What can I say other then: " goes around comes around".
TRUMP: “I love WikiLeaks.”
Oct 10, 2016: Trump’s speech at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Trump loves leaks when it helps him, he’s a hypocrite.
5
He acts and behaves exactly how Joseph Stalin did. A brute with no sense of governing, but full of personal vendettas and a pathologically paranoid man. And he is hellbent to undo our democratic institutions like the independent judiciary and the free press (press that is not under state control even if it is a corporate entity) so that he can unleash his whole fury on those who don't worship him. I am from Eastern Europe, I grew up in this kind of muck, this moral and intellectual void, and I imagined I escaped pathologically narcisstic, brutish primitive state leaders by coming to the USA, the beacon of statesmanship and democracy democracy...
4
When do we fully acknowledge that he is mentally ill and absolutely unfit for office. Or any job. And to be around human beings. Anywhere.
5
During the campaign he pushed the ‘fake news’ angle. I said then that he was using the media as a foil for his duplicity. I am so sorry to be right. I never thought the voting public of the USA would fall for this charlatan.
5
All you have to do Mr. President, to get better press, is be a better president. Be a better man. Be a better human being.
6
The Liar-in Chief is incensed that true facts are leaking out of the White House because they threaten to shatter his own twisted version of reality.
4
The president thrives on flattery, it did not take long for people and world leaders to understand and use it. But the press reports the facts and those facts are not always flattering - Trump himself stated in a tweet the negative "fake news"; so basically anything negative or what he presumes is negative is considered fake. But when the administration is so caught up in telling untruths, Is disorganized, or in turmoil it will be reported unfortunately. I have no problems keeping up on current events through the "fake new" Trump just wishes that is all that would be printed..I don't think he understands he is not a private citizen anymore; he leads the greatest Nation on earth and every little thing said and done will be reported on - the good, the bad, the ugly.
11
The problem is likely that people who are both competent and passingly honest don't want anything to do with Trump's administration.
6
Dear Donald you get bad press because of your character, your unPresidential behavior, your extremist policies, your divisive character assassinating tweets, and your dishonesty and personal corruption.
You have never ever attempted to be President for the whole diverse country but seem to be interested only in campaigning to your base.
You are disinterested in policy and in learning the nuances of diplomacy. You treat your political opponents as hateful adversaries and ridicule democratic traditions and the free press.
Contrary to what you believe the press has treated you well and the leaks just reveal the nature of your character and Presidency.
History will treat you worse than the press and your critics.
I strongly believe you will be assigned to the dust bin of history as the most corrupt, unthoughtful, divisive President in American history by far.
Yes Donald I believe that the buck starts here in your total unfitness for any public office. You have no insight into you character; otherwise you would resign from Office immediately and apologize to America for the grief and chaos you have caused.
8
This movie brings to mind the great movie "The Caine Mutiny" with Trump resembling Bogart.
But not in a good way.
2
Maybe they're leaking to have something positive to put on their CVs, something that might get them hired post-Trump. Because I can't imagine anyone hiring any of these people again in their lifetimes.
3
Trump wants better press, yet what difference should it make to him since he calls all media, other than FOX Spews, "fake news?" Why doesn't he just set up briefings with Hannity and his cronies?
2
Poor Pitiful Trump! he only has the Presidency, the House, the Senate and the Judiciary. Yet HE is the aggrieved one because the Press keeps reporting all the idiocy of his administration! Of course the "leaks" are his own people desperate to get the word out to America about how bad Trump really is. All he has to do is be a decent person and it will all stop. Problem is, Trump is not a decent person so it will not stop. EVER.
6
An apology over the inexplicable and vile comment on McCain would have brought hugely positive press. How no one in the White House was able to figure that out is hard to fathom.
15
Of course Trump blames the press for his bad coverage. Trump is possibly the least self-aware person in this country. Between his rants, rages, threats, abuse, insults, ugly foreign and domestic policies plus his general meanness and self-absorption, Trump has no clue why so many millions of people not only dislike him but despise him. Unless he intends to morph into a better person, Trump better get used to it. I predicted a year ago that Trump would soon be the most hated person in the world. Don't know if he's made it yet, but he's working on it.
5
The real problem is that he is not getting as good as press as Barack Obama did.
2
And to state possibly the blindingly obvious, maybe if he did as good a job as Obama he would have gotten better press.
Do a lousy job, you can't expect good press....
5
Yep. Nothing about him will ever match up to President Obama, Trump is inferior in every way and that knowledge eats at him like battery acid.
2
The press secretary is disgusting and shameful, to use her own words.
9
The President is a sick and morally bankrupt person. He surrounds himself with people that act like they worship him and yet he trusts none of them. This cannot end well.
6
Better press? Easy. Be a good President. Be the president of all of the people. The majority of the citizens want our women to be in charge of their own health care, not some religious zealot or political opportunist. The majority of the citizens want a fair and equitable tax system, not the current maze of exceptions that benefit primarily the rich. The majority of the citizens want an immigration system that recognizes the humanity of all of our neighbors and brothers. The majority of the citizens want a president they can be proud of, not a person whose behavior is crude and insensitive and whose actions seem to exclusively benefit and further enrich the president's family and friends.
6
I see two reasons Trump's staff so frequently leaks both big and small things: (1) He constantly displays no loyalty to anyone outside his own blood line (with a few exceptions), (2) He constantly displays no loyalty to his own prior announcements/policies. This creates fear and loathing among staff and outrages those who joined to drive specific agendas for ideological reasons.
On the useful side his personal leadership failures will become a standard topic in business schools world wide.
5
"....navigating the personality of a mercurial president who has an inherent sense of paranoia".. It is not a sense of paranoia, it IS paranoia. Trump is by far the most paranoid President of our lifetimes, way more so than even Richard Nixon. He thinks everyone is out to get him (think about that, there are literally no exceptions), the most common symptom, and why he should not be in a position of public policy - he unconsciously prioritizes his inner fears over the well-being of the people, country and even the planet. Paranoia was useful in caveman days, but is mostly obsolete in today's world.
5
When Gerald Ford took over from Nixon, he famously stated that "our long national nightmare is over." So are we presently in a nightmare, a comedy, a tragedy, a farce, or just a painfully long strange trip?
5
As with any large organization (and any large investigation), these are only the things we know. As bad as they are, one can only imagine the daily fiasco that is this administration.
6
How can he be aggrieved by the leak of a joke about a hero dying of brain cancer when he sets the tone for jokes in bad taste and ad hominem attacks on his opponents? That's the joke as far as I'm concerned.
5
I love it. An article on leaks in the White House is supported by "...interviews with several current and former White House officials, all who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to describe internal discussions." In other words, leaks. Then there is the senior White House official's lame attempt at double speak describing the purpose of tightened security not to 'stanch leaks', but, rather, to 'keep information secure.' Sound like the same thing to me.
3
President Trump is just sick and tired of the relentless and negative reporting about his campaign, his administration, his associstes, and his own behavior.
instead, he wants the press focus to be accolades for his huge achievements in rolling back environmental rules, limiting women's access to health care, pushing through a scam tax cut for the uber rich that most people don't like, needlessly agitating the situation the Middle
East by recognizing Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel to please evangelicals waiting for the Rapture and Sheldon Adelson who is trying to buy his way out of prosecution for foreign corrupt practices, and for alienating our friends and allies around the world, some of whom he has called animals and "shitholes".
now, I ask you: is that an unreasonable request? does Mr. Trump deserve glowing praise for all the good he has done for most Americans and how much we all appreciate it?
4
Hint:
If you lie six times a day,
and the press reports that you lied six times a day.
That's not negative press.
12
Mr. President, not everyone will give you what your vice president does.
9
Mr. Trump demonstrates the characteristic of an external locus of control individual who is incapable of accepting any blame for anything. Blaming 'leakers' for his problems is nothing new, nor original for this man. Unfortunately for Mr. Trump, his life-long ability to bully New Yorker's in local government and in the world of developers simply doesn't play out well in the world of politic writ large in Washington D.C. Well, that is unless of course you are a member of his staff or a member of the Republican Party who appear perfectly capable of such abuse and accepting his blame.
It is just so tiring hearing the 12-year old man-child whining constantly about how he is treated. So whine on Mr. Trump. Those of us who have raised pre-teens and teenagers recognize these characteristics all too well.
15
They say the fish rots from the head. The leaks and the chaos reveal on a daily basis that Donald Trump is an incompetent leader. Which is to say that he is incapable of managing his people, providing a coherent vision, effectively managing disagreement (let alone disputes and conflict), and utilizing the expertise of those around him. He is an incompetent leader because he punishes those who disagree or act independently, even if the person is merely doing their job. Most of all his is an incompetent leader because he doesn't see himself as serving the nation or the organizations he owns, but sees the institutions of government and his companies as serving him and him alone. The causes him to swing wildly and unpredictably between ignoring the details and micromanaging things that upset him. It also means that those around him spend valuable time and energy predicting his mood and whims instead of doing the work they are hired to do. In all his (ghost-) written work on leadership, and in his behavior, it is clear that he wants credit when things go right and refuses responsibility when things go wrong. For those around him, this means that the mission is "Keeping Donald Happy" and "Avoiding Blame" instead of serving the Nation. Is it any wonder that he has surrounded himself with sooth-sayers and hangers-on always trying to please the boss?
46
A soothsayer is a fortune teller. Are you accusing Trump of belief in the occult as well as his other more evident shortcomings? There's plenty to criticize without going there.
If Trump doesn't like the leaks, he has only himself to blame. He hired either directly or indirectly his staff, so it seems as though is anger is misplaced. Donald needs only look in a mirror (something I am sure he does all the time) to discover the source of the leaks.
3
That was not "a morbid joke." It was practical strategy of the most calculating and chillingly hopeful.
4
In the end, Trump, like others with a plentitude of character defects, certainly seems to bring most of his troubles squarely upon himself.
7
The tenor of any organization is set at the top.
7
So we have a prez and a White House more concerned about the leak but not the disrespectful content of what was said.
Sums up this entire administration! The apology train left the station 6 days ago.
This national nightmare cannot end soon enough.
7
Mr. Trump wants better press but his White House continues to say and do things that indicate they do not deserve it. He does not seem to get that this is the result of the negativity and chaos his administration seems to thrive on, not just the fault of leaks.
5
Isn't the problem that those still working at the White House (especially lower-level aides) are not in it for the good of the country, but (like the president) are in it for themselves? No one who wants to maintain their credibility would take a job at the White House. Instead of the "best and brightest" we have D-level hires that would tape a conversation with the prez to impress friends.
14
Let me get this straight.
A kid wrecks his bike and the press is to blame for reporting it?
If the White House is leaking, am I wrong, but isn't the President in charge of the White House?
16
This president and this government is a disgrace.
14
When you out a Clown in charge, expect to see a circus.
10
Yep. As usual with Trump, the problem isn't what he and his team do, it's that we know about it.
17
Exactly lol..somehow the truth is getting out there..we have to stop that!
2
Elevators, airplanes, stock markets, bank balances and yo-yos
go up and down.
Trump just goes down and down and down.
7
And who hired the leaking staff?
3
There are too many leaks in the “Trumpian faucet” for there to be any point in trying to plug them. There comes a point when even if your faucet is gold-plated it just needs to be relaxed. The sooner the better.
9
The word “relaxed” was supposed to be “replaced. Oops!
2
Mr. President, as long as you continue to shoot yourself in the foot with your own big mouth, you will suffer the consequences of the reporting you're getting.
7
I wouldn't really classify this as a leak, because Donald Trump was stupid enough camera's on and talk about the abrupt change of Kim Jong Un's reaction to John Bolton's stupid characterization of the plans for North Korea to Libya.
Now, that Kim Jong Un changed his tune once he understood what Trump and Bolton were up to, now you are out there on tape begging him to come back to the table and promising him virtual anything he wants, groveling to Kim Jong Un is not negotiating through strength.....you have caved in before you even meet, weakling!
Is this going to be characterized as another Whitehouse Leak or Media leak of fake news.
Trump sounded so stupid, he didn't even know what he was talking about in the Libyan situation and Gadhafi's end.
3
The reason people leak is to feel important. To boost their ego that, "I know something you don't."
When you surround yourself with people with zero integrity, or manners, this is what you get: small people trying desperately to be important.
(Scott Pruitt is Exhibit A for this smallness disguised as competence.)
5
This goes on and on, and a very real danger is that both the free press and the electorate will weaken in the face of the torrent of lies and misrepresentations, the salacious accusations that flow from the mouth and pen of this man and those who enable him.
For the press, the job is not to try to curry favor by refusing to call him out for what he is. The NYT is one of those who can't seem to use the word "lie" when there is really nothing else to call it. For the public the rage must be modulated into a cool determination that we will end this as quickly as we can.
Press--tell the truth. Call it like it is. Access be damned; being close to him will not make him like you any better. He takes acquiescence as weakness--which it ultimately is.
Voters--get over the shock. We are in deep and dangerous waters. Contribute, organize, campaign, vote. The country can yet be saved.
11
There are too many leaks in the “Trumpian faucet”for there to be any point in trying to plug them. There comes a point where even when your faucet is gold-plated it just needs to be replaced. The sooner the better
3
Waah! Waah! I'd call him a baby but that'd be an insult to babies everywhere. Has there ever been a more shallow, childish public figure? Everything is about the press or the ratings with this guy, does he crumble into a ball when the audience goes away?
13
Trump hired the people that are "leaking." And yet he blames the media. Go figure.
9
An honor and a privilege to work in this White House? Really, Sarah? This is a new low, even for Trump. Reframing the issue to one of stopping leaks lets Ms Sadler off the hook. If the intent of the leak was to embarrass, so what? The comment was heinous, insensitive, and totally consistent with behavior from this White House. Honor and privilege, really?
8
If Trump wants good press, he has to stop doing and saying despicable things. When the truth makes one look bad, it is time for that person to clan up their act.
4
When there is an investigation into Russian interference in the election and your National Security Advisor Flynn is indicted and pleads guilty, when another campaign advisor, Rick White, is indicted and pleads guilty, when your former campaign manager Manafort is indicted and attempts to fight the charges by complaining about the breadth of the investigation, when you refuse to meet with the Republican appointed special prosecutor while endlessly asserting your innocence and complaining the entire investigation is a witch hunt, you might want to be a bit understanding that the news stories about your Administration are not all positive.
If you truly believe that the press is biased and refuses to report positive news about your 'accomplishments', reports facts inaccurately and makes unfairly negative judgments about you, why don't you hold an open press conference and answer reporters questions fully and honestly? You have had one such conference since you were inaugurated, February 17, 2017.
Since that date, reporters have to run after you to ask questions and you rarely speak to them and, when you do, it is to attack the press, an opponent, praise yourself or to make a statement about one of the controversies you or your Administration has engendered. The statements about the controversy inevitably get walked back. Your words and your actions are the reason you receive 'negative' press. Oh yes, you might stop making statements about restricting freedom of the press.
11
"The president is careful of what he says over the phone, and always has been, according to long-serving advisers."
But not so much with network news anchors (Lester Holt), or Russian officials visiting the Oval office, or on his Twitter account. Evidently, as long as he's not talking on the phone, he can't keep his big mouth shut.
10
It doesn't matter who the president is, they don't get to control the press. It's Basic Government 101. It's called a Free Press, and it's there for a reason. The reality is that he is offended by the idea that the president is a *public* official. Nor does it help his cause much when the leaks come from the president himself in the guise of John Barron or John Miller. But then setting an example - as opposed to do as I say not as I do - and accepting responsibility have always been lacking in Trump's character. One thing, though, is consistent - he demands from others that which he is unwilling to give himself.
19
This says so much about the increasingly deviant culture of the White House. It's become a political version of "Lord of the Flies" and there are no rules outside of survival. Contrast this to the discipline and professionalism we see from Mueller's investigative team. No leaks, no back biting, just disciplined professionals doing their jobs. Trump would be well served to take a lesson from that, but he won't he'll just rage on Twitter about how unfair this all is. He sets the tone, he defines the culture, he bears the responsibility for the dysfunction of his administration.
Trump loyalists should really ask themselves if Trump is someone they'd like to work for? Is this a place where they'd like their kids to work?
18
What a nice nonsense. Trump gets bad press because he is a bad president. The rest is just details. And frankly he’s lucky at that.
Because if you took away all the dysfunction, he wouldn’t get positive press on his policies because they are bad policy. Increasing our deficit. Re-polluting our air and water. Denuding and despoiling our public lands. Abandoning public education. Withholding medical care for children. And doing it all along racial lines.
The good news for him is that history will forget the leaks, the narcissism and the gross incompetence. It will be his subversion of American ideals and his attacks on Americans that will be remembered.
26
Better press? The treat the press as critical element of keeping the country aware of corruption, uncovering lies, encouraging transparency...all of which is dismissed by Trump as 'fake news'...other than what he wants to be news when the news strokes his boundless ego...
Trump must have the most loyal magic mirror he looks in every moment.
5
POTUS Trump just doesn't get it.
He loves to think that he is the center of the universe and his every comment or thought is golden. As president, he is a historic figure whose comments and actions can and should be recorded for posterity.
He and his staff should understand that and act accordingly by not saying or doing stuff that they would be embarrassed reading in a major newspaper/magazine, or broadcast on 24/7 cable news.
The problem isn't the "leaks." The problem is what was actually said or done.
POTUS Trump just doesn't get it.
#Thetruthshallsetyoufree
10
Trump does not want "better press." He wants less truth and more propaganda. If it weren't for the Constitutional right to a free press he would try to muzzle the Press. If he wants favorable news he has to do good things instead of bad things.
17
In his way, PT is now and has been trying to muzzle the press eg by the denigration of individual members and numerous press institutions. Also by the occasional exclusion/expulsion - certainly during the campaign - of credentialed press members, either bc of their work or their association with particular press institutions.
1
"The tendency to whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign symptom of little souls and inferior intellects." (Francis Jeffrey)
Soulless and ignorant. How are Trump's supporters not embarrassed by this man?
12
The only reason there is an unprecedented amount of WH dirt leaking is because there is an unprecedented amount of dirt to leak.
25
Donald doesn't understand the job. Being president means acting in the public interest. That means the public gets to watch what he does.
If he doesn't want us to know what he's doing, he should go back to private business. Now... there's an idea.
12
There is a simpler explanation.
Bad policies, bad behavior, bad thinking will all lead to bad press.
Fix those three and you fix the problem.
11
Trump is approaching this from a "ratings" by public goal.
He should be concerned instead about standards of behavior for everyone in White House. Better evaluations follow better behavior.
4
The president is upset with the press because unlike his cabinet they don't fawn over him but report the truth. The press doesn't tell him he is the greatest president or that his administration has accomplished more than any other in US history. They report the truth that he is a menace to democracy, that his programs hurt the poor and the middle class. In other words his performance has been the worst by any President since Andrew Johnson. Other Presidents have been at war with the press but not to this level and it is having consequences. Forty percent of Americans now believe the way the president does that the media other than fox and breitbart is fake and can't be trusted. The real story is that the main stream media is doing its job and should continue to call out this president and his programs for what they are leading to, an attack on our democracy.
61
In addition to being totally bereft of any moral or ethical compass, this White House will go down in history for a degree of professionalism that would be appalling in a small-town mayor's office, let alone the workplace of the most powerful man in the world.
Staff members who think it's okay to record the CEO and play back his pronouncements to entertain friends? Leaking smart-alecky comments about an ailing political leader? Who is hiring these geniuses? Where are they recruiting them from: high school student parking lots? And is anyone training them, or do they go right to work after filling out their start papers?
What's worse, their utter lack of discretion and judgement seems to be infecting those who should know better. Rudy Giuliani once ran one of the largest and most complex cities in the world. He used to know better than to announce a victory before it has happened, or to make a policy statement before clearing it with other stakeholders. Is deteriorating intellect an occupational hazard for those who work for Trump, or is the problem that only people who suffer from such deterioration will accept a job offer from him?
A liar and con man who stiffs his employees, doesn't pay his bills, values loyalty above competence and shows none to anyone else, Trump got the staff he richly deserves. But the country--and especially those of us who had the sense to not vote for him--deserve better.
10
The "better press" is just reporting and quoting what the president does and says. I've become a huge fan of the press...because they are better! I agree with many of those who post here...if he wants a better press he should be a better president.
12
Unfortunately Congress is not doing its job, so staff have to step in to save the country from an unbalanced despot. If Congress was working, it wouldn't have to be.
7
When I was teaching, if I heard a comment of that degree of meanness and insensitivity from a student, we would stop class and discuss how we are expected to treat each other. What kind of world or school do we want to live in? Then I would talk to the student alone and make it clear that not only won't we tolerate comments like that, but that the student should consider how making such comments hurts not only the community but himself or herself.
In a work environment dedicated presumably to public service, the same kind of moral guidance is required. That the only uproar is over the leaking of the comment and not on the viciousness of the comment itself sends the message that viciousness is the approved way. In other words, there is no leadership.
68
Spectacularly Callous--not upset this extremely severe statement was made--upset it was leaked! If a heart could have callouses this would be it................
8
"latest addition....has engendered a sense of distrust"
The sense of distrust, by all accounts (including this story) existed well before the inauguration.
You earn trust and give trust.....doesn't seem to matter in the West Wing.
When was the last time DJT gave a speech that inspired people? Check that.....has there ever been a time where DJT gave a speech that inspired America?
8
Maybe if Trump wants better press, he should be a better President?
81
Given that Trump has picked all the senior aides, who in turn hire the lower levels, and given that all staff should have been vetted for security does this not suggest that someone in management is not doing their job properly? I suppose that’s what happens when you hire people who have not had their conscience surgically removed.
4
"Mr. Trump, who has never been convinced that his aides have his best interests at heart..."
Hard to say: Trump's interests are limited to his stroking his own ego, enriching himself and his family, and malicious attacks on people not like himself, and I think he's made progress in finding aides who share many of these interests.
But Trump has a unique challenge. It's inherently difficult to build an administration around one man's selfish needs and one man's enrichment; it's a contradiction for an aide to put his own self-interest and personal animosities aside in the service of the selfishness and malice of Trump. People who approve of selfishness and malice in Trump naturally think "Why not my own selfishness first?"
I suppose the solution is to have a president unite with his aides around the goal of doing what's best for the nation, but....that ship has sailed, then crashed on a reef, and then burnt to the waterline, and then the wreckage sank and killed a coral habitat of an endangered species.
9
The biggest leakers are very obviously Sarah Huckabee Sanders to the NYT and NBC among other outlets, Conway, Raj Shah and Mercedes Schlapp. The people who protest the most are usually the ones who leak the most.
It looks like Sanders can't take it anymore from the way she handles the press conferences. Trump is not telling her anything and she has nothing to say which is obvious to viewers.
Trump is the squeaky wheel who complains so much that each time he complains the media acquieses a little more even though they don't think they are. Trump is the bully who continues to whip the media into submission.
There is a huge aggrieved electorate that is angry over this morally compromised bully in the White House who does not represent this country. He does not represent the values of this country. Trump is dirty and compromised. He represents a very small extreme faction. How did we get here?
I just hope the media can be strong and not give any more inches to him and stand firm against all his lying and propaganda.
21
So glad to hear that Ms. Sadler retains her position.
3
"Aggrieved" is a perfect word to describe Trump. The word my husband came up with is "despicable." I chose "loathsome."
He doesn't seem to grasp the dichotomy in complaining about the "fake news" reporting on supposedly fake leaks, while still promising to root out the leakers.
16
Execrable (and always was, even from the beginning of his public life)
5
Hes hires the best people. His own silly words. Not only are they not the best they are not even loyal.
7
He doesn’t require them to provide their tax returns of course, nor does he care if they are qualified and he fires most the “best people” or they quit because they’have a history of physical abuse by both current and past wives, while having an affair with a top Trump aid who also resigned. That’s the morality that the Evangelicals idolize that, and the God of money.
Now we have a Democrat in NJ that won the race for governor.! No more Chris who closes public beaches so his family can use them in his state and was photographed by reporters not to mention bribery and corruption, excellent Christian values. Thanks New Jersey!
3
DJT might want to check in with the man in the mirror.
19
Why does repeat why does The New York Times continue to pass off this mean-spirited remark as a "joke," the world wonders.
Only in the hate-radio sense ("It was just a joke, fergodssake. What's wrong with YOU - can't you take a joke?") does this term apply.
Watch your language. Don't adopt their terms. Don't lose the argument.
11
Trump calls member of his hand-picked staff traitors because of there are more leaks coming out of the West Wing than a sieve.
Traitors? They are true patriots, acting in the best tradition of the American spirit: resistance to a tyrant. I would not be surprised to see polygraphing of the staff members as SOP. Nothing like putting people on the box to throw a scare into them.
To the courageous staff members who are defying Donald Trump's strong arm authoritarian tactics I say damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!
10
Paranoia is the natural consequence of corruption. Liars presume others are liars, thieves assume others are stealing, and thugs assume others are bullies.
Trump has all of these character defects. It is no wonder he suspects all aeound him.
17
There re surely numerous reasons why Trump’s staffers leak information. In my experience, however, The paramount criteria as to whether your “confidential” staff will honor that commitment centers first upon a sense of personal loyalty earned by the leader and secondly a commitment and belief in the values guiding the leaders behavior and decisions. Given this, the extreme level of leaks coming out of the White House is, in my view, a direct reflection of Trump’s character as seen by a number of those who work for him; it’s that simple?
60
Is the country at large not alarmed that this president requires curated information be given to him to keep him on an even keel?
Is it not concerning that information coming from this White House is being twisted and turned daily to cover the lies of the same president?
Is it not outrageous that this "leader" of our country is eroding what America is and stands for, day in and day out?
We will not be able to step back from the edge if we do not demand a change now.
5
A suggestion for POTUS: Take all of your trusted aides -- all none of them -- and hold your meetings in Scott Pruitt's $43,000 sound-proof booth. No leaks.
11
Trump gets bad press because he says, tweets and does awful, often repulsive, things. That's it, full stop. If a person simply reports or repeats what he says/does, it's going to be negative, because HE is negative and nasty. He has repeatedly proven himself completely unable and uninterested in leading anyone but those who share his petty grievances.
I hope our Democracy survives this charlatan jerk and his followers.
5
I wonder if he has a food taster, like the Caesars, to protect him from poisoned food.
If this administration didn't devote so many of our taxpayer dollars keeping their citizens unaware of their malfeasance, we'd have money for constructive things!
5
"the latest addition to the list of new procedures that some aides say has engendered a sense of distrust in the West Wing."
Of course they say that the new procedures engender distrust.
They say it because it's true.
3
Rather than act better, he wants to plug the leaks?
Message to Trump and the Trumpists: Loyalty to amoral liar sadistic Trump IS NOT loyalty to the USA. He needs to step down.
4
What I hear Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump trying to do by muddy the waters on what is obvious obstruction of justice, and an attempt of his Campaign from top to bottom collude with the Russian's, whether they succeeded or not, there is no doubt in reading the emails of Trump Junior and who met with the Russian's at Trump Tower or the obvious (to his father) blocked call made by Junior before the meeting, they are caught red handed...no pun intended.
Now, we have Rudy Giuliani trying to smear the justice department, the FBI, Robert Mueller in a way that harkens back to Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn in the 1950's; Rudy has lost any integrity he may have once had, and is just outright lying to try and change the narrative, it is disgraceful and Un-American to say the least, and possibly criminal at worst.
I am astounded how complicit the Republican Congress has been in assisting Trump is this Un-American smear and cover-up, Devin Nunes should be expelled from the Congress, and Paul Ryan is an absolute disgrace to the rule of law and the constitutional oath he took.
There are Republican's in office and out, that need to speaking up to this disgusting display by Trump and his enabler's, it goes beyond party, it goes to the fabric of our democracy and rule of law, and basic decency, by letting this incomplete con-artist pull the wool over what I thought were decent peoples eyes and playing lackey to this outrageous liar.
6
Sorry I was under the impression "the worst press" was brought on by ... the man, himself.
7
It is amazing how moronic Trump can be. Is he really blaming the leak by his administration on the press? Doesn't he only hired the best? And if he cannot stop the leaks when he is so intended to do so, then what can he really do as the president?
11
Per Sarah Huckabee Sanders:
“I think it is disgusting and some of the most shameful behavior that you can ever engage in,” Ms. Sanders said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to work for the president and to be part of his administration. Anybody who betrays that I think is a total and complete coward. And they should be fired.”
How ironic.
Methinks that history will not be kind to those who have worked for this so-called President or his so-called Administration. In fact, lickspittles such as Huckabee Sanders will have their mugs in future history books, as part of the team of traitorous scallawags who tried to destroy our great nation.
It’s the “leakers” who are to be praised, not the sycophants hoping to kiss the fat man’s whatever.
4
At least we know what he means about fake news - it's any news that shows him in negative light. It's Trump's fault the news is negative. It's you. YOU. Your actions, your comments, your ineptitude, your greed, your deplorable behavior and your nasty nature. Thank god people leak this info when they are disgusted by you. God knows what would happen if you actually controlled information in America. It wouldn't be America anymore.
2
Why does the Times characterize Sadler's comment as a "joke?" Calling it a joke excuses the the pure callousness of it. It was no joke.
13
Donald, thumbs ablaze on his phone, likes to remind us in ways ranging from the trivial to the sublime, that he calls his own shots. He’s a legend in his own mind, a former reality show host and an aging playboy.
He also falls into a number of general categories of people and things that generally don’t deserve or get good headlines.
Off the top of my head, here’s a short list: liar, unfaithful husband, alleged sexual assaulter, chiseler, deadbeat, wannabe dictator, human wrecking ball, disaster of both the natural and man made variety, racist, loudmouth, cheater, probable money launderer. I could go on.
I think he’ll get a few good headlines if he resigns. But he should expect bad headlines every time he opens his mouth or tweets.
4
Do a better job and you get better press. That's how public service works. Don't like it? Go back to your gilded tower. Few will miss you.
5
Donald J. Swamp will be plagued by bad press for however many days remain in his illegitimate term of office.
2
Am I missing something here? Leaks are NOT them problem. Leaks of ignorance and treason are heroic. Straighten out your thinking and your dangerously narcissistic, xenophobic, racist rants and there will be nothing to leak. The majority of our citizens consider the leakers, dare I say, to be heroic, and consider your focus on leaks, instead of what's being leaked, dangerous to the point of treason. Advice to you, Mr. President, and those around you: watch your mouths and your attitudes and there will be nothing to leak. Problem solved.
2
Be Best!
1
“It’s an honor and a privilege to work for the president and to be part of his administration. Anybody who betrays that I think is a total and complete coward. And they should be fired.”
--Sarah Sanders
They actually work for the American people. I don't see them as cowards. They are taking a risk a coward would never take to make sure the American people stay informed about this Administration
58
Did anyone ever consider other possibilities?
-There are no leaks, just fake news. Since the source is never named, they can basically say anything.
-The leaks are deliberate to control the media narrative. Trump is a genius at trolling the media.
2
Nice try but how do you describe his deranged behavior caught on film?
1
What's he complaining about? He gets great press on Fox and Breitbart. He can't have all the publications and news shows. Most of them try to report the truth. Hard to believe, once again, we need to even write and talk about this. Only in America.
2
Of course Trump would blame the leakers--that is, when he is not blaming "third-rate reporters." He is both unwilling and emotionally unable to accept the fallout from his own words and actions. If he could, he might realize that if he spoke and acted in such a way as to warrant it, he might actually get the good press he so abjectly craves.
55
When it comes to his image in the world press if Mr Trump doesn't like what he reads and sees he has only himself to blame.
5
The East Wing keeps its business close to the vest because the First Lady is not setting policy, and is basically just living her life. Importantly, it appears there's a press tradition, which she has benefited from, of keeping the family matters private, unless they trot themselves out for a scheduled event. So, why include her in this article to show contrasts between who suffers from leaks? Perhaps a hint about a particular unnamed source, or people close to her?
2
That 40% of the country thinks that this man -- paranoid, delusional, conspiratorial, mean-spirited -- should lead the formerly great United States of America, is a testimony to how far through the muck we have fallen, and how little we all have in common. The stink of this administration, and its enablers, including the near entirety of the Republican Party, and its cheerleaders in the propaganda press, may never lift from our beautiful now despoiled land. We were glorious; now we are contemptible.
26
Apparently a strategy of simply avoiding the abhorrent behaviors that are being leaked does not occur to this president.
26
Exactly. If you don't want to get bad press by saying stupid stuff, then think before you speak and don't say stupid stuff, no matter how you feel about something. "The best people" learned that that in grade school.
4
Over and over again, the lack of any loyalty to Trump, the man or the mission, is hammered home to us. Why does he engender so little loyalty?
5
And by "better press," Trump means more like Fox News.
We cannot underestimate the influence of the propaganda machine that is conservative outlets. It's one thing to express fluid opinions on economic policy but you cannot, or at least, should not, in good faith create your own reality rooted in Evangelical Quasi Racist Doublespeak.
Hannity et al claim they are not journalists but at some point, a line must be drawn.
We laughed at these people for decades under the assumption that only the fringe was taking them seriously -- the fringe now has Party dominance. I'm not sure what holding their hand to reality's fire would do at this point other than trigger even more unpleasantness.
5
Had Trump's mother and father taught him manners, morals and ethics then none of this would be happening. His staff feels that they can act the same way as him, which include rude comments about everyone and getting the word out the same way he does it, with his big mouth.
6
Perhaps if the President surrounded himself with humble, intelligent, competent, hard working, and respectful people these leaks would not be happening.
9
The leaks are coming from his side of the wall. Period. Unless the press has bugs planted somewhere in there.
4
It sure seems that Trump wants complete control over the press. To heck with the first amendment and freedom of the press. I have yet to see Trump address any of the improper actions that the so called leaks have uncovered.
9
It's always someone else's fault. It's not bad press, it's bad behavior getting reported.
18
The "blame" starts at the top by a man who claimed Sen. McCain was not a hero "because he was captured." And continued his dehumanizing and degrading remarks by calling Hispanic immigrants "animals." It's no wonder that some of his staff follow his example while others are appalled. This is why a person who boasts of being non-P.C. is really "unqualified" to ever speak as President of the United States. It's a national disgrace and deserved to be "called out" (aka leaked). It's Donald Trump who is "not getting it" that it's an ugly person who blurts out ugly words and then has the insensitivity to defend them and punish those who believe in basic human decency.
7
Leaks are about the only way the public can go around the daily propaganda issued by our government, our large business institutions and our "intelligence" and "defense" industries.
Keep 'em coming.
5
For Trump, the worst part of his inevitable incarceration will be the limited television viewing hours.
Perhaps he'll start working out?
7
Trump is starring in the White House version of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. President Queeg seems to be losing his marbles rather than just playing with them.
A little paranoia is good according to Trump? A little?
Donald Trump has found a way to be backed into a corner in an oval office. Now about cutting those tow lines. . .
16
Lt. Barney Greenwald: Doctor. You have testified that the following symptoms exist in Lieutenant-Commander Queeg's behavior. Rigidity of personality, feelings of persecution, unreasonable suspicion, a mania for perfection, and a neurotic certainty that he is always in the right. Doctor isn't there one psychiatric term for this illness?
Doctor Dickson: I never said there was any illness.
3
The problem is that every move he makes is bad press whether the press reports it negatively or not. Every factual statement that he has gone to Mar a Lago or Bedminster, is bad press. Because we understand the undue expenses incurred by this president's weekly golf outings and the fact that we are paying for these weekends and the extra security detail, for his profit.
There is the bad press engendered every time he lies. Then there is the bad "press" he creates all by himself with his morning tweet storms.
It is endless.
6
Leaks like this occur because it’s a terrible work environment and Trump’s management style of encouraging conflict stinks.
Of course, he can never blame himself for anything.
6
It is not what Trump and his minions do and say that is responsible for the bad press the administration gets, it is that the press finds out about those things and reports them - Trumpian logic at its most irrefutable best!
8
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Why do we care what people say about us?
If Trump wants better press, he should consider being a better President.
11
What does it say about the integrity of Donald Trump or even this Whitehouse when they are more angry about leaks and retribution to whoever leaked the disgusting and insensitive remarks about John McCain dying of brain cancer, than firing the person who made those sickening remarks or apologizing to John McCain and the McCain family.
85
Trump still can't figure out what leadership is. Supporting your staff and your own departments would be the first step toward loyalty. There is absolutely no loyalty in this White House, not even for the country. The name calling is childish and provides no resolution nor strategy for our democracy. Who in their right mind wants to be ridiculed in front of the entire country or a meeting of peers? Trump can't even deduct why leaks are so rampant.
60
The leaks surrounding Trump are a phenomenon of his own making. When a president is lawless, ignorant, rude, and generally makes no sense, the people closest to him are the first to know. If and when they begin to see him as a threat to national security, civility, sanity or rule of law, they will feel a burden to inform the public.
18
Mr Trump needs to get over blaming the "Press" for his own failings. He needs to look at himself in the mirror to see why he is seen so unfavorably by so many, not just the so-called "main stream media", but also by a majority of the American people who find his boorish, self-aggrandizing, rabble-rousing behavior uncivilized, not just un-Presidential.
8
To get better press, Trump would need to be a better president.
28
Rather than fire a junior staffer who was contributing to a toxic work culture, and who caused real reputational damage, the administration instead cancelled a daily meeting, thereby reducing information flow within their organization.
MBAs will study the case studies of this administration as foundational concepts of what NOT to do as a leader for many years to come.
21
If 45 wants better press then all he has to do is shut up, stop endlessly playing golf and start doing his job. So far all his has accomplished is to alienate our friends in the world.
26
Perhaps if staffers weren't so revolted by Trump's behavior, policies, rantings, they wouldn't share/leak with the press. The public has a right to see behind the veil of Trump's claims.
21
Sure, Donald. This is like a morbidly obese person blaming the scale.
Seriously.
66
If he wants better press perhaps he should spent more time reading and checking facts before he speaks and less time with Fox news.
27
People inside Trump's bunker have an incentive to keep quiet and continue doing what they are doing - to protect their jobs. But there also are some individuals with a conscience, who may avoid doing the right thing, and are eventually worn down by that little voice that tell them to do the what is right.
36
leak = conscience
4
Donald Trump, the classic victim, has aged but never emotionally matured and is completely unfit to serve as President of the United States. In addition, he is emotionally unbalanced as exhibited by his inability to control his impulses - thus the Twitter tirades at 5:30 am. A dangerous combination for the leader of the most powerful country on the planet.
103
Lying, bullying, castigating his own staff, likely obstructing justice, defying the emolument's clause, bragging about grabbing women, paying hush money to a porn star and other women.....and now complains he's getting bad press.
The only difference between President Trump and tyrants like Putin and Assad, is that while they murder and silence the press, Trump only berates them......so far.
115
There is no difference, other than a system that, so far, has kept him from indulging his worst instincts. But he's trying to tear down that system on systematic and calculated bases, just as other despots and tyrants have done in other failed democracies. And the Republic party is complicit in allowing. Bad press, indeed.
7
Did Trump ever consider the fact that the leaks are occurring because staffers are disgusted and discouraged by all that has taken place since he took office? The leaks may be a way of saying “Help, We’re trapped in a nightmare.”
123
This is misplaced empathy. They are not trapped, they are being paid to do a job. They can resign.
7
Nope. Not a chance, as that would require empathy.
A trait wholly lost to a pathological narcissist.
6
It everyone has the luxury to resign. Most White House staffers are not appointed. It’s a job. They need their jobs, just as you need your job.