The inner circle of Trumpworld was not always a pretty picture. Too often, it was a portrait of venality, stubbornness, and selfishness. We leaked. We schemed. We backstabbed. Some of us told ourselves it was all done in the service of a higher calling—to protect the president, to deliver for the people. But usually it was for ourselves. Most of us came to Washington convinced of the justice of our cause and the righteousness of our principles, certain that our moral compasses were true. But proximity to power changes that. Donald Trump changes that. The once-clear lines—between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness—were eroded, until only a faint wrinkle remained.
A particular case in point involves Kellyanne Conway, who had the title of Trump's 2016 campaign manager. (Though it was really Jared Kushner, if anyone, who was actually in charge.) As counselor to the president, Kellyanne managed to land a job with no fixed responsibilities. “What exactly does Kellyanne do?” was a question people asked all the time. So she was able to continue being the president's pit bull on TV—a job that never goes out of fashion in Trumpworld—and otherwise just dabble in areas that piqued her interest. She would later focus her efforts on the opioid crisis and veterans' issues, but early on she was content—very content—to sit back, go on TV, and let rivals eat one another alive. And she was predictably resentful of both Ivanka and Jared's immovable status in Trump's orbit.
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