All the President’s People: The Vital Importance of the Leader’s Advisors

| Present

Yes, the person we elect as our President every four years is extremely important. Most of us hope against hope that he or she will have certain qualities for the job: competence, honesty, wide knowledge of the significant issues of the day, integrity, good mental and physical health, and others. In the complexity that is the US government apparatus, we also must consider the myriad of people who advise the Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief on a regular, if not even daily, basis.

Why is this important? Isn’t it the President that runs the show and makes the big decisions?

Yes and no. First, the Constitution (with which some of us have become extremely familiar over the past few years) lays out much of what the President can and cannot do. But also important is what is known to anyone who leads a large organization: the head/CEO can know a great deal but is human and cannot possibly know everything, be everywhere or do everything. Therefore, s/he needs subordinates in the way of heads of other departments and such – elected, confirmed, or appointed – to carry out his/her policies. When those officials and presidential advisors have expertise and experience in their areas, along with a commitment to the common good, they are not only invaluable to the President but also to the country as a whole.

We are now beginning to see – more clearly than during the four years of Donald Trump’s previous administration – the character of the people around whom the convicted felon not only surrounded himself in the past but who will play key roles in any future Administration. We voters absolutely must take these advisors into account when we cast our ballots! No presidential candidate will be perfect; many of us have voted for the “lesser of two evils” in past elections. However, when we elect a President we will also be choosing the people around him or her – and their character. Do we want honest people who will serve us well or dishonest players whose main objectives are power for themselves?

Trump’s People

Here is a sampling of the (very flawed) people who have been in the past and will probably be around Trump if he wins:

  • Roger Stone
  • Steve Bannon
  • Stephen Miller
  • Michael Flynn
  • Paul Manafort
  • Dan Scavino

Trump is supported or endorsed by a number of other associates who are also not known for their ethical behavior:

  • Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff and now a co-defendant in Trump’s elections interference case in Georgia
  • Edwin Meese, Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General
  • Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary under Trump
  • Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State and CIA Director under Trump

In addition, some of the GOP “luminaries” who have endorsed Trump (or say they will vote for him) include a number of officials who have publicly scorned and roundly criticized him in the past and/or whom Trump has excoriated:

The hypocrisy of these leaders is hard to comprehend…

Further, many of the people who had been around Trump in his first administration have quite patchy histories since then: have gone to jail for him; have been indicted; have testified against him in court and/or in congressional hearings; have had their law licenses revoked (e.g., Rudy Giuliani); or have silently fallen by the wayside.

Finally, Trump lauds known autocrats and dictators and aligns himself with them: Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, and even Adolf Hitler. If Trump’s affinities are not enough, they have long been adopted by his loyalists. The latest iteration is the July parliamentary elections in France. Taking the lead from Trump with no basis in fact, followers are claiming that the far right was “cheated” out of victory. They would have much preferred that French voters had supported long-time far-right nationalist politician, Marine Le Pen, who also supports Putin and opposes immigration, globalization and multiculturalism.

It is strange and very troubling to ponder not only why Trump would want to align himself with such anti-democratic figures but also why his followers would… It can persuasively be argued that they are acting against their own best interests by supporting Trump and the far-right agenda.

Biden’s People

As this is being written, there is a great deal of hand-wringing taking place in Democratic circles questioning Biden’s fitness not only for running for re-election but also for serving another four years. Biden is currently vowing to stay in the race. Whether or not he stays in, millions of us can probably still vow to defeat Trump by supporting any candidate put up by the Democrats.

Let us now look at some of the people who are around and/or who advise President Biden. (If someone else takes the top spot on the ticket, it is highly probable that many of the people we will examine below will play a large role in any Democratic administration.)

In addition, Biden has received endorsements from most members of the Kennedy family (who are not endorsing their relative, RFK, Jr.); Bill and Hillary Clinton; former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich; former Secretary of State and Senator John Kerry; Tom Perez, former Secretary of Labor; 38 out of the 47 currently serving Democratic senators plus Bernie Sanders (I-VT); newspapers, labor unions and their leaders, business leaders, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and athletes.

While not endorsing Biden, there are some prominent Republicans who are vowing not to vote for Trump: his own VP Mike Pence; Sen. Susan Collins (ME); former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney (whom Trump vows to jail if he’s elected); and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK).

Significantly, many political figures who are or used to be Republicans are going a step further and endorsing Joe Biden: former US Representatives Adam Kinzinger (IL), Susan Molinari (NY), Denver Riggleman (Virginia), Claudine Schneider (RI), and Joe Walsh (IL); as well as many Governors, former Governors, mayors and former mayors. Further, Biden is endorsed by Michael Steele, former Chair of the Republican National Committee and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, and by Republican Harry E. Sloan, former chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and SBS Broadcasting. For a party that is generally obsessively loyal to its candidates (especially Trump), these “defectors” to Biden show Biden’s wide appeal across the country and across demographics despite recent setbacks and calls for him to step aside.

Conservative leaders and voters may try to paint many, if not most, of these figures in ways that conservatives have painted Democrats, liberals and progressives for decades: as Communists or Socialists, as “whiny” and weak, as unpatriotic, as lovers of criminals, as sexual deviants (because liberals approve of LGBTQ+ rights), as anti-business, as those who “rig” elections (only those that they lose, of course), as anti-law enforcement, as godless, as baby-killers (because liberals favor reproductive rights), and on and on. We must stop and remind ourselves that these simplistic tropes and lobs are not only grossly inaccurate but are also borne out of fear: fear of the other, fear of losing something because someone else may be gaining, fear of the unknown – perhaps even fear of their own mortality…

Conclusion

The right wing might want to demolish the so-called “deep state” and thus effectively destroy our national infrastructure – all of the departments, offices and bureaus on which we depend for much of our health, safety, and the general operations of our society. Trump and his henchmen have announced as much – over and over again. They are not kidding. Trump’s goals are to stay out of jail, escape all accountability for his illegal acts, make money and solidify power. Remember: he is a psychopath with no conscience. Psychopaths with tremendous power are incredibly dangerous.

We can be assured that if Trump is elected President again, he will bring with him the same lawless, unethical henchmen and more; they will do his bidding without a second thought, and we will see the end of our democratic republic.

If, on the other hand, we re-elect Biden – a dedicated public servant who has our best interests at heart – or another competent Democrat, we will preserve our republic and build on the enormous success that he, Kamala Harris and their team have had since January 2021. There is only one choice in November’s election…