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Cult Watch Title: Trump Punishes Longtime Aide After Angry Phoenix Speech
Donald Trump was in a bad mood before he emerged for a confrontational speech in Arizona last week. TV and social media coverage showed that the site of his campaign rally, the Phoenix Convention Center, was less than full. Backstage, waiting in a room with a television monitor, Trump was displeased, one person familiar with the incident said: TV optics and crowd sizes are extremely important to the president. As his surrogates warmed up the audience, the expanse of shiny concrete eventually filled in with cheering Trump fans. But it was too late for a longtime Trump aide, George Gigicos, the former White House director of advance who had organized the event as a contractor to the Republican National Committee. Trump later had his top security aide, Keith Schiller, inform Gigicos that he’d never manage a Trump rally again, according to three people familiar with the matter. Gigicos, one of the four longest-serving political aides to the president, declined to comment. Even by his standards, Trump was remarkably strident in Phoenix. After introductory speakers, including Vice President Mike Pence, lauded him for his commitment to racial harmony, the president came on stage and lambasted the media for what he called inaccurate reporting on his remarks about violence between hate groups and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. Anger and Threats He threatened to shut down the federal government unless Congress funds construction of the Mexican border wall he promised in his campaign. He telegraphed that he’d pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, convicted of defying a court order to stop racial profiling by his deputies. And in their home state, he assailed Arizona Senator John McCain for the failure of Obamacare repeal and Senator Jeff Flake for being "weak" on illegal immigration, without mentioning their names. Both are fellow Republicans. Gigicos had staged the event in a large multipurpose room. The main floor space was bisected by a dividing wall, leaving part of the space empty. There were some bleachers off to the side, but otherwise the audience was standing -- and the scene appeared flat, lacking the energy and enthusiasm of other rallies. Although the crowd looked thin when Trump arrived at about 6:30 p.m., rallygoers filled in the space while Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Alveda King, Franklin Graham and Pence delivered introductory speeches. A city of Phoenix spokeswoman told the Arizona Republic newspaper that about 10,000 people were inside the room when Trump took the stage. Trump’s first words when he stepped to the microphone: "Wow, what a crowd, what a crowd." Gigicos’s Role A week later, Trump was still reminiscing about the event. “You saw the massive crowd we had,” he said at a White House news conference on Monday with Finland President Sauli Niinisto. “The people went crazy when I said, ‘What do you think of sheriff Joe?’ Or something to that effect.” Gigicos organized all of Trump’s signature campaign events and his occasional rallies since entering office. He left his White House job as director of advance on July 31 to return to his consulting business. But he continued to work for Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee. Over the past two years, Trump had often assigned the blame -- rightly or wrongly -- to Gigicos when his rally logistics weren’t perfect. But his irritation usually blew over quickly. When his microphone had problems at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, in January 2016, Trump bellowed: "The stupid mic keeps popping! Do you hear that, George? Don’t pay them! Don’t pay them!" Gigicos is the latest high-profile departure from Trump’s inner circle. Since July 21, press secretary Sean Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Stephen Bannon, and national security aide Sebastian Gorka have all resigned or been fired. Former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci’s tenure lasted less than two weeks. Two outside advisory councils comprised of corporate CEOs dissolved after Trump’s Charlottesville remarks, and the White House severed ties with billionaire Carl Icahn, a semiformal Trump adviser. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest press secretary Sean Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Stephen Bannon, and national security aide Sebastian Gorka have all resigned or been fired. Former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci’s tenure lasted less than two weeks Priebus was placed there to do one thing -- pave the way to repeal and replace Obamacare. He failed. He was fired. And rightly so. He and Spicer were close, so Spicer quit. Bannon was a short-timer and knew it. He and Gorka are Breitbart buddies. One leaves the other follows. Scaramucci fired himself with his remarks. Trump will keep reshuffling the deck until he's happy. He's not there to make friends and soothe egos. If you watched The Appentice you'd have seen his style. He was ruthless and unforgiving.
#2. To: Willie Green (#0) the president came on stage and lambasted the media for what he called inaccurate reporting on his remarks about violence between hate groups and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. The best part of the speech. The crowd ate it up. Everything he said needed to be said.
#3. To: misterwhite (#2) We have a winner...BING BING BING... Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it. #4. To: Willie Green (#0) TV and social media coverage showed that the site of his campaign rally, the Phoenix Convention Center, was less than full... It's a litte late for campaign speeches and rallys then firing people because they're losing interest in more bull crap. It's long past time to be performing deeds in accordance with the promises he made when he was running for election and talking about clearing the swamp.
#5. To: misterwhite (#2) Everything he said needed to be said. Bullshit! Where is my tax break paying for these far-off, silly wars around the world that Trump (NOW) further perpetuates? He is another god-damned lying politician living in the White House.
#6. To: buckeroo (#5) Where is my tax break paying for these far-off, silly wars around the world that Trump (NOW) further perpetuates? Fuck your tax break. Do your part and pay your share. We pull out, ISIS moves in, and in a few years we have another 9/11 and you're screaming, "How did this happen?" We still have troops in Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Why wouldn't we have them in Iraq and Afghanistan? You're an idiot.
#7. To: misterwhite (#6) Do your part and pay your share. You mean to say ... that I MUST pay tribute to a failed USA government that has failed its own citizenry, much less the entire world? I refuse to pay your homage to a failed government.
#8. To: buckeroo (#7) I refuse to pay your homage to a failed government. It may be a failed government in your eyes, but I assure you the tax collectors at the IRS are like a well-oiled machine.
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