Two days after former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson snuck into the Capitol to tell the House Foreign Affairs Committee about his former boss, President Donald Trump attacked Tillerson as “totally ill prepared and ill equipped to be Secretary of State.”
That’s strange, because Trump himself nominated Tillerson to be secretary of state. In December 2016, Trump called Tillerson “a world-class player,” said he was “the embodiment of the American dream” and lauded his “tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics.”
We could give the President the benefit of the doubt: His behind-the-scenes conflicts with Tillerson were well-documented over the course of the former Exxon executive’s tenure. When Trump fired Tillerson in March 2018 he said of the dismissal: “I really didn’t discuss it very much with him, honestly.”
But this pattern — Trump hurling insults and attacking people he once lauded, after he’s lost his use for them — has repeated itself well beyond coincidence, as others have recognized.
We’ve complied a list of Trump’s attacks against the morons, frauds, and incompetents he once selected to handle the nation’s most sensitive affairs:
Jeff Sessions
Before: “He is a world-class legal mind and considered a truly great Attorney General and U.S. Attorney in the state of Alabama. Jeff is greatly admired by legal scholars and virtually everyone who knows him.” (11/18/16)
After: “The only reason I gave him the job is because I felt loyalty.” (8/23/18)
Steve Bannon
Before: “Steve [Bannon] and Reince [Priebus] are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory.” (11/13/16)
After: “Sloppy Steve Bannon […] cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!” (1/5/18)
Omarosa Manigault Newman
Before: “She is a very good person and she’s been helpful right from the beginning of the campaign. And I appreciate it.” (2/1/17)
After: “She never made it, never will. She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes, I said Ok. People in the White House hated her. She was vicious, but not smart.” (8/13/18) “Wacky and Deranged.” (8/13/18) “crazed, crying lowlife,” “dog!” (8/14/18)
Gary Cohn
Before: “Gary Cohn is going to put his talents as a highly successful businessman to work for the American people.” (12/12/16) “We’re honored to have Gary, the president the Goldman Sachs who left Goldman Sachs to do this.” (12/14/16) “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.” (3/6/18)
After: “Gary Cohn, I could tell stories about him like you wouldn’t believe. Gary Cohn never thought we could ever make this deal with Mexico and never thought in a million years we could make this deal with Canada.” (10/11/18)
Don McGahn
Before: “Don has a brilliant legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional law.” (11/25/16)
After: “Never a big fan!” (5/11/19)
Christopher Wray
Before: “A man of impeccable credentials.” (6/7/17)
After: “The FBI has no leadership. The Director is protecting the same gang…..that tried to……..overthrow the President through an illegal coup.’ (Recommended by previous DOJ)” (5/12/19)
Rod Rosenstein:
Before: “He’s highly respected, very good guy, very smart guy. The Democrats like him. The Republicans like him.” (5/11/17)
After: “He [Andrew McCabe] and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught…..” (2/18/19)
Jim Mattis:
Before: “One of the most effective generals and extraordinary leaders of our time.” (12/7/16)
After: “When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should.” (12/22/18) “We are substantially subsidizing the Militaries of many VERY rich countries all over the world, while at the same time these countries take total advantage of the U.S., and our TAXPAYERS, on Trade. General Mattis did not see this as a problem. I DO, and it is being fixed!” (12/24/18)
Jerome Powell:
Before: “During his five years at the Fed, Jay has earned the respect and administration of his colleagues for his hard work, expertise and judgement. He has proven to be a consensus builder for the sound monetary and financial policy that he so strongly believes in.” (11/2/17)
After: “If the Fed had done its job properly, which it has not, the Stock Market would have been up 5,000 to 10,000 additional points, and GDP would have been well over 4% instead of 3%.” (4/14/19)
