Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

Here’s Trump Trashing 12 Of His “Best People” Who Then Spoke Out Against Him

From Jeff Sessions to John Bolton, the president has insisted he only hires "the best people." He tends to change his mind and insult them when they leave.
1. Trump on John Bolton

April 19, 2018: "I think he's going to be a fantastic representative of our team. He's highly respected by everybody in this room."

June 18, 2020: "Wacko John Bolton’s 'exceedingly tedious' (New York Times) book is made up of lies & fake stories. Said all good about me, in print, until the day I fired him. A disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war. Never had a clue, was ostracized & happily dumped. What a dope!"


2. Trump on Steve Bannon
Nov. 23, 2016: "I know the guy, he's a decent guy, he's a very smart guy. He's done a good job."

Jan. 3, 2018: "Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican party.

"Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn’t as easy as I make it look. Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country. Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn’t represent my base — he’s only in it for himself.

"Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well. Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books."


3. Trump on John Kelly
Feb. 8, 2017: "General Kelly is an extremely talented man and a very good man -- now Secretary Kelly, Homeland Security. ... He's a great man."

Feb. 13, 2020: "When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn’t do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being Chief of Staff just wasn’t for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many X’s, he misses the action & just can’t keep his mouth shut."


4. Trump on James Mattis

Jan. 27, 2017: "Secretary Mattis devoted his life to serving his country. He's a man of honor, a man of devotion, and a man of total action."

June 3, 2020: "Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about it. His nickname was 'Chaos', which I didn’t like, & changed to 'Mad Dog'... His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations. I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom 'brought home the bacon'. I didn’t like his 'leadership' style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!"


5. Trump on Omarosa Manigault Newman
Dec. 14, 2017: "I like Omarosa. Omarosa is a good person."

Aug. 31, 2019: "Yes, I am currently suing various people for violating their confidentiality agreements. Disgusting and foul mouthed Omarosa is one. I gave her every break, despite the fact that she was despised by everyone, and she went for some cheap money from a book."


6. Trump on Gary Cohn
June 21, 2017 (discussing Cohn and Secretary Wilbur Ross): "These are people that are great, brilliant business minds."

Oct. 11, 2018: “Gary Cohn, I could tell stories about him like you wouldn’t believe.”


7. Trump on Jeff Sessions
Feb. 9, 2017: "He has devoted his life to the cause of justice and believes deeply that all people are equals in the eyes of the law - and very importantly for Jeff and for so many of us, also in the eyes of God.

"He’s a man of integrity, a man of principle, and a man of total, utter resolve. You just got a little witnessing of that. That resolve is what we need right now. America faces many challenges. We face the menace of rising crime and the threat of deadly terror. And it’s not getting better, but it will get better very soon. It’s going to get a lot better.

"These dangerous times require a determined attorney general, which is what Jeff is."

May 24, 2020: "Jeff Sessions was a disaster as attorney general. Should have never been attorney general, was not qualified. He's not mentally qualified to be attorney general. He was the biggest problem."


8. Trump on Rex Tillerson
April 12, 2017: "I also want to acknowledge the great work being done by our Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to strengthen the NATO Alliance, as well as the Secretary's trip to Moscow to promote the security interest of the United States and its allies. He did a terrific job. Just watched parts of it - an absolutely terrific job."

May 23, 2019: "Rex Tillerson...didn't have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell."


9. Trump on Anthony Scaramucci
July 21, 2017: “Anthony is a person I have great respect for, and he will be an important addition to this Administration. He has been a great supporter and will now help implement key aspects of our agenda while leading the communications team."

Aug. 19, 2019: "Anthony Scaramucci is a highly unstable 'nut job' who was with other candidates in the primary who got shellacked, & then unfortunately wheedled his way into my campaign. I barely knew him until his 11 days of gross incompetence-made a fool of himself, bad on TV. Abused staff, got fired. Wrote a very nice book about me just recently. Now the book is a lie? Said his wife was driving him crazy, 'something big' was happening with her. Getting divorced. He was a mental wreck. We didn’t want him around. Now Fake News puts him on like he was my buddy!"


10. Trump on Dan Coats
July 18, 2018: "He's been doing a very good job. I have tremendous faith in Dan Coats."

May 24, 2020: "I'm so disappointed that Dan Coats didn't do his job ... Dan Coats was a big mistake."


11. Trump on James Comey
April 12, 2017: "I have confidence in him."

April 13, 2018: "James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and untruthful slimeball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst "botch jobs" of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!"


12. Trump on Michael Cohen
Jan. 11, 2017: "Michael Cohen is a very talented lawyer. He's a good lawyer in my firm."

Aug. 22, 2018: "If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!"

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Concerns Mount Over Potential Saudi Uranium Enrichment in Prospective US Nuclear Accord
Trump Directs Government to Release UFO and Alien Information
Trump Signs Global 10% Tariffs on Imports
Investability Emerges as the Defining Test of Saudi Arabia’s Next Market Phase
Saudi Arabia’s Packaging Market Accelerates as Sustainability and E-Commerce Drive Transformation
Saudi Arabia’s Strategic Minerals Drive Offers Lessons for Europe’s Supply Chain Ambitions
Saudi Arabia Unveils $32 Billion Push Into Theme Parks and Global Entertainment
Saudi Crude Exports to India Climb Sharply, Closing Gap With Russia
Saudi Arabia’s Halal Cosmetics Market Expands as Faith and Ethical Beauty Drive Growth
United Kingdom Denies U.S. Access to Military Base for Potential Iran Strike
ImmunityBio Secures Saudi Partnerships to Launch Flagship Cancer Therapy
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Launch Expanded Renewable Energy Partnership
US Supreme Court Voids Trump’s Emergency Tariff Plan, Reshaping Trade Power and Fiscal Risk
UK Intensifies Efforts to Secure Saudi Investment in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Programme
Saudi Arabia Tops Middle East Green Building Rankings with Record Growth in 2025
Qatar and Saudi Arabia Each Commit One Billion Dollars to President Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Initiative
Ramadan 2026 Prayer Times Set as Fasting Begins in Saudi Arabia and Egypt Announces Dates
Saudi Arabia Launches Ramadan 2026 Hotel Campaign to Boost Religious and Leisure Tourism
Saudi Arabia Seeks Reroute of Greece-Bound Fibre-Optic Cable Through Syria Instead of Israel
Saudi-Backed Scopely Acquires Majority Stake in Turkey’s Loom Games to Expand Mobile Portfolio
Zodiac Milpro Launches Zid Marine Joint Venture in Saudi Arabia to Expand Regional Shipbuilding
Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Reform Path Amid Claims of Ideological Reversal
Calls Grow for Saudi Arabia and UAE to Settle Differences Through Direct Dialogue
Jensen Huang just told the story of how Elon Musk became NVIDIA’s very first customer for their powerful AI supercomputer
British couple sentenced to 10 years in Iran for espionage
Former British Prince Andrew Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office
Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing showcases future robot deployment during Spring Festival Gala.
Prince William Holds Talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman During Saudi Visit
Saudi Arabia’s Humain Commits $3 Billion Investment to Elon Musk’s xAI
SCOPA Executive Unveils Ambitious Relaunch Strategy for Saudi Production Company
Saudi Arabia Sees Rise in Business Visa Rejections Amid Tighter Compliance Checks
Saudi PIF Transfers Take-Two Stake to Savvy Games Group in Strategic Gaming Push
Jimmy Carr Says He ‘Loved’ Saudi Arabia Show Amid Debate Over Performing in the Kingdom
Sotheby’s ‘Origins II’ Auction Signals Saudi Collectors’ Shift Toward Cultural Legacy
EY and Microsoft Deepen Saudi Arabia Partnership with Launch of EY Studio+
Google Pay Launches Support for Mastercard Cards in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Bolsters Maritime Surveillance Fleet with Four C-27J Patrol Aircraft
Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia Deepen Strategic Partnership with New Investment and Energy Agreements
Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Message from Kazakhstan’s President Amid Expanding Strategic Ties
ImmunityBio Shares Rise After Saudi Arabia BCG Manufacturing Update Spurs Investor Optimism
Global Music Star Tyla Confirmed as Headliner at 2026 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Entertainment Lineup
Somalia and Saudi Arabia Forge New Military Partnership Amid Regional Power Shifts
Saudi Arabia and Several Nations Criticize Israeli West Bank Land Measures as Diplomatic Tensions Rise
Saudi Public Investment Fund Transfers Stake in Take-Two Interactive as Portfolio Strategy Evolves
Saudi Arabia’s Flagship Defense Expo Highlights Industrial Ambitions and Expanding Arms Portfolio
Strategic Divergence Deepens as Saudi Arabia and UAE Recalibrate Gulf Partnership
Saudi Arabia Confirms Start of Ramadan as Crescent Moon Sighted, While Other Nations Begin a Day Later
Rubio Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform, Saying It Has Failed to End Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
10,000 Condoms Distributed at Winter Olympics 2026 Athlete Village Depleted Within 72 Hours
Prince William Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Epstein-Andrew Fallout Casts Shadow
×