This Is What’s Really Going On In Trump’s White House

First, there was Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury, which gave an inside look into President Donald Trump’s White House and administration and now, there is conservative author Ronald Kessler’s The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game.

Unlike Wolff, Kessler is no adversary of President Trump’s, and in fact, he defends the president against his sexist behavior, Robert Mueller’s Russia Investigation, and even “fake news.” However, even Kessler didn’t discover that everything was peaches and cream in the Trump administration.

According to the author, this is what’s really going on in Trump’s White House — including whether he’ll ever really fire Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (page 5) and the truth about his marriage (page 11).

The woman behind the man

Though numerous sources and photographs suggest that first lady Melania Trump is completely miserable in the White House, Kessler claims that she is the force behind Trump running for president.

He claims that she is a “very powerful behind the scenes force.” During an interview on CNN, he declared, “She got him to run, he was pussy-footing around about running, and she said you have to declare your candidacy and that’s what happened, and he went up in the polls.”

Maybe she thought he wouldn’t actually win?

A disastrous duo

In Wolff’s Fire and Fury, he describes Trump’s daughter, White House advisor Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, as being rather unintelligent and ill-equipped to handle the rules that have been bestowed on them.

Kessler doubles down on that assertion in Changing the Rules of the Game. He reveals that they are responsible for “the most disastrous and foolish decisions of Trump’s presidency.”

Playing government

Apparently, Kushner, who recently had his government security clearance drastically downgraded and is in hot water over dealings in his real estate company, is a complete mess and apparently never paid attention in history or government class.

Kessler explains that Kushner and his wife “had no understanding of how the basic fundamentals of how government works, how a campaign works, how politics works. Most of all, they had no understanding of the political consequences of their actions.”

The hirings and firings

Since his time on The Apprentice, we’ve known that President Trump gets a little kick out of firing folks. During his tenure at the White House, he’s handed out pink slips like tissues during flu season. Apparently, Kushner and Ivanka Trump now have the firing bug, and they’ve been responsible for some of the most notorious hirings and firings of the Trump administration thus far.

Kessler alleges that they were the duo who convinced President Trump to fire former FBI director James Comey which opened a can of worms they weren’t expecting. He also said they, “pushed hiring Anthony Scaramucci, who had to be the most absurd hire in the history of the White House.”

Teflon aids

Despite the fact that Ivanka Trump and Kushner have contributed to the chaos of the government and the White House, Kessler explains that he doesn’t believe the president would ever have the gumption to fire his favorite child and her husband.

Baring some criminal investigation or if the couple bows out on their own, we can expect to see Ivanka Trump and Kushner in the White House for the long haul.

Some very sticky bribes

During their time in the White House, Ivanka Trump and Kushner may have been involved in some even stickier deals that we can imagine.

In her new book Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards accused the couple of offering a deal that bordered on making a bribe. She claims that the couple offered Planned Parenthood more federal funding if they agreed to stop offering abortion services.

She alleges, “In their eyes, if they could stop Planned Parenthood from providing abortions, it would confirm their reputation as savvy dealmakers. It was surreal, essentially being asked to barter away women’s rights for more money.”

Um … did they forget about Roe V. Wade?

A boy in a big house

Though Trump seems to be content with Kushner’s work behind the scenes, he’s kept him out of the spotlight and prevented him from making televised remarks.

In July 2017, Kushner did step up to the podium to address his congressional testimony on that possibility that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Kessler claims that while watching the address, the president remarked, “Look at Jared, he looks like a little boy, like a child.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire

According to Kessler, President Trump is very aware that he bends the truth. In Kessler’s mind, Trump’s aversion to hard facts doesn’t negate the fact that he’s still a good leader.

During an interview with Powerhouse Politics podcast, the author explained, “He knows he’s making up stories, but he thinks it’s all a game. It’s part of his shtick, and we’re going to be stuck with it.”

The No. 1 leaker

We’ve all heard President Trump rant and rave about the various leaks that have come out of the White House. In fact, rumor has it that he’s forced all of his current staffers to sign NDAs to try and stop information from getting out. However, according to Kessler, the number one leaker is actually Trump’s right-hand woman, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway.

In Changing the Rules of the Game Kessler writes, “If you wonder why there are so many leaks out of the White House, one reason is Kellyanne is the number one leaker.” Apparently, Conway often forgets to speak off the record when she vents to journalists and the media. 

Mean and vicious

If you’ve ever watched Conway on any news program, then you know that she isn’t exactly known for her grace and composure. In fact, Kessler reveals that Conway is known for lashing out off camera as well.

In an interview with CNN’s State of the Union, he described, “She said the most mean, cutting and obviously untrue things about Reince [Priebus]. And I didn’t include them in the book because they were so unfair. She also lit into Jared and Ivanka, saying that they leak against Steve Bannon.”

A rock solid marriage

Despite all of the drama happening with Stormy Daniels and all of President Trump’s numerous affairs and sexual allegations, Kessler feels that he and the first lady have a solid marriage. In fact, he believes for whatever reason that it will stand the test of time.

Mrs. Trump has always said that people don’t know her so, what do we know?

An adversary and an ally

Though the first lady apparently rooted for Trump to get into office, it seems like she often disagrees with his policies and is quick to voice her opinions when he says something she doesn’t agree with.

Kessler explained in his CNN interview, “Beyond that she will disagree with him, she will sit in, in meetings with cabinet officers and she will disagree with Trump, her judgment is spectacular.” Oh.

Political tinder

Apparently, the White House also served as a dating app when former Communications Director Hope Hicks was working there. Hicks recently exited after working with Trump since his campaign.

Kessler claims, “Donald Trump has told friends that billionaires are constantly asking him to fix them up with Hicks, who is consumed by her work and until recently, was never seen with a date. Trump says he refuses.”

Interesting.

An anonymous source

We all know that Trump only enjoys news that paints him in a favorable light. In fact, he’s labeled all other reports as “fake news.”

The president is obsessed with positive press and courting reporters to construct a glowing narrative about him and his presidency. According to Kessler, Trump is his own anonymous source. He explained,

Trump phones Maggie Haberman of the New York Times directly, as well as Philip Rucker of the Washington Post, and Jonathan Swan of Axios, feeding them stories attributed to “a senior White House official,” creating the impression the White House leaks even more than it already does. In other cases, the media has picked up reports on what Trump himself has said to his friends.

Apparently, he’s obsessed with getting a favorable story out of the New York Times which he sees as his hometown paper.

One for the history books

Though President Trump has some of the worst ratings of any U.S. president in modern day history, Kessler doesn’t believe any of that actually matters.

He explained, “He will be seen as a great president, just like Reagan, who was dissed by the press, based on results, the record unemployment, getting rid of ISIS. All these tweets and controversies are going to be forgotten long-term.”

Um, OK.

Read more: Reasons Fox News Is President Trump’s Safe Space

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