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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
Donald Trump’s former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, says the president of the United States does not like to lose and is unlikely to concede defeat to Joe Biden.
Mulvaney said Control It was also unlikely that Trump would attend Biden’s inauguration.
The acting president has been tweeting a storm, abruptly firing his defense secretary, claiming that Wisconsin and Georgia look good for him, and repeating unsubstantiated claims of fraud in Pennsylvania’s tally.
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Mulvaney is now America’s special envoy to Northern Ireland. He was previously Trump’s acting chief of staff in the White House.
He said Control Trump’s political future would be entangled with his business future.
“Many of us expect the president to get into the television business to begin with, for lack of a better word, what we call ‘Trump TV’ to compete with, says Fox News.
“The president discovered a long time ago that there are five or six networks in the middle of our nation that are kind of a center-left, and a network competing for everyone from the center to the right. So I think that one will do it.
“I don’t know if that leaves him out of the picture for 2024, I don’t think it will. In fact, I think I could use that as a way to stay relevant until 2024 and get back to racing.
Steve Helber / AP
Mulvaney, who has played golf with Trump many times, attests to his disgust at losing.
“The president doesn’t like to lose, he won’t like to have this … hypothetical loss on his resume, and it’s certainly very difficult to argue that you’re a great president if you’re a one-term president, so I think the interest I would have in running in 2024 could be quite significant.
“Don’t discount the fact that he would be about the same age in four years as Joe Biden is now, so it’s certainly not out of the question.”
Mulvaney said Control believes that Trump is capable of running again for the US presidency.
“I think he’s going to try to figure out where he has the most influence and the most effect, the most power. Is that control of a media network, a media empire maybe four years from now? Or will he run for president again for a second? time?
“Considering that a win in 2024, in theory, would erase a lot of damage done to that resume, if you lost this year. So the president doesn’t like to lose. He really, really doesn’t like to lose and I think he likes it. lose less than you like to make money. “
Mulvaney has played golf with Trump many times, but said it was very rare to see the outgoing president lose on the course.
Steve Helber / AP
Donald Trump’s former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, says the president of the United States does not like to lose and is unlikely to concede defeat to Joe Biden.
“I never hit him, which is interesting to me, and everyone always asks me if I let him hit me. And I was quick to point out that Donald Trump doesn’t hire people who allow other people to hit them on anything.
“He doesn’t take it very well. I’ve only seen him get beaten a couple of times, given that they are matches with touring professionals. We played, I think, Louis Oosthuizen once and Louis shot 62. Not possible for the president to hit him in that level, but still didn’t like it much.
“He’s a very, very competitive person. And I think that will drive what he does next.
“I putt one day to tie it when I was, I think, in the Office of Management and Budget; I was the director at the time. The president and I met through golf, I was on the cabinet when I ran the budget office. , the president discovered that I had a single digit disadvantage, like him, so I played with him from time to time.
“I remember one day I made a 15-foot shot on the last hole to tie. And I don’t think he spoke to me for two days after that.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Mulvaney says it would now be a tight circle around Trump as the final votes were being counted and the leadership transition looming.
“America has a saying: ‘Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.’ We don’t count well enough to lose in this country and I’m sure Donald Trump is first on the list of people who don’t.
“I was playing with him one time in Bedminster, I have about eight handicap and he five … I had it on hand, and I walked up to him, I patted him on the back and I said ‘okay, man, you I caught today. Today is the day I caught you, I’m going to beat you today ‘
“He says, ‘You don’t have a chance.’ And he ended up birdie, par, birdie at the Bedminster Club.
“This is the same club that will host the PGA Championship in 2022, I think. It is a real golf course.
“And I tell people that when you hit him in the middle, 250 yards like he does every time he plays well, you hit him 15 feet and putt, there aren’t many opportunities to cheat.”
Mulvaney said it would now be a tight circle around Trump as the final votes were being counted and the leadership transition looming.
“This is not just the ordinary circle, the ordinary circle would include people like me before in the position of Chief of Staff, currently Mark Meadows, but I really believe that given the intensity of the situation, the seriousness of the situation, you have seen that the circle tightens.
“Now it’s going to be a very small universe of people: Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, Ivanka, his eldest daughter, his two sons Don Jr and Eric, his wife Melania, and then a very small group of people who have advised him and have been close to him over the course of 30 years.
“These would be entrepreneurs from New York City; for example, Carl Icahn comes to mind.”
Mulvaney said he had seen Trump multiple times during the campaign.
“I try not to call him too much, simply because Mark Meadows is a good friend of mine and I don’t think it is institutionally wise for me to continue to have that constant contact with the president, because people may perceive it as at the expense of Mark Meadows.
“Mark and I are good friends, I talk to Mark more than I talk to the president.”
Trump likely would not specifically give in to Biden, Mulvaney said.
“I can see him giving a speech that says, ‘It seems I lost, I still think I won. I’m going to go quietly and gracefully. ‘
“But for the words to come out of his mouth: ‘I award this race to Joe Biden.’ … I’d be surprised to see that.
“Concessions don’t really mean anything in our system, other than how things look. They have absolutely zero legal implications. Even if … Joe Biden admitted tonight that it would mean nothing, he would still be where he is.” at the polls and the count “.
Mulvaney said he’s not worried about the widespread layoffs in the West Wing in the coming weeks.
“The president and Esper didn’t get along for the past few months, completely within the president’s jurisdiction and the power to make a replacement.
“I’m not too concerned that these late changes will have a real impact on our ability, let’s say, to defend ourselves, but there may be a couple more people to go.”
When asked what it’s like to be fired by Trump, Mulvaney said he didn’t know.
“I got the job I wanted to start. The President offered me the position of Chief of Staff when I walked into his office to ask to serve as a special envoy to Northern Ireland.
“He said, ‘No, six months, come and fix the place here, we’ll make you chief of staff. After that, you can go to Northern Ireland. ‘
“So I got the job I wanted. I have to help pick my replacement and my good friend Mark Meadows took that job.
“And I also got lifetime golf privileges at Trump properties around the world, so it wasn’t a bad deal.
“The answer is, I don’t know what it’s like to be fired by Donald Trump, but if that’s being fired, it’s not a bad experience.”
Mulvaney said Control He wouldn’t be surprised if Trump didn’t attend Biden’s inauguration.
“That’s not his nature. I think, if anything, he could give a speech that says, ‘This is it, everyone says I lost. I still think I won, but I get it, I’m going, I’m going.’ wish Biden good luck, but don’t write me off for four years. ‘”
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
