“All the Best People” recounts the turmoil and disorientation of “Trump I” through the experiences of Trump’s chosen insiders. They had no axe to grind. To the contrary: They came to proudly serve his administration.
Having had front-row seats, they bore witness to Trump’s profound contempt for everyday Americans, his fawning admiration for ruthless dictators and his gold-plated delusions of grandeur.
Ex-President Trump hailed General John Kelly as “a star,” first as Secretary of Homeland Security, then as White House Chief of Staff. Kelly came away from his service viewing Trump as the “most flawed person” he’s ever met.
No one was more loyal to former President Trump than his Vice President, Mike Pence. But when Pence resisted pressure to falsely declare Trump President in 2020, Trump unleashed his MAGA hooligans with a gallows and a chant of “Hang Mike Pence.”
Ex-President Trump picked Stephanie Grisham, an enthusiastic supporter, as White House Press Secretary. Grisham observed Trump close up and concluded he is dangerous con man who cannot be trusted with our nation’s security or interests.
Ex-President Trump appointed Chris Krebs to head up the Department of Homeland Security team in charge of election security. Krebs concluded the 2020 election was the most secure in U.S. history, for which he was fired by Trump.
As a top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, Cassidy Hutchinson had a front row seat to President Trump. She came away alarmed at what she witnessed.
With much fanfare, ex-President Trump appointed General Mark Milley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, only to later call for Milley’s execution.
Ex-President Trump’s top Russia advisor, Fiona Hill, came to see that Trump admires Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders and aspires to wield that much power for himself.
Former President Trump appointed Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense, replacing General James Mattis, who had denounced Trump as a threat to the Constitution. Esper came to agree with Mattis.
Alyssa Farah Griffin was ex-President Trump’s Communications Director. She witnessed Trump privately acknowledge that he lost the election but he continued to lie about it publicly, leading to the riot, injuries and deaths on January 6, 2021.
Ex-President Trump picked a major campaign contributor, Gordon Sondland, to serve as his representative to Europe. When Trump sought to pressure Ukraine into announcing it was investigating Joe Biden, Sondland acknowledged to Congress, Yes, it was “a quid pro quo”: Ukraine had to announce it was investigating Biden in order to receive funds Congress allocated to resist Putin’s invasion.
Ex-President Trump hailed William Barr as his new Attorney General. And while Barr shocked the legal community with his extreme views on the scope of presidential power and by his obedience to Trump, even Barr could not bring himself to endorse Trump’s phony claims of election fraud. And that’s when Trump fired him, leaving in his wake “carnage.”
Donald Trump has no closer allies in the U.S. Senate than Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and his VP, J.D Vance. What do they really think of him?
