To Understand How Trump Is Upending Washington, Speak To People From His Past

Forbes

As a businessman, Donald Trump controlled those around him with a mix of charm and intimidation. He follows the same formula in the White House, where he is closer than ever to what he has always craved—total power.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/02/18/to-understand-how-trump-is-upending-washington-speak-to-people-from-his-past/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, to understand how Trump is upending Washington, speak to people from his past.

00:07Donald Trump held court in the Oval Office last week, with exactly the kind of crowd he loves.

00:13The world's richest man at his side, a gaggle of journalists at his foot.

00:18Teeing up a speech from Elon Musk, the president promised to share some shocking discoveries.

00:23He said, quote,

00:25Billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse. I think it's very important.

00:29And that's one of the reasons I got elected. I said we were going to do that.

00:33Nobody had any idea it was that bad, that sick and that corrupt.

00:38In fact, inspectors general, independent watchdogs throughout the government,

00:42have been working for years with the explicit mission of rooting out, quote,

00:46waste, fraud and abuse.

00:48Trump fired a group of them en masse on the evening of January 24th,

00:52kicking off his first weekend back in power with a purge.

00:55The fallout from those dismissals became apparent in the Oval Office last week.

01:00Their jobs are now Musk's job.

01:03Members of Washington's oversight community,

01:05the people who fret about how the government does its business,

01:08have been in a state of bewilderment ever since Trump returned to the White House.

01:12The president storms ahead, appointing loyalists,

01:15wiping out regulations and unilaterally pausing the enforcement of certain laws,

01:20such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,

01:22which bans Americans from paying bribes overseas.

01:25Trump seems unconcerned that Musk wields enormous power

01:29with limited visibility into potential conflicts of interest,

01:32something the Office of Government Ethics generally ensures.

01:35The president fired its director, too.

01:38Richard Painter, who served as George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer, scoffs, quote,

01:44Sort of in-your-face F.U. to ethics.

01:47But nothing about the way Trump has barged back into the White House

01:50surprises those who have known him for decades.

01:53Andrew Weiss, who worked inside the Trump Organization from 1981 to 2017,

01:58laughs and says, quote,

02:13Trump has long been a man of contradictions,

02:16making it difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes him tick.

02:19He is both charming and abrasive, fast to forge connections and quick to cut them,

02:24certain to hold grudges and willing to forgive.

02:27Amid the contradictions, however, lie consistencies,

02:30including his process for exerting control over those around him.

02:34Alan Marcus, who entered Trump's orbit about 30 years ago, says, quote,

02:44He's an impresario.

02:45He should have been the head waiter at the Copacabana, you know.

02:48And he makes you feel good.

02:51And special, even though he uses the same moves on everyone.

02:55This stage of Trump's relationship building

02:57has been on full display over the last few months,

02:59as the president-elect hosted politicians, business tycoons,

03:03and foreign leaders to his private club in Palm Beach,

03:06while naming the lineup of people joining him in Washington,

03:09pouring out praise with the announcements.

03:11Perhaps no one has received quite as much adulation, or access, as Elon Musk.

03:16Marcus says, quote,

03:21And Marcus adds it goes both ways.

03:23He says, quote,

03:34Over time, however, the displays of affection can morph into displays of power.

03:39And Trump sometimes conveys his message of power more bluntly.

03:43Barbara Ress, a former Trump Organization executive, says, quote,

03:50Trump especially likes to apply pressure to people who won't cave to his charm.

03:54Critics often mistake the president as someone who disdains expertise.

03:57In fact, he latches onto expertise when it is ultimately subservient to him.

04:02He has hired sharp, qualified people to work for him throughout his life,

04:05including in the White House.

04:07What he doesn't like are people who are confident enough in their carefully formed views

04:11that they're unwilling to bow to his sometimes uninformed impulses.

04:16For full coverage, check out Dan Alexander's piece on Forbes.com.

04:22This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.

04:37.

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