John Kelly Misunderstands Trump

John Kelly says he warned Trump before he left: “Whatever you do, don’t hire a ‘yes man,’ someone who won’t tell you the truth — don’t do that. Because if you do, I believe you will be impeached.” https://t.co/QNCtU65ZOB

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) October 26, 2019

They do say the saddest words are "might have been", but I think this bit from former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is also pretty pity-worthy:

"That was almost 11 months ago, and I have a lot of, to say the least, second thoughts about leaving," Kelly said. "It pains me to see what's going on because I believe if I was still there o someone like me was there, he would not be, kind of, all over the place."

The sad thing about that is that Kelly seems to be holding himself responsible, or believes that other people ought to be responsible, for reigning in Trump's worst impulses. It's a fallacy that Trump does not fail, but is being failed at every turn, that, as former NJ Governor Chris Christie has put it, Trump has been "ill-served" by the people around him. Trump promised that his government would be staffed with "the best people", and yet, we've seen an extraordinary turnover in staff in just one term, and Trump often indicates afterward that these were not, in fact, the best people.

At the end of the day, can't anyone just admit Trump's biggest problem is Trump? That a man we're going to entrust with the highest executive office should not need fucking baby-sitters? It isn't Kelly's fault, or even Mulvaney's fault that Trump is in the position he is. It isn't even the fault of the thousands of people who blew smoke up Trump's ass over the years and made him think he's the Pope.

Trump is Trump's problem. He's a grown man who can't hear the word "no", who needs happy news about himself to keep his mood elevated, and demanded the subscriptions of certain newspapers for federal agencies be cancelled.

How would Trump even know a person was a "yes" man? Wouldn't a person who always agreed with him just simply be "right"? Bear witness to what Trump considers the real story:

And the White House @PressSec Stephanie Grisham responded to former chief of staff John Kelly with a blistering comment. “I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) October 26, 2019

"The genius of our great President." The "stable genius"? That statement from Grisham might as well have been dictated by the Dictator himself.

No. Trump would never have taken such advice as Kelly wanted to give about staying out of trouble and avoiding impeachment. A person whose cabinet meetings consist of his advisors praising him isn't looking for this kind of advice. If Kelly didn't leave under his own steam, he'd have been forced out, and someone like "cool step-dad" Mick Mulvaney would have always been ready to step in. Trump is not a toddler, but is habitually treated like one, even unto the latest item of fixing policy in Syria to "guarding the oil" because it met up with Trump's ill-formed obsessions.

Even Lassie would have let this dotard stay down in the well (like a dog!). Trump doesn't need saving. We need saving from him.