Ronald Kessler, author of The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game, spoke with SiriusXM host Rebecca Mansour on Breitbart News Tonight on Monday, stating that President Donald Trump “wants to be loved” while enjoying “sticking it to anyone who gets in his way.”
Kessler said Trump mocked “blue bloods” and the “old guard” of Palm Beach, Florida, in an interview for his 1999 book, The Season: The Secret Life of Palm Beach and America’s Richest Society.
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Kessler recalled, “When I flew down with him — I’ve known him for two decades, and Melania, as well — to write a book on Palm Beach called The Season: Inside Palm Beach and America’s Richest Society, two decades ago, he imitated the nasal-constricted tones of the blue bloods, the old guard in Palm Beach condemning his club, Mar-a-Lago, because it admits blacks and Jews, and to this day, some clubs in Palm Beach will not admit blacks or Jews. He said, ‘I want to be loved, and I enjoy sticking it to them.’ That sort of sums it up with Donald. He wants to be loved, and he enjoys sticking it to anyone who gets in his way.”
Kessler contrasted the public and private personas of the president. He said, “Donald Trump likes to project a tough guy image, so he doesn’t want people to know that he has a compassionate side, for example–that he will hand out $100 bills to workmen or janitors moving furniture.”
Kessler said Trump’s previous “top aide” confirmed the duality of Trump. He stated, “I interviewed Norma Foerderer, who was his top aide for 26 years. When she joined the organization, there were only seven other employees, so she knew him better than anybody on both the business and social side, and she said there are two Donald Trumps. One is the one you see on TV who makes these often outrageous comments to get attention for his brand and now, for the presidency. Then there’s the other Trump — the real Trump that insiders know — who is just the opposite. He’s very thoughtful. He listens. He makes decisions carefully. That sort of sums up what we’re seeing with Trump.”
According to Kessler, Trump seeks to be the “center of attention” as part of a broader political strategy. He remarked, “[Trump] wants to be the center of attention, and that gives him more power. If he’s the number one subject of the news [and] conversation every single day, foreign leaders want to gravitate towards him [and] CEOs want to be with him. That empowers him, and that is how he makes deals, on the one hand with a carrot and on the other hand with a stick.”
Kessler analyzed the president’s appeal to his supporters, saying, “I think the public, especially working class people, appreciate results. And that’s what you see with Trump. … My home contractor said, ‘I don’t care what he says. I just care about what he does,’ and that is the kind of common sense that Trump appreciates.”
Kessler added that Trump “asks chambermaids and Secret Service agents” and his “dozens” of “billionaire friends” about political matters.
Kessler also said that Trump “will be seen as one of the greatest presidents based on the results, both on the economy and foreign affairs,” adding, “I believe he will be elected as a second term president.”
Breitbart News Tonight broadcasts live Monday through Friday on SiriusXM’s Patriot channel 125 from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Eastern (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pacific).
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter @rkraychik.
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