He has made the cardinal error in Trump world - never outshine the boss. Anyone who ever does that, as some found in his first term, are always, repeat always, axed. You can be as dumb as you want once you don't damage Trump's reputation. But never be too smart or intelligent or too competent. The moment Trump hears other people saying how good you are at negotiations, or how you are handling something superbly, you are a dead man or woman walking.
Trump may be the dumbest US president in history, nobody can risk coming across as more intelligent and competent than him. You must be his inferior to stay in his regime.
Other presidents, like FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, both Bush presidents, etc. were perfectly happy to have brilliant people around them. They did not care if they were outshone. They presumed they would bask in praise for having had the intelligence to choose such a person. And they very often did.
Not Trump though. He must be the dominant one, the star. If anyone else basks in praise, they are a rival and must be cut out as a cancer. That was the case with Trump in business too. He could have brilliant staff, and did occasionally, but they had to take extreme care never to let Trump know they were brilliant, even when they were negotiating with banks to save him from bankruptcy.
Their terror was that some journalist would write about them, or call them 'the power behind Trump's throne', or 'Trump's brain.' One good newspaper headline, and you were told. One journalist described someone who worked with Trump literally in tears pleading with her not to write about him.
Rubio's cardinal error has been to demonstrate that unlike Trump is is competent, well-read, knowledgeable and professional, and getting headlines praising him. When Trump sent him out to stand-in for his spokesperson a week or two ago it was a sign to those who know Trump that Trump was setting up Rubio for the sack. He was testing to see whether would decline with suitable grovelling, or take the bait. Rubio took the bait, becoming the centre of attention. Trump raged at the praise Rubio got.
Bannon knew the moment a newspaper called him "Trump's brain" that he was toast. Mattis was warned when he began getting good headlines to "watch your back! Don't overshadow the boss." Pompeo was not merely banned from being in the second administration, but anyone close to him was banned from it, simply because Pompeo was seen as too competent in the first administration.
The task of Trump's staff is simple. Always come across as less competent, less able, less knowledgeable, than Trump. Given how stupid Trump is, and his staff all know it, trying to come across as stupider and less able than the President is a tough order for anyone intelligent.
Usually, when Trump fires someone for overshadowing him, he tries to do it in the most humiliating way possible. He may convince them to submit a resignation, then announce before that resignation is announced that he has fired them, then say they were dumb, stupid, incompetent, and an idiot. If they had a military background, he will try to strip their pension off them, or demote their rank. Trump's mob of supporters on social media will target them for reputation destruction.
The only issue is when, not if, Rubio is fired.
Trump may be the dumbest US president in history, nobody can risk coming across as more intelligent and competent than him. You must be his inferior to stay in his regime.
Other presidents, like FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, both Bush presidents, etc. were perfectly happy to have brilliant people around them. They did not care if they were outshone. They presumed they would bask in praise for having had the intelligence to choose such a person. And they very often did.
Not Trump though. He must be the dominant one, the star. If anyone else basks in praise, they are a rival and must be cut out as a cancer. That was the case with Trump in business too. He could have brilliant staff, and did occasionally, but they had to take extreme care never to let Trump know they were brilliant, even when they were negotiating with banks to save him from bankruptcy.
Their terror was that some journalist would write about them, or call them 'the power behind Trump's throne', or 'Trump's brain.' One good newspaper headline, and you were told. One journalist described someone who worked with Trump literally in tears pleading with her not to write about him.
Rubio's cardinal error has been to demonstrate that unlike Trump is is competent, well-read, knowledgeable and professional, and getting headlines praising him. When Trump sent him out to stand-in for his spokesperson a week or two ago it was a sign to those who know Trump that Trump was setting up Rubio for the sack. He was testing to see whether would decline with suitable grovelling, or take the bait. Rubio took the bait, becoming the centre of attention. Trump raged at the praise Rubio got.
Bannon knew the moment a newspaper called him "Trump's brain" that he was toast. Mattis was warned when he began getting good headlines to "watch your back! Don't overshadow the boss." Pompeo was not merely banned from being in the second administration, but anyone close to him was banned from it, simply because Pompeo was seen as too competent in the first administration.
The task of Trump's staff is simple. Always come across as less competent, less able, less knowledgeable, than Trump. Given how stupid Trump is, and his staff all know it, trying to come across as stupider and less able than the President is a tough order for anyone intelligent.
Usually, when Trump fires someone for overshadowing him, he tries to do it in the most humiliating way possible. He may convince them to submit a resignation, then announce before that resignation is announced that he has fired them, then say they were dumb, stupid, incompetent, and an idiot. If they had a military background, he will try to strip their pension off them, or demote their rank. Trump's mob of supporters on social media will target them for reputation destruction.
The only issue is when, not if, Rubio is fired.
⏩ Jim Duffy is a writer-historian.
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