Donald Trump was confronted by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in a sitdown interview that aired on Sunday about his hiring and firing decisions as president.
Trump’s exchange with the host of “Sunday Morning Futures” arose after a discussion about what the former president would do differently in his potential next administration.
“The mistakes would be people,” Trump said. ” I mean, I wouldn’t have put a guy like [former Attorney General] Bill Barr, and he was weak and pathetic. I wouldn’t have put [former Attorney General] Jeff Sessions. And there are some people that I wouldn’t have put in. You know, most people were good, but I had some people… we had [former Secretary of Defense] Mark Esper. I didn’t like him. He was incompetent. I thought we had other people I didn’t like.”
“Why did you put them in the job then?” Bartiromo asked.
Trump blamed it on his lack of familiarity with the staff.
“I didn’t know the people,” Trump said. “I know the people now better than anybody has ever known. The people I know, the good ones, the bad ones, the dumb ones, the smart ones.”
But Bartiromo interjected by confronting him on a common complaint about the Trump administration among prospective Republican voters.
“You didn’t drain the swamp like you said you would,” Bartiromo said bluntly. “You didn’t drain the swamp.”
“You didn’t drain the swamp like you said you would.”
Trump is confronted on his hiring and firing choices as president. pic.twitter.com/Q9Zajm76mk
— Becker News (@NewsBecker) July 16, 2023
Trump objected to Bartiromo’s characterization of his administration.
“I did,” he replied. “I fired [former FBI Director James]Comey. I fired a lot of people. A lot of the people I had, I fired. I fired Comey very early. And, you know, there was a question as to whether or not you could. But I fired Comey. If I didn’t fire Comey, I don’t think I would have been able to serve out my term because that was a plot.”
But Trump also admitted that it was ‘probably’ a mistake to appoint Christopher Wray as FBI Director, although he blamed fellow Republican candidate Chris Christie for the choice.
“Yeah, sadly. It probably was [a mistake],” Trump said.
“It was recommended very strongly by Chris Christie, who was, you know, a sad case. I mean, I watch him. He’s a sad case.”
The entire interview can be watched below:
This week, FBI Director Wray took heat in highly contentious hearings over the FBI’s inability to prevent the rioting on January 6, as well as accusations over the bureau allegedly protecting the Biden family from scrutiny over ostensibly corrupt dealings.
