During the transition, in what looks like, in hindsight, as a preview of the presidency, a Trump aide had the idea to print the detailed checklist of Obama’s campaign promises from the official White House website for reuse as a sort of hit list, according to two people familiar with the effort.
“This is personal for Trump; It’s about President Obama and demolishing his legacy. It is his obsession, “said Omarosa Manigault Newman, a veteran” apprentice “and, until his abrupt departure, one of the few black officials in Trump’s west wing.” President Obama will not be able to rest while Trump breathes. “
When the two men met for a post-forced meeting in November 2016, the president-elect was courteous, so Obama took the opportunity to advise him not to burn at Obamacare. Look, you can take my name from him; I don’t care, ”he said, according to attendees.
Trump nodded without compromising.
As the transition progressed, Obama became increasingly uneasy at what he saw as the carefree indifference of the new president and his inexperienced team. Many of them ignored the information folders their staff had painstakingly produced under their direction, former Obama aides recalled, and instead of focusing on west wing politics or operation, they asked about the quality of the studs in the basement disaster or where to find them. A good department.
As for Trump, “I had no idea what he was doing,” Obama told an aide after his meeting in the Oval Office.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, made an equally indelible impression. During a tour of the building, he asked abruptly, “So how many of these people are staying?”
The answer was none, his escort replied. (West Wing officials serve the president’s liking, as Trump would amply illustrate in the coming months.)
