Disagreeing with President Trump usually ends with someone's resignation. But Thomas Barrack, Trump's billionaire best friend and biggest campaign donor, has a problem with all the "yes men" that surround the president. And even after 30 years of friendship, he's still by Trump's side.
A profile of Barrack published Wednesday in The Washington Post breaks down the two men's relationship:
The men have struck a mutually beneficial deal. Trump solicits Barrack's advice regularly, asking how his actions are playing with the public. Barrack listens deferentially, advises Trump to change course without fear of retribution, and retains a bond that has outlasted Trump's many personal and financial crises. [The Washington Post]
Trump and Barrack met in 1987 and loosely discussed the idea of Trump running for president in the early days of their friendship. Building a wall and putting "America first" was never part of the plan, Barrack told the Post, so he was shocked when Trump called Mexicans "rapists." Barrack said he continues to ask "Oh my God, where are we going with this?" every time Trump makes another inflammatory remark.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Barrack also told the Post that Trump has called him one of his "few Arab-American friends," and said he tried to dissuade the president from instituting his infamous "Muslim ban." He's also the man who convinced Trump to hire Paul Manafort, who's now under investigation for possible collusion with Russia, to lead his presidential campaign.
And yet, Barrack hasn't gotten the pink slip like so many other Trump insiders. While it may be because Barrack isn't an official White House adviser to begin with, so he can't truly be fired, Barrack said Trump isn't as bad at taking criticism as some make him out to be.
You can read more about why Barrack's dissenting voice still has the president's ear at The Washington Post.
-
7 mountain hotels perfect for a tranquil autumn or winter escapeThe Week Recommends Get (altitude) high and unwind
-
‘Deskilling’: a dangerous side effect of AI useThe explainer Workers are increasingly reliant on the new technology
-
The biggest sports betting scandals in historyIn Depth The recent indictments of professional athletes were the latest in a long line of scandals
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
