last updated: 30 August 2018 (approximate reading time: 3 minutes; 430 words)
In case you haven’t already read, Trump fired Donald F. McGahn II today, in what should surprise noone, a tweet. The real surprise is that he remained with the Trump administration for as long as he did.
First of all, McGahn was known as one of the few senior advisors who would stand up to Trump. From a governing perspective, this is a good thing. A good leader benefits from wide-ranging, candid advice from advisors and staff. But that has never been the case with Trump.
Following from the above, Trump values loyalty above all else, and McGahn had been cooperating with the Mueller investigation. Trump had said that this was with his blessing, but it’s unclear if Trump understood just how much cooperation McGahn would be giving (30 hours of testimony). Maybe Trump figured that his lawyer would just say a couple things and throw Mueller off of Trump? Who knows. But reports say that Trump was livid.
Moreover, Trump keeps Rudy Giuliani on as counsel, despite the fact that he very frequently talks before thinking which results in either more heat for Trump (such as practically admitting collusion, then saying it doesn’t matter) and uttering such gems as “truth isn’t truth” and the like.
So why fire a measured, rational adviser who serves his role well but keep on a loose cannon who is arguably losing his grip on reality? Clearly, because Trump is more interested in sycophants and loyalists than talent. I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t tell you why. I have some ideas though:
For those hoping to witness Trump fail and fall spectacularly, this firing is both another example of his failure, and fuels hopes for that fall.
If good governance is your goal, the firing of a qualified and competent advisor is never a good thing, or one to get excited about. McGahn likely did not have much of an impact on Trump’s policies, but now there’s even fewer people in the White House willing to stand up to him. And considering there’s currently no talk of impeachment or Trump quitting, that means that there will be less quality advice available to him, even if he never takes that advice. And that’s not a good thing.
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