Tag: Trump need for loyalty

New Veterans Affairs chief plans to reassign, sideline Trump loyalists now in power

The following article by Lisa Rein was posted on the Washington Post website July 29, 2018:

Robert Wilkie is set to be sworn in as President Trump’s Veterans Affairs secretary on Monday. Credit: Carolyn Kaster AP

In one of his first acts as President Trump’s Veterans Affairs secretary, Robert Wilkie intends to reassign several high-ranking political appointees at the center of the agency’s ongoing morale crisis and staffing exodus, according to three people familiar with his plans.

Wilkie, who will be sworn in Monday, wants to form his own leadership team, these people say, and to ease lawmakers’ continued concern that VA, historically a nonpartisan corner of the government, has become highly politicized. He discussed the proposed personnel moves with Trump in recent days aboard Air Force One, while en route to a veterans convention in Kansas City, Mo., said an official close to the White Housewho, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Announcements could come as soon as this week, pending approval from the White House Personnel Office.

View the complete article here.

Trump is making one thing clear: He likes surrounding himself with people who like him

The following article by Amber Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website March 16, 2018:

President Trump announced on March 22 that national security adviser H.R. McMaster will be replaced by former U.N. ambassador John Bolton on April 9. (The Washington Post)

If there’s a clear trend in President Trump’s recent decision to remove key advisers, it’s this: He gets rid of them because he doesn’t get along with them. As he replaces them with people who seem to be more appreciative of his style, it’s apparent that Trump is sharpening his focus on loyalty. But some critics worry that comes at the expense of people who can best do the job.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired because he is too establishment for the president and disagreed with too many of his decisions. They just never clicked, the president acknowledged when he fired him earlier this week. Continue reading “Trump is making one thing clear: He likes surrounding himself with people who like him”