In a tense interview on Fox News, host Bret Baier confronted former President Donald Trump with a lengthy list of former staffers who no longer support him or had been subjected to attacks and ridicule by the former president. Baier referred back to Trump’s promise during his 2016 campaign to appoint “really great, strong people” to his administration.
As Baier read out the names of Trump’s former staffers who had either turned against him or faced his criticism, the network displayed the words “I Know the Best People” on the screen. Baier mentioned Vice President Mike Pence, who is now running against Trump, as well as former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and former Attorney General Bill Barr, among others. Baier highlighted Barr’s statement that Trump should not be president again and referred to Trump’s recent insult of calling Barr a “gutless pig.”
Baier continued listing former staffers who had received negative comments from Trump, including Defense Secretaries, White House Chief of Staffs, and other members of his administration. Baier questioned Trump about why he had hired these individuals in the first place, given his subsequent criticisms of them.
Trump responded by asserting that he had hired many fantastic individuals, claiming a ratio of “ten that love us” for every one mentioned by Baier. He suggested that former staffers changed their opinions about him for financial gain, pointing to former White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah joining The View and Barr writing a book as examples.
The interview underscored the tension between Trump and several of his former associates, highlighting their public disagreements and the criticism they have voiced against the former president. Baier’s questioning touched on the credibility of Trump’s claim to have selected the best people for his administration and the subsequent fallout with many of them.
This time, your Vice President Mike Pence is running against you. Your ambassador of the United Nations Nikki Haley, she’s running against you. Your former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he’s not supporting you. You mentioned national security adviser John Bolton, he’s not supporting you either. You mentioned Attorney General Bill Barr, says you shouldn’t be president again, calls you a “consummate narcissist” and “troubled man.”
You recently called Barr a “gutless pig.” Your second Defense Secretary is not supporting you, called you “irresponsible.” This week, you… called your White House Chief of Staff John Kelly “weak and ineffective” and “born with a very small brain.” You called your acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney a “born loser.”
You called your first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “dumb as a rock” and your first Defense Secretary James Mattis “the world’s most overrated general.” You called your White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany “milktoast,” and multiple times you’ve referred to your Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao as Mitch McConnell’s “China-loving wife.” So why did you hire all of them in the first place?
