“Morally Bankrupt” and “Lethally Incompetent”: Former Trump Senior Official Speaks Out in New Anonymous Comments

Michelle HollandNov 17, 2023

Minute Read

An anonymous former Trump senior official has blasted the former president in comments published by Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent at ABC News, in his new book titled “Tired of Winning.”

Karl’s New Book

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Karl’s new book, subtitled “Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party,” analyzes the ways in which Trump’s presidency has shaped Republican Party politics and contains details of his presidency.

The Same Trump?

In a new interview on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki, Karl admitted that elements of Trump’s personality and signs of a potentially problematic nature had been there since he first took office in 2017, claiming that: “He’s always been obsessed with himself, he’s always been willing to lie to prop himself up.”

A Changing Personality

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However, Karl has maintained that the “Donald Trump of 2023 is not the same guy that came into the White House in 2017,” explaining that “he is more divorced from reality, he is more undeterred to do whatever is on his mind.”

Poor Guidance

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Karl elaborated that Trump no longer has counselors protecting him from his most destructive impulses and is simply surrounded by “his most sycophantic supporters” who think he can do no wrong.

Trump’s Laziness

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According to Karl, Trump’s presidency was hindered by the fact that he “couldn’t get the people he appointed to carry out his policies because he couldn’t be bothered to learn how to implement them.” He revealed that a Trump aide would have to google how to write presidential orders.

Coherent Ideas

Karl has warned that there is now “a coherent idea” behind Trump’s re-election campaign — something that he says was not present for Trump’s first term. He has described this as “retribution” and “seeking out his enemies.” He has described Trump’s threats to “root out vermin” on the left as invoking “Nazi imagery.”

The January 6 Aftermath

The book also covers the months following the Trump-led insurrection on January 6, 2021, that stemmed from Trump’s inability to accept the 2020 presidential election results and his persistent claims that it was “stolen” and “rigged”. Six months later, Trump told Karl that he believed he could be reinstated before the 2024 election without explaining how this could occur.

Anonymous Condemnations

A former high-level official for Trump divulged his views on the ex-president anonymously, which Karl publicized in his book. The official described Trump as lacking “any shred of human decency, humility or caring,” before adding that “he is morally bankrupt, breathtakingly dishonest, lethally incompetent, and stunningly ignorant of virtually anything related to governing, history, geography, human events or world affairs.”

“A Traitor and a Malignancy”

He went on to blast Trump as a “traitor and a malignancy in our nation” who “represents a clear and present danger to our democracy and the rule of law.” Karl elaborated that the official served at a “very high level” inside the White House for at least a year.

A Private Stance

Karl noted that the official is not someone who sided with Trump over his stolen election lies but also isn’t someone who has publically come out and denounced Trump since his presidency ended. Karl revealed that the official fears retribution from Trump against him and his family and so has avoided openly speaking out against the former president.

Mixed Reactions

The comments from the anonymous official have generated mixed reactions online. Though most people agreed with the sentiment, others criticized the official for not realizing the problems with Trump earlier and for enabling him through silence.

Too Little, Too Late

One forum commenter wrote: “You know when the best time to speak up would have been, don’t you, sport? F— all these Trump enablers who act like they wouldn’t be right there with him if he’d stayed in power in 2021.” Another person claimed that it has always been obvious that Trump is an awful person, and that they “could have told you that in the 90s, as a child.”

Not a Recent Development

Others agreed that the slew of negative qualities the source listed about Trump are not recent developments in his personality. One person declared that such traits have “been publicly observable and demonstrable for years,” adding that “these traits actually seem to endear his most ardent supporters to him.”

Election Deniers

A different forum user shared that they are “a life-long conservative voter” who is “utterly gobsmacked that this is the Republican front runner,” adding: ” I’d encourage other conservatives to join me in publicly declaring in your various circles that not only will you not vote for Trump, but you will not vote for any election deniers.”

The State of the GOP

“Who is left in the Republican Party that doesn’t fit this bill?” one person asked in response. Other users had difficulty coming up with names of GOP lawmakers who aren’t election deniers, especially among those running in the primaries.

The Media Influence

One poster speculated that anonymous officials coming forward won’t be nearly enough to sway MAGA fanatics away from Trump. “As long as Fox & co tell his supporters a different story, they won’t believe it,” they said, referring to Fox News’ strong pro-Trump attitudes.

Accusations of Cowardice

Many users accused the source of being a coward for not speaking up about Trump while he was still in office. “Think of all honest political opponents over the years in Russia, Nazi Germany, Syria, Iran, Iraq, China, etc. who spoke out against tyranny despite the obvious danger to themselves and their families with both paying the ultimate price for their efforts,” one contributor declared, slamming the anonymous official for speaking the truth “behind a nice wall of secrecy and comfort.”