Former President Donald Trump name-dropped his “weak” and “incompetent” hires as Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo pressed him to explain why he put them in his administration.
Trump, who pledged during his 2016 campaign to surround himself with “the best people,” called ex-Attorney General William Barr “weak and pathetic” and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper “incompetent.” Bartiromo asked him to explain.
“You know, most people were good but I had some people ... I thought we had other people I didn’t like,” said Trump.
“Why did you put them in the job then?” asked Bartiromo of Barr, Esper and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Trump claimed he “didn’t know the people” in Washington.
“I know the people now better than anybody has ever known. The people I know, the good ones, the bad ones, the dumb ones, the smart ones,” said Trump.
Bartiromo stopped him. “You didn’t drain the swamp like you said you would,” she said, “You didn’t drain the swamp.”
“I did, I fired [former FBI director James] Comey, I fired a lot of people. A lot of the people I had, I fired,” Trump replied.
Bartiromo isn’t the first Fox News personality to confront Trump on his 2016 hiring pledge.
Trump, in an interview with Fox’s Bret Baier in June, claimed one of every 10 of his hires were “fantastic” after the host listed former Trump job holders who haven’t backed his 2024 campaign.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has knocked Trump’s hiring skills as well.
“It’s plain and simple: Either Donald Trump doesn’t know how to pick personnel, or he’s the worst manager in the history of the American presidency,” Christie wrote in a tweet.
H/T: Mediaite
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