Trump adopts some behaviors he criticized in Clinton
WAS H I N GTO N — D o n a l d Trump spent the past two years attacking rival Hillary Clinton as crooked, corrupt and weak.
But some of those attacks seem to have already slipped into the history books.
From installing Wall Street executives in his Cabinet to avoiding news conferences, the president-elect is adopting some of the same behavior for which he criticized Clinton during their fiery presidential campaign.
Here’s a look at what Trump said then — and what he’s doing now:
Goldman Sachs
Then: “I know the guys at Goldman Sachs,” Trump said at a South Carolina rally in February, when he was locked in a fierce primary battle with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “They have total, total control over him. Just like they have total control over Hillary Clinton.”
Now: A number of former employees of the Wall Street bank will play a key role in crafting Trump’s economic policy. He has tapped Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn to lead the White House National Economic Council. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary nominee, spent 17 years working at Goldman Sachs and Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist and senior counselor, got his start as an investment banker at the firm.
Trump is following in a long political tradition, though one he derided on the campaign trail: If Cohn accepts the nomination, he’ll be the third Goldman executive to run the NEC.
Big donors
Then: “Crooked Hillary. Look, can you imagine another four years of the Clintons? Seriously. It’s time to move on. And she’s totally controlled by Wall Street and all these people that gave her millions,” Trump said at a May rally in Lynden, Washington.
Now: Trump has stocked his Cabinet with six top donors — far more than any recent White House. “I want people that made a fortune. Because now they’re negotiating with you, OK?” Trump said, in a December 9 speech in Des Moines.
The biggest giver? Incoming small business administrator Linda McMahon gave $7.5 million to a super PAC backing Trump, more than a third of the money collected by the political action committee.
News conferences
Then: “She doesn’t do news conferences, because she can’t,” Trump said at an August rally in Ashburn, Virginia. “She’s so dishonest she doesn’t want people peppering her with questions.”
Now: Trump opened his last news conference July 27, saying: “You know, I put myself through your news conferences often, not that it’s fun.” He hasn’t held one since. Trump skipped the news conference a president-elect typically gives after winning the White House. Instead, he released a YouTube video of less than three minutes. He also recently abruptly canceled plans to hold his first post-election news conference, opting instead to describe his plans for managing his businesses in tweets.
Family ties
Then: “It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins,” Trump said at an August rally in Austin.
Now: While Trump has promised to separate himself from his businesses, there is plenty of overlap between his enterprises and his immediate family. His companies will be run by his sons, Donald Jr and Eric. And his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have joined Trump at a number of meetings with world leaders of countries where the family has financial interests.
In a financial disclosure statement he was required to file during the campaign, Trump listed stakes in about 500 companies in at least 25 countries. T r u mp wa s o n h i s way: G u e s t s w e r e f u n n e l e d through metal detectors, and purses were searched under white tents temporarily pitched in front of the historic Gothic church.
Secret Service agents and sheriff ’s deputies stood in clusters as guests queued to enter the church. Inside, pews qui c k ly f i l l e d wi t h church members, guests and those who were curious to see the president-elect.
T r u m p m a d e a q u i e t entrance: Instead of walking in through the main vestibule, he and his wife entered through a door on the south side of the church, away from news cameras that were stationed across the street of the west-facing church’s front.
Most of the 500-person c apacit y church stood to applaud as Trump was led by an usher to a seat.
T r u m p p a u s e d f o r a moment and smiled at the c r owd — s e v e r a l p e o p l e shouted “Here, here!” and “Congratulations!” — before he sat next to Melania in a pew a few rows from the front on the south side of the church.
The Trump family has frequented Bethesda in the past few decades. Trump married Melania, his third wife, there in 2 005. The next year, Trump’s youngest son, Barron, was christened there. And candidate Trump attended the Christ- mas Eve service at Bethesda last year, and the Easter service earlier this year.
Church members had been on watch Christmas Eve for a visit from Trump, but church officials had declined to confirm throughout the week if Trump was planning to attend a service, and if so, which one.
“Out of respect for each person’s faith, we will not comment on any individual and their participation in the life of this parish — even public figures,” Bethesda-by-the-Sea’s rector, the Rev. James R. Harlan, said in a statement.
“Should we be asked to do so, we will work with the Secret Service to accommodate their needs for security, but we will not discuss those arrangements or plans, not even to confirm or deny that there are plans for any particular service.”
Bethesda is the oldest Protestant church in South Florida. It opened more than 125 years ago in Palm Beach before moving to its current location, modeled after the Cathedral Leon in Spain, in the 1920s.
Its prime location near the ocean has made it popular with celebrities, politicians and athletes. Basketball star Michael Jordan, who has a home in Jupiter, was married there in 2013. Singer Rod Stewart, who has a home in Palm Beach, was spotted at a service earlier on Christmas Eve.