clif

Quotes I highlighted from Wolff’s book on trump’s first term, most of them quotes from trump or people in his orbit that came up in interviews for the book.

“I don’t get it,” Trump said.

Of course the United States manufactured things, but reality did not match the vision in Trump’s mind.

“I just do,” Trump replied. “I’ve had these views for 30 years. That doesn’t mean they’re right,”

It was clear Trump had no clue what that was or who Porter was.

As far as Porter was concerned Navarro was a member of the Flat Earth Society on trade deficits, like the president himself.

No answers were forthcoming. But Trump soon forgot his questions.

“I don’t want to hear that,” Trump replied. “It’s all bullshit.”

Trump seemed not to comprehend the value and the necessity.

The president was speaking as if the U.S. military was a mercenary force for hire.

“He’s a fucking moron,” Tillerson said so everyone heard.

Cohn concluded that Trump was, in fact, going backwards.

It seems clear that many of the president’s senior advisers, especially those in the national security realm, are extremely concerned with his erratic nature, his relative ignorance, his inability to learn, as well as what they consider his dangerous views

"I can’t sit around and listen to this from the president. He’s just a moron.”

It was clearly Russian propaganda, McMaster said. He and the NSC and intelligence experts had concluded that. But the president had picked it up and shot it out.

Trump seemed not to remember his own decision because he did not ask about it. He had no list—in his mind or anywhere else—of tasks to complete.

“The president has zero psychological ability to recognize empathy or pity in any way.”

Trump had no understanding of how government functioned.

Trump liked signing. It meant he was doing things,

The president thought special assistant sounded a lot better, not realizing it was an even lower position.

Kelly said of the president, “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in crazytown."

“Can we change the libel laws?” Trump asked

He had told the West Wing staff and even some on the Hill that the president didn’t understand what DACA was, that he was ignorant of both the policy and the mechanics.

The president can’t do this on his own, he’d told West Wing colleagues, because if he does it on his own, he’s going to screw it up.

“He’s a professional liar.”

“Mr. President, I cannot, as a lawyer, as an officer of the court, sit next to you and have you answer these questions when I full well know that you’re not really capable.”

He could not say what he knew was true: “You’re a fucking liar.” That was the problem.