I got to know him very well, working very closely with him for more than 10years, as his Executive Vice President and Special Counsel and thenpersonal attorney when he became President. When I first met Mr. Trump,he was a successful entrepreneur, a real estate giant, and an icon. Beingaround Mr. Trump was intoxicating. When you were in his presence, youfelt like you were involved in something greater than yourself -- that youwere somehow changing the world.
I wound up touting the Trump narrative for over a decade. That was my job.Always stay on message. Always defend. It monopolized my life. At first, Iworked mostly on real estate developments and other businesstransactions. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump brought me into his personal lifeand private dealings. Over time, I saw his true character revealed.Mr. Trump is an enigma. He is complicated, as am I. He has both good andbad, as do we all. But the bad far outweighs the good, and since takingoffice, he has become the worst version of himself. He is capable ofbehaving kindly, but he is not kind. He is capable of committing acts ofgenerosity, but he is not generous. He is capable of being loyal, but he isfundamentally disloyal.
Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great, not tomake our country great. He had no desire or intention to lead this nation –only to market himself and to build his wealth and power. Mr. Trump wouldoften say, this campaign was going to be the “greatest infomercial inpolitical history.” He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win thegeneral election. The campaign – for him – was always a marketingopportunity.
