exception. And, the pay and perks are great.
9
Nothing surprising here. When a man has his own way for years and has to actually listen to people who understand the system, changing the man isn't going to happen. Eisenhower when he was president was totally frustrated at the slow pace of government after years of calling all the shots as General of the Allied forces in WWII. Add a super ego to the guy we have now and you've got the runaway horse.
5
"On behalf of the entire senior staff around you, Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing that you've given us to serve your agenda".
I wonder how a person who uttered those words to Trump has any credibility or dignity left to be worth any decent person's time to read whatever he publishes.
35
Trump's presidency was made possible by Priebus and all the others who are now complaining about him. The exaggerations, lies, misinformation, preying on people's fears and prejudices going back to Reagan, Bush, and then Gingrich - add it all up and here we are. You did this, so you have no right to complain, Reince. That this presidency would be what it is was foreseen by over half the nation, not a surprise, no revelation. I hope nobody buys his book.
18
So let me get this straight. Do any Americans believe that this is how someone would act if he had nothing to hide? If there are, no wonder he's president. Amazing.
11
Priebus was complicit in Trump's misrule. And now a book to profit from? Interesting...if not hypocritical.
9
Who cares?
Priebus and his cohorts must live forever with the consequences of their pandering to the darkest & most evil forces in America. The final consequences are yet to be seen.
Why not another look at the Electoral College? Maybe the 3,000,000+ majority should have been respected...how can we tell other nations to elect their leader--when we do not walk our own talk?
I cannot wait for the Nov. elections!!
16
Priebus hopes to sell 1000s of books multiplied by 50. He is a decent guy who was like fish out of water trying to manage an unruly egocentric mob. The job of chief of staff was way above his league and above his pay line.
1
What a galloping mess.
14
priebus needs money for legal fees, so he writes a book...and in retrospect he is probably, now, so sick of this president he wants to tell all.
3
Silly me. I thought Priebus had remained quiet since his "departure" from the WH due to some legal bar from his testimony to Mueller. Nope, turns out to be a financially motivated to make money off of this absurd debacle of a presidency. Shameless grifters, all of them.
8
The GOP deserves this mess. Reince Priebus deserves it. They supported a man who was known for his instability, insincerity, lies, oversize ego, complete inability to listen to anyone, and one whose favorite words were "You're fired". We need to fire the GOP come November.
53
Reince Priebus could have become the RNC boy wonder for getting Donald Trump the win if he knew when to declare victory, and become a highly paid talking head. Running a campaign and helping a President run a country requires completely different skills set, and any influence Priebus might have had on Trump and other Republicans completely changed when he no longer is in the position to allocate funds to their campaigns.
4
Trump promised that he would be "different" if he got elected. Well, he got elected and he is nothing if not different. So, what do you do for the next 3 years? You watch the roller-coaster that is America and hang on for the ride. It has been bumpy so far and could get worse. The "tell" will be after the 2018 mid-term elections and whether or not the Dems can wrestle control of the House or Senate from the GOP. If they are able to do that then the remnants of the GOP will quickly abandon Trump and the impeachment panel will be formed and get underway. This is just my humble prediction and I could certainly be wrong.
Priebus and Kelly could get-together and write a book about their experience as chief-of-staff for Trump. Truth is usually stranger than fiction.
7
What is being described, but not adequately explained, is an ongoing situation in which President Trump, in his policy role in the USA, and his global roles, does as he choose to, when he chooses to, notwithstanding known, knowable and unknown immediate and longer-term implications and consequences.When we move beyond the often noted mantra of governmental "checks and balances," in a reality of toxic unaccountability, by many influential individuals, and which is not a playbook for a potential blockbuster movie, it would be helpful for the media to clearly document, daily, what can be done, and by whom, to effect needed changes. To minimize as well as to prevent ongoing harms, actual unnecessary pains, as well as deaths to both individuals and systems. From local neighborhood levels, to regional and then to national levels. Waiting for the outcome of the next elections, state as well as national, in a culture enabling complacency, a lack of personal accountability, willful blindness, deafness, silence and ignorance about ongoing violations to ordinary folk, and to menschlichkeit, needs additional types of help from the media.Documenting both WHO and WHAT is "wrong" is not sufficient.What are vialbe options? Area by area! Not recipes as in your NYT cooking section.Who, where and what are the anchored, as well as new, barriers to equitable well being? What enables them, which are changeable? Who, what and where are the viable necessary bridges to mutual pro-social-help?
3
You can rig up an untamed horse with "war bridle" (bitless bridle) and make the horse do just about anything you want.
The problem with Trump is not what's on his head but what's in his head. He's mulish,rogue, and incorrigible.
The upcoming elections and Mueller will turn this president out to pasture.
13
Sounds like Priebus is trying to portray himself as some sort of hero for keeping his boss from inflicting even more permanent damage on the norms that have restrained the worst impulses of those who have governed this country since 1896, but he, and everyone who works for the Administration and keeps their mouths zipped, are complicit in the wrecking of our democracy. At least in Watergate, many of the principled people stayed on to keep the machinery of government from seizing up, but the Trump administration is so bad, qualified people we need, like Rachel Brand, do not feel patriotism trumps the likely immersion in the bath of filth anyone who works for the Tot of Trump Tower receives. Priebus, being in the middle of the things before Trump's support system gelled, could have done something by speaking out in a timely fashion. That he did not is a stain on his name and career.
11
It is the thing Trump may do in the future that worry me most.
The county is so narrowly split ferociously split Trump will will use the same tactics he is using now. Blackmail not negotiation. We face a time that Republication may have to vote for the country not their own narrow view. Yes I can see journalists and members in jail or just gone.
4
I'm amused at how so many new Trump authors spill the beans but in the same breath indicate their 'admiration' just in case there's another job opening down the line.
458
Exactly. Admiration for Trump's "toughness"? For real?
3
So true
Preibus must need money for the legal fees coming down the pike. A book also allows him to sanitize his role before Mueller's findings are submitted to the FBI. Preibus is like McGahn: a convenient recall of telling Trump not to fire Mueller.
16
Why was Trump mad about Sessions’s recusal, if he had no intention to interfere in, or for Sessions to interfere in (obstruct), the investigation?
12
those who know may testify about it...but don't hold your breath. you know, besides self incrimination, there's omerta.
lie down with dogs, get up with fleas -
with apologies this new year of fhe dog.
2
I love it when these guys try to wash off the taint.
Won't go away. It's permanent, particularly for this guy.
“like riding the strongest and most independent horse.” But he expressed admiration for Mr. Trump’s toughness and allowed that perhaps the president was right about Twitter."
OK, all that is a complement to Trump. That's a win for the man-boy, yes? Yes, he thinks he is a strong independent horse.
We are basically picking through the wreckage here. The monumental error was committed on 11.8.16. That was the firewall. Now we are in for it bad.
24
So the so-called "fake news" has been "fake" in the sense that it's been understating how broken, dysfunctional, and a threat to national security this so-called "administration" really has been.
246
Agreed. Turn up the volume to anyone who understands how dangerous this all is. Russia is attacking us and I hear only a quiet, matter-of-fact sound of alarm.
Impose those sanctions, throw out those without security clearance, and get this dangerous "administration" out of the WH! What is he hiding that Russia could use to destroy him?
2
He believes his stint was, "Like riding an untamed horse". That's ridiculous in any manner of comparison. An honest comparison would be to, "A toddler, having a continual temper tantrum." And Mr. Whipple's book, "The Gatekeepers", more aptly ,should be named, "The Babysitters", I say.
22
How uninteresting. A mediocrity telling all about a moron.
I will not buy the book.
32
I would strongly suggest nobody spend their money on books authored by Trump administration alumni. These folks sold their souls by going into the service of Mr. Trump. Don't let them reap any financial reward for so doing. Let the NY Times or other media outlets get a copy and report on any content worth knowing.
19
There's no secret joy in knowing that Trump and his enablers are miserably unhappy in the White House, and that the West Wing is fueled by chaos. The knee-jerk sense of schadenfreude evaporates when we realize the chaos -- comparing the Oval Office to Grand Central Station? -- is destroying our country and every liberty it claims to stand for.
318
Why are they "enablers" when the whole story is about how they argued to the best of their abilities to steer Trump away from his most provocative stances and actions, often losing their positions in the process?
I'll never understand the partisanship we have today. Can't we just have valid criticism based on objective facts, without invoking Godwin's Law on an hourly basis?
Reibus was and is a Republican Party hack who will remain forever on the list of collaborators with the Trump presidency. This book or 100 books written after Trump discarded him will not change that fact.
19
Trump's defining characteristic is his laziness. That's what "not disciplined" means: LAZY. Not willing to do the hard work, but instead to just do whatever you want--what is EASY--in the moment.
People confuse being active with being hard-working. Untrue. Hard work is doing the thing you are bad at; the thing you don't like to do; the thing that is difficult FOR YOU.
Trump--and the people that love him--are intellectually and morally LAZY. And I have a real problem with lazy people.
12
Not that I'm any better than anybody, and perhaps it's because I'm getting older, and my cynicism has been increasing, but when I observed and saw this Reince Preibus fellow, I thought is this the best The Republicans can do?! Very unimpressive, considering the earlier history of The Republican Party!
5
No sympathy for this smug guy, he was an enabler of Trump's.
Why only speak up now?
Like all of the others he is just trying to cash in.
8
Even an untamed horse is not evil at heart.
9
I am sure Trump loves to declare some outrageous plan to his staffers then watch them scramble around to talk him out of it like chickens with their heads cut off. He can blame them no matter what happens, undercut them, fire them at will, embarrass them publicly, toss them on the trash heap. What they get in return is the ability to write a book like Reince has here. Hope it works out for him, he has paid heavily for it.
77
In the Dictatorship that DJT wants, Priebus's book and all the other tell alls would be repressed. There will only be the "History According to 45."
Sees like you've just summed up the "tell alls" people have written about Trump or will yet write. Except the reports that will document criminal malfeasance, incompetence, and treason.
1
"Hope it works out for him, he has paid heavily for it."
We're *all* paying heavily for it...
1
Well, Mr. Priebus, you know what they say about you and the horse you rode into town with.
15
Brilliant.
3
Breathless drama with almost no substance in service of selling a book
7
The "I'm going to tell you the truth about what goes on in the Trump White House" is getting old fast. Are there no people of integrity working in the Pennsylvania Avenue Funhouse with the strength to speak truth to Don the Con and his multiple enablers?
Sorry Reince, get in line behind Omarosa, Bannon and the others tossed to the curb. You had your opportunities to raise these issues and kept quiet. And, to answer the question "Am I going to war with the President over crowd size?...the answer should have been a resounding YES!!!
14
I'm sorry, but I have zero sympathy for Priebus. None.
Trump kicked off his campaign with racism, and Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Trump has a long history of misogyny and there's a tape of Trump bragging about his success in habitually sexually assaulting women. Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Trump "University" was a racketeering fraud scheme; he has bankrupt multiple businesses and stiffed his contractors. Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Priebus saw the video of Trump mocking a disabled reporter, and explaining on The View that he would probably be dating his daughter if she weren't his daughter. Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Trump bragged that he could shoot a man on Fifth Avenue and not lose supporters, and Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Trump has an alarming affection for Putin, and Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Trump compulsively lies as a symptom of his obvious narcissism, and Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
Every newspaper in America that endorsed a Presidential candidate implored voters not to vote for Trump, and Priebus went to work for Trump anyway.
No, Mr. Priebus, you're not getting royalty money from me. You should go down in history as the enabler of a dangerous degenerate. Shame on you.
136
Ann - perfectly stated..thank you!
6
I have no pity whatsoever for any individual who aids and abets this insane administration. They deserve a lifetime of slander and disgrace for colluding in the yet unmitigated damage that Trump is doing to our nation and its institutions.
17
Several points. First, no one should buy this book. Second, the excerpts describved in your article tell us what we already know. Trump is a madman and everyone who works for him, without exception, lacks character. Every Trump flunky adores the boot on his throat.
13
At least they're *incompetent*, self-serving plutocrats. Imagine the damage they could do if they had brains or self-control or coherence.
8
Always reminds me of someone's perfect summation- malevolence tempered by incompetence.
2
Do we really need Priebus and his money grabbing tome to make it clear that the WH and POTUS are unfit and unable to run a lemonade stand - no less the Country - with nuclear weapons???
11
Priebus wants to be the next George Stephanopoulous. In a year or two they'll be a This week with Reince Priebus..probably on FOX....but Priebus you can't have the 9:00 a.m. EST time slot on Sunday...George has that.
59
It takes a special kind of spineless masochist, among other traits, first to accept a job with this administration; second, to take an apparently endless amount of pointless, sadistic abuse; and, third, to come out of it, after having been hung out to dry, still fawning over your old boss.
Well, courtiers gonna court.
13
Priebus makes Trump sound like a child.
We don't need Priebus for that, Trump does it just fine on his own.
3
Drip, drip, drip. More and more we’re going to hear about the inside stories of how things actually happened in this white nut house. For those of us who are already convinced of the true evil nature of the tiny little man in this wh, nothing is new. For others, an increasing number of thoughtful Citizens will continue to decide this administration is wholly corrup and support will continue to dwindle. He can’t survive without the support of the American citizenry.
6
Mr. Priebus has this backwards:
In Putin White House, horse rides YOU.
(apologies to Yakov Smirnoff)
16
The "untamed horse" bit is a little rich. Pit bulls don't deserve comparison. Maybe "struggling with a stegosaurus" would be more apt.
10
Trump is uncontrolled and uncontrollable. This is okay when you are running your own business because you pay for your own mistakes.
Tragically Trump is not running his own business but rather running the national government. He has no appreciation that his bull in a china shop behavior isn't cutting it.
Democrats get your act together and let's get this guy back cutting deals in Timbuktu for his next hotel where he can't do so much damage.
19
Trump has not paid for his mistakes. The Russian mob, moneylaunderers, and Putin's oligarchs have done so, making him a Russian asset.
Confusion to the US! Leftists and rightists, unite in hatred and take us all down! Confuse distract dismay, promote enmity, arm us to the teeth! Great stuff, I don't think.
4
Where are the democrats? I am so frustrated. How about simple statements repeated over and over as the republicans, do? "You said Mexico, not our taxes would pay for the wall", and "What are you hiding in your tax returns?" If these 2 were repeated daily, maybe the low informed might get a clue.
3
Trump is succeeding beyond his wildest imaginings and beyond our worst fears. He has not been held accountable for any of his myriad offenses and people forget the last one when he goes on to the next one. All you cockeyed optimists who think Mueller is going to take him down are just dreaming. Too many in Congress, corporations, and the right wing media have too much invested in him.
2
General Kelly is emerging as a cruel man who lies easily. But it appears telling lies is a prerequisite for the job of helping Trump. His coterie of kleptocrats and destroyers (thanks Kochtopus/Pence, for helping this incompetent find competence in the doing of harm), and enablers are destroying my country, and since the US is powerful, doing unimaginable damage to the whole world.
Netanyahu is just such another, his high position puts him above considering the welfare of anyone who gets in the way, and he plays to the worst in people.
"Evil, be thou my good"; the road to hell and death is easy, the return will be hard (facilis descensus averno).
We've got work to do. We can't depend on another tell-all falling at the right moment. Vigilance is the price of liberty, and we've fallen into laziness, thinking "someone else" will take care of it.
Vote!
32
I am waiting to hear that Priebus, McConnell, Ryan, and all the Senators and Reps who have stood with Trump have come to reflect on how their support for him is rapidly eroding our democracy and our norms of civility. Sadly, they seem unable or unwilling to see their role in supporting authoritarianism. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens and anyone else who is interested in keeping this democracy alive must unite in opposing Trump. It would be helpful if insiders like Priebus were willing to tell their stories, reflect on their complicity, and take a stand for the good of the country. The Republican Party of limited government, fiscal responsibility and individual freedom is already dead, destroyed from within, so what do they have to lose?
112
"McConnell, Ryan, and all the Senators and Reps who have stood with Trump have come to reflect on how their support for him is rapidly eroding our democracy and our norms of civility."
Will never happen.
3
Trump is just the front man for a Republican philosophy of governance by the rich. “Vote Republican at your peril” has been true since the Great Depression.
2
It is obvious, to all who are awake, that this trump character is NOT mentally fit to be our leader. Where is our national backbone? Did Bush and Cheney destroy what was left of it? What happened to this nation? How can we wake up in the morning and be proud to be a part of a nation whose leader we would no more hire to do our taxes, let alone run our nation? One thing is perfectly clear at this point in time, and that is we need to tighten up the qualifications for exactly who can become president. I no longer have faith in our presidential vetting system. I no longer believe that ANYONE can become president.
54
At last, Reincy, some truth. It's all believable, yet overall, unbelievable. A manchild in the Oval Office is definitely not what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
26
A Manchild in the Oval Office; sounds like a good title for a book.
13
"Mr. Priebus described a roller-coaster experience trying to impose discipline on one of the most undisciplined figures in American politics..."
I would love to see a list of (any?) other 'undisciplined figures in American politics.' It would not take long to read the list, I am sure.
11
Trump's presidential library will consist entirely of tell-all books describing the utter disaster his presidency became...and perhaps a few screeds on how we let it happen.
533
I think that a Prez who hates to read shouldn't end up with a Presidential Library! How about a giant Audio Library full of his inane tweets instead?
5
What a thought, a library devoted to someone who claims he has never read a book.
4
I think that's a great zinger, which does nothing to fix the massive divisions we have in this country over partisan politics.
Maybe the reason Trump was elected, is because we have now reached the logical conclusion of what partisan politics does to a society, and now the "winner" of our popularity contests is the person who can most effectively tear down and alienate his opponent's and disenfranchise their supporters, I stead of the person with the best ideas about how to solve problems.
As a moderate conservstive who despises Trump, my only greater fear is what you guys on the left are going to come up with in response to him, because everything since Bush 43 has been a contest over how terrible you can be towards the third of the country that's out of power.
Surely you can tell us 50 times more about the criminality of this cabal, Reince. Surely you still value the remnants of our republic enough to honor it....?
20
Would someone please remind me how Twitter has improved our lives?
41
According to Vanity Fair - "Priebus had landed back at his old Washington law firm, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP—as president."
Can we get a client list from Best & Friedrich and petition all their clients about the hiring of a man that contributed to this new normal? contributed to the crassness of our time? contributed to downfall of America in the eyes of the world? We should boycott all of Best & Friedrich clients.
36
Details about the Trump train wreck will be slowly reviled for decades - The details consistently reinforce a portrait of an insecure narcissistic and unintelligent egomaniac (among other things).
18
Slowly "reviled"? Sure, that too.
Slowly revealed IF and only if we are so fortunate to survive this onslaught. Folks need to start reconciling them to the fact that the republic is hanging by a thread. There is a very real possibility that we do not survive under our current constitution and governmental structure. There is no guarantee that it is a permanent, durable thing. "Trump" is tearing it all down.
6
One can only hope that Mr. Mueller will be revisiting Priebus' tenure as well. How anyone could come away from exposure to Trump and his brand of bullying idiocy and still not feel deep revulsion to one's bones, is a mystery.
30
It's not the revulsion that I care about, but rather it's impossible that Preibus is not fully steeped in the criminality. That's what I care about. He knows stuff. He's likely complicit.
12
Well fancy that. Another Trump-said-this, Trump-did-that tome.
The cch-chhinging of ex-White House staffers goes directly to the Book-of-the-Month Club's new collection called "Escape from 1600 Penn Ave"
11
The Reince Priebus quotes are from a book by Chris Whipple about Chiefs of Staff. Priebus has not (yet) written his tell-all book.
5
It's not "another" - this is the very first book written by a member of the administration. But yes, there will be more, but only if the republic is preserved. So hope for that.
3
Birds of a feather flock together.
22
Remember how Mr. Priebus smirked his way through the campaign? The "I know something you don't" smirk? Remember the corrupt Rudy Giuliani and other fox so-called news talking heads saying what a great leader Putin is? Remember Rudy saying there was a "surprise" coming about Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton?
The press/media failed to report fully on this. In retrospect it's not surprising because a few Robber Barons own/control the major media in OUR United States of America and belong to the same Good Old Boys' Cabal as The Con Don and Priebus. Frat boys with no social conscience that think they are the "chosen ones".
Boys - and girls who support them - WE THE PEOPLE have news for you. Wipe that smirk off your faces. WE are coming for you in the next elections and in every way necessary to rid OUR government - and civilization - of you and your operatives.
222
Yes.
13
And they are coming for those elections. They are, bizarrely, showing their hand that they are planning to steal them. So wipe that smile off your face and demand that your state guarantees free, open and fair elections. It is NOT A GIVEN.
9
Priebus is quoted as saying “No president has ever had to deal with so much so fast"
I am so tired of these exaggerated claims without proof. DJT ran on a long, long list of Day One promises in addition to hiring "the best". None happened and now they all want our sympathy, support AND votes.
176
What a ridiculous statement. He inherited a humming economy, a war that was on auto-pilot...
29
Well, no. You are confusing Priebus's claim as if it had to do with governance and the the norms of working with Congress to enact legislation for the general welfare of the country. What Priebus means is that they had to hit the ground running fast in dismantling agencies, trashing regulations and setting up scams for self-enrichment. They did deal with LOTS and LOTS of that. So give them credit where credit is due.
10
I'm thinking that Lincoln, FDR, Truman and Obama has their hands full on Day 1 and all without Twitter.
4
In hindsight, maybe it would have been best if Sessions' resignation had been accepted, if the dominoes had fallen and if Priebus had added his resignation to the list. Matters would have been brought to a head immediately. As it is we have Stormy Daniels and Rob Portman and Jared Kushner without security clearance, the frequent fliers cabinet and nobody does anything.
75
You forgot that Trump refuses to implement the directions of the other branch of government --
Sanctions against Russia.
There is something so smelly going on with this guy and Russia.
2
Donald Trump ran for president on a lark -- and then he won, having no idea what his new job entailed, or basic principles of the constitution, or understanding of the workings of government, or the moral compass to make decisions for the good of the country. (Russia? Integrity of elections?)
His staff is supposed to say, "Yes, Mr. Trump," for any request or order, and such refusal cost Mr. Priebus his job. Trump is making the presidency an extension of his family business, and frightening many Americans by his success in doing so.
116
I disagree with the latter part if your assessment. I think Trump knew the administrative part if the job and the level of politics were over his head. He picked his advisors because he knew he needed advisors that could stand up to him when it counted.
His single biggest mistake was jumping into politics too far on the fringe of the right. It was a calculated move to mobilize the base and drum up the maximum amount of disdain for Hillary Clinton, and he could never have win without saying all of the things about immigration, corporate globalism and identity politics that liberal America has been beating conservatives over the head with politically for decades. But he faces all of the same problems every partisan president has increasingly faced, which is how to lead the entire country, when your campaign was about blaming one half of the country for all the problems of the other half.
There are plenty of criticisms to be had in that, but arguing and fighting and bullying your advisors isn't the same thing as the totalitarianism the media paints it as, because in the end, Trump has been pretty good about listening to his advisors when they have effectively proven their points. The wrangling is a good analogy, because it's obvious that Trump is willful and idealistic about how he thinks things should go. But even his detractors have to admit that he is just a tough negotiator, not an impossible obstacle to a solution.
12
Chris - That's an interesting perspective but there are no facts to support it. Trump has chosen a bunch of incompetent jerks who are just as mean spirited and dishonest as he is. He's been quick to fire anyone who tried to stand up to him.
20
Name one thing that he has negotiated. On the contrary, he has shown how weak, clueless and convictionless he really is. All bully, no real bite.
14
I understand the differences of this President from most every other. Our nation, built on a system of checks and balances, doesn't seem to have contemplated an "untamed horse." Or, am I just being not patient enough?
13
You're being impatient. Checks and balances take time. The entire system is meant to go slowly, even in taming these 'wild horses.' Nixon was a wild horse. His ego got the best of him, he did something stupid, and the system caught up to him.
I believe something similar will happen to this guy. His ego will catch up to him. He will do something stupid. And the system will catch up.
I'll bet a mortgage payment that he already has done something stupid and the system is in the midst of 'catching up.'
13
The checks and balances were put in place specifically to handle this type of situation.
"I believe something similar will happen to this guy. His ego will catch up to him. He will do something stupid. And the system will catch up."
Michael Hicks - from your mouth to god's ear. I'm an atheist, but I'd be willing to pray for that.
3
Priebus was outmaneuvered by Trump from the outset, and clung onto Trump's coattails just to remain relevant. The "sign the Republican pledge" farce that played out after Trump's 2015 announcement of his candidacy proved that Priebus could not hope to rein in the eventual nominee. In the end, Priebus was just another of Trump's enablers, and will go down in history as a complicit and ineffective footnote in the demeaning of the office of President. Can you tell I have no sympathy for him?
54
Forget Priebus, you should be covering what Omarosa is saying in Big Brother Celebrity!
5
Agreed Norm. The paltry coverage of Omarosa's revelations was really disappointing. What's going on NYTimes.
1
Norm, Omarosa is a liar who, much like her former boss, will say absolutely anything to get what she wants. Sadly, even if she is telling the complete truth NOW, I wouldn't believe anything she says.
1
I appreciate that people like Priebus come forward.
It doesn't let them off the hook.
But doing the right thing after the fact is infinitely better than never doing the right thing.
253
He isn't doing the right thing. He's cashing in on his misdeeds.
8
Priebus is still a BIG fan of Trump. Read what he said about him in the Indy Star.
At all.
It matters not how excruciating the pain was OR is working in the Trump-Pence administration or White House. All those accepting jobs therein know full well that both Trump & Pence are irrational adults with absolutely no desire to change their views on anything. Therefore, a rational person would flee from such a situation whereas a deluded individual would accept a job expecting with to effect a change in the unchangeable OR further their own special goals.
13
I think they just expect people to be willing to argue their views passionately and persuasively before accepting the valid parts of differing perspectives.
@Jim - sometimes a fly-swatter is just a fly-swatter...
1
Friends, we are witnessing the modern-day version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
The movie received great critical acclaim.
The outsiders, who were once insiders, are not painting a very stable picture of what's going on within the gates of the White House.
9
Whether you consider it "stable" or not depends on your perspective.
I think it's funny how some of Trump's critics say he surrounds himself with sycophantic yes men, and then criticize his administration for being a den of unstable chaos.
Trump's supporters could argue that Trump is inviting a wide range of opinions from hardcore conservstives to moderates, and asking them to simply argue their own side of the issues so that Trump can make executive decisions knowing as broad of a range of perspectives as possible. It seems like a certain level of discord and arguing at such a high level could be not only healthy, but desirable.
All we can do is speculate considering we are all getting little more than a rehash of one perspective out of all those that are shared, which is filtered and curated even further by the editing staff of The Times through this article.
Whether you support Trump, or support his impeachment and public execution, the reasonable thing to do is to think about how any executive leadership situation would or should be handled, then compare that to whatever objective facts can be gleaned from the sentlsationalozed headlines and news articles we read from all sides of the political spectrum.
Lots of healthy criticism can be had of Trump's administration from that objective standpoint. But it's also a lot more boring than Game if Thrones, so the media sadly can't generate as much "buzz" from that approach, even though it would probably save our country.
Chris - Moderates? Where on earth are you getting this from?
3
From outside the perspective of partisan politics.
If you want to say "slightly more moderate conservatives", or "slightly less insane horrible crazy people" based on your own perspective, don't let my semantics over one word prevent you from digesting the overall intent. That's a very bad habit in the civil discourse, citizen. It prevents understanding that should otherwise be possible to create between people.
WE keep talking about Trump as an outlier.
Unfortunately he isn't an outlier.
He squarely represents the majority of republicans--about a third of the country.
Our problem isn't with Trump. The problem is with our neighbors.
114
So what allows one third of the country to control everything? Time to revisit some of the rules and structures we have created?
3
As a moderate from a strongly conservative political socialization, I implore my more liberal fellow citizens to look at Lkf's statement here as the prime example of what not to do.
The sad convenience of party politics, is that it is much easier to win an election by finding fault with one's opponents and assassinating their human character, than is is to elevate one's self on the merits of their own ideas. We all understand this, and we even accept it as a reality, simply because this prisoner's delimma we find ourselves in requires us to fight the dirty tricks of the other side with fire of our own.
Few people really believe that this is how our politics SHOULD work, but even fewer among us see any way of avoiding this dynamic in the current context of our politics.
But what we CAN do in our society, is resist the urge to stereotype entire subcultures, literally a hundred million of our fellow citizens the way Lkf does here, by turning that same fault finding and misrepresentation on the entirety of the populace that supports one side over the other.
As a conservative, I have values and beliefs about various economic and social issues and how best to approach the problems we have in society. I will fight and argue for my right to live by the rules I think are best.
But I will also fight for the rights of others to live by their rules where they live. My ideas may not be inferior, but they aren't necessarily better for everyone.
Solving problems is not a team sport.
Priebus "expressed admiration for his (Trump's) toughness". That anyone mistakes Trump's crude, undisciplined, childish stubbornness for "toughness" disqualifies that person from being an objective observer.
421
Right. He's so tough he needs helicopter supporters swooping down to protect his every move! I always suspected we could have a cult of personality in this country but to have one over THIS person is beyond comprehension. And if supporters support him BECAUSE he offends us then what kind of people are they? What kind of people would do this to our country out of spite?
24
I guess a number of "tell-all" books will appear in the next several years. They will be interesting reading. I wonder if no. 45 plans to sue each author for something... libel, fraud, breach of confidentiality, etc. Eventually we'll read the full picture, the full history of this administration from the inside. It won't be pretty.
313
I don’t think there’s going to be a need for tell-all books. This administration is completely transparent with its wretchedness. Pornstars, wanna be nazis, goofy deficit spending, evangelical hucksters, collusion with foreign powers, an unending real-time reality show.
42
I'm waiting for Melania's book, all about her life with her ex-husband.
27
Hopefully it will be difficult for him to sue anyone from his federal prison cell.
7
I'm sure there's more to it than Priebus accepted the job and stayed as long as he possibly could for money and power. There must be.....
8
Please don't say, "Riding an untamed horse." It makes it sound like you are calling trump a wild stallion, which he will take as a compliment.
33
Riding an untamed mule might be better, no offence to mules of course. Or how about an untamed Mueller? Let's hope so.
9
Perhaps not tameable would be a better description.
2
Even better!!
If this is true, Preibus did the country a complete disservice by protecting Trump instead of the country.
Trump needs to fall on his face, and others need to step away from protecting him. It would be for the good of the country.
114
I have no sympathy for anyone staying in the trump White House. They know trump is incapable of fulfilling the requirements of the Office and yet they enable him.
119
This is a frightening account of the behavior of Mr.Trump.It illustrates more vividly than any other that Mr. Trump is an egomaniac who spends no time pondering foreign and domestic policy and has no concern for the constitution.Mr.Ryan and Mr.McConnell should take their responsibilities seriously and insist to the president that he is not only hurting the reputation of the Country but that of the Republican Party.This behavior in the Oval Office needs to cease because the turnover of staff there means that the Executive branch of the government is broken.
18
I think a strong and independent horse would be more competent than Trump. Too bad Mr Ed isn't still alive.
97
Trump did call himself a stable genius. Mr. Ed came to mind when I heard that.
15
Reince Priebus suffers from Stockholm Syndrome as I sudsect many in the White House do. This is a good example where the closer one is to the situation the less accurate one's vision. Like holding a pewspaper too close and trying to read it. To any sane person looking from a distance this is a psychotic dangerous president. To their everlasting shame these sycophants have done nothing to protect the USA, just Trump.
31
Working for Nero must have been like this a couple thousand years ago - minus the tweeting. We know how that worked out.
25
So, after selling his soul for a short stint at the White House, Mr. Priebus is now trying to cash in by writing a tell-all book about terrible his boss was--the one he abetted for months? I'll spend my money on something else, thanks.
764
A donation to the poor, environmental activist of the DNC would be a good use.
To be fair, Priebus did not write the book, he is simply quoted by the author of the book.
2
Priebus didn't write the book but it seems clear he both wants to cash in, and also get another position in the Trump WH. Said Sen. Orrin Hatch (who has received the most money from lobbyists of any Senator): "He wants to get out and make some money for a change,” Hatch said, adding, “I think that’s a nice goal.”
"Reince Preibus Cashes in On His White House Trauma"
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/reince-priebus-cashes-out
Is this more proof of obstruction of justice? It seems to show that the President was upset Mr. Session had not given in to the "Loyalty Pledge" necessary with this President. And, it confirms all the stories the NYT and others have already published.
12
I hope that social-scientist are closely recording what those closest to Trump say is their experience and then how they coninue to praise him. Historians (pro and am) never stop wondering how/why people follow despots, dictators, fascists. we still ask 'how could they not know?' Priebus, etal, will help us learn that they DO know, they just have a mind set that force and power and even old-world biblical 'smote them' really is the only way to make 'us' behave, conform, for the betterment of....other made up 'traditions'. watch them defend the made up tradition of war and death profiteers in the face of more children being murdered in their school. when you see your grandchildren decide which is more important them or some rhetorical 'tradition.' today, you must also SEE that Trump, etal, will do nothing to help them thrive in our 'new america'. They know and it's not that they don't 'care', they think its what some ghosts of america's past wanted our country to be in the first place. we must fight the war profiteers and merchants of death- for-profit as the same brave and bold tradition of America - Quakers and abolitionists - fighting gun manufacturers and their lobby group, the NRA, is as big a political fight as that. these people currently on the front line everyday fighting the 'culture of guns/death' will be our new 'history' that will be written in text books for the next generation to be inspired by. if all you can do is email your Cong'mem DO IT TODAY.
6
Priebus was ok with it while it was going on.
25
I long for the day when Trump will walk out, or be thrown out, of his office in disgrace.
41
Here we go again; another account of lunatics on the loose in the White House, which will be followed by a Twitter storm of denials that will hypnotize the media for days. This is what our so-called government has become; it's sickening.
Meanwhile, it's another day, another mass shooting in our depraved, gun-crazy country; 17 more kids who won't make it to their high-school graduation, and all we'll get is "thoughts and prayers" and a blame game by the firearm fetishists.
We ought to replace the flag as our national symbol by an AR-15 and a double cheeseburger and just call it a day.
64
I'm hoping that all of the high school students who have had to live in fear of these mass shootings will go to the polls when they turn 18 and remember which party flooded our country with guns.
8
Revisionists ( there are so many including this one ) that have left the orbit of this administration ( in disgrace\fired or ''left of their own accord ) have ALL one simple flaw that they cannot write away.
That is they ALL put party over country by working for a man that ON TAPE declared that he had sexually assaulted multiple women. ( there are still a dozen lawsuits in the works and countless ''agreements'' that are public record )
That disqualifies ALL of them and the man they worked for.
178
as i read these comments, suddenly i recall that day when trump invited the press in to cover the cabinet sitting around him lauding and blessing him...priebus was the most sickening of all.
6
A leader is not an individual; a leader is a team. Trump is filling an overflowing swamp of incompetent sycophants which allow him to function as an individual, not a team/leader.
44
You're writing a book and want to make money off the backs of the people and country that are being destroyed by your party and your president that you served? It would take me hours to list the damage that has been done in just one year by this administration. What is your responsibility?
186
Comparing Trump to a horse is an insult to horses.
294
"Trump" insults everything under the sun.
6
It would be an even worse insult to mules, which are even more intelligent than horses - at least about refusing to do stupid things!
4
Depends on which end of the horse. There's horse sense and then there's...
To borrow a phrase from Mr. Preibus, if you want to know the damage this presidency is doing to our nation, take all your worst fears and multiply them by 50.
330
Another gem for Trump's presidential library.
Reince is a swamp dweller, now willing to hawk for some shillings to prolong his 'flame'and 'fame'.
30
add in his "not my fault" excuses
6
And why is he trying to make money off the back of this epic disaster he helped to create? Who'd hire him after his role in all this? He's a pariah as the rest of trump's enablers and members of Congress will be when this mess they've made comes to some end.
8
"Who'd hire him (Priebus)? Half the lobby firms and law firms in DC. That's how it works.
2
Oh, Shades of Putin!
".... like riding the strongest and most independent horse..."!!!!!
Oh, my. That took my breath away! Such an image!
Enough with people "bolting" and "dragging" and re-hashing the SIZE of the crowds.
There's over a hundred in that White House that have no full security clearance.
None of us can keep track of the lies, or the lies about the lies.
This is becoming very simple: Trump is an enemy agent. The only question left is: Is he a "Useful Idiot" or is he an active and overt agent.
Nope, no answers here. Priebus was only another enabler.... just like Kelly.
I mourn the passing of the United States of America.
It was sold for so little.
370
The American people can restore some "normalcy" to our government by voting every single republican out of office in 2018.
6
And rejecting the GOP should by now be a permanent but unneeded message. Why do we have to offer it every two and four years? What we need is a more genuinely progressive party Left of the Dems.
1
ok, I am a bit confused. Is this piece about a spoiled unruly child or the president of the United States?
36
There's a difference?
22
Fire and fury? More like hell and damnation.
But sorry boys, you brought it on yourself by agreeing to work for the man.
The American people were sold a bill of goods -- looking out for the middle class (the rich can take care of themselves), saving American jobs, huge investments in infrastructure to put Americans back to work, no cuts to Social Security or Medicare, bringing _competence_ back and getting lobbyists out of Washington, etc. etc. -- all lies that the Trump told to get elected.
But the people closest to him, especially men like Priebus who had a front row seat in the Republican party, surely knew the truth. And they chose to work for him anyway. Sad, as their boss would say.
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Mustn't leave out the whopper about Mexico paying for the wall.
7
How could I forget!
The American people were sold a bill of goods?????? More like the American people are naive as all get out, and refused to see the reality of the ignoramus they elected. Oh, wait, the electoral college elected ... not the people. The majority of PEOPLE did not vote for him. We saw the bill of goods ahead of time, thank you very much.
It’s a bit late to have regrets Reince. You and all the other toadies are complicit in all of this. What are you going to do about?
432
Write a book and make money any way you can. That's the D.C. game.
10
I didn't hear any regrets in this article. Perhaps in the book? He just talks here about how hard it was to work for the "strong independent" and stupid horse. I love the part about Grand Central Station. What else could Trump want? He can't read, so he might as well hang out with a crowd around so he can remain distracted from facts, truth or rational thought.
6