Of all the jobs a person could hold under Donald Trump, it’s hard to decide which one would be the most demeaning. Would it be the Diet Coke valet who’s occasionally asked to weigh in on how to overturn an election? His personal lawyer-turned-international laughingstock? His perpetually annoyed wife?
Based on a recent revelation from The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, the correct answer is: part of the team of aides who are paid to follow the former president around his golf course and read him tweets or any other online stories that are pro-Trump (which clearly takes some serious online excavation skills).
As Mediaite reports, Haberman spoke with multiple sources who confirmed that Trump is partly powered by positive reinforcement — like a puppy you’re attempting to potty train. She did not offer much more in the way of details, including just how many aides are forced to endure this kind of humiliation. But given Trump’s obsessive need for constant validation, the news was hardly shocking.
As Trump has been out of office over the last 20 mos,a rotating cast of aides has been tasked with following him around the golf course at the club he's at and giving him positive reinforcement from Twitter and wherever else they find it on the web, per ppl told of the practice.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 20, 2022
As Mediaite noted, Puck reporter Tara Palmeri replied to Haberman’s tweet, noting how similar the story sounded to one she had written for Politico way back in 2017.
Reminds me of this story I wrote early on into his term about aides feeding him a diet of positive news https://t.co/FSv0E2aHUa
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) September 20, 2022
In the article, Palmeri spoke with six former Trump team members who claimed that there was a very big push to keep the then-president off of Twitter and instead “ensure that his personal media consumption includes a steady stream of praise. And when no such praise was to be found, staff would turn to friendly outlets to drum some up — and make sure it made its way to Trump’s desk.”
(Via Mediaite)