Donald 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:
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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 pay a key role in crafting Trump’s economic policy. He’s 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, started his career 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.
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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.
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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 on July 27, saying: “You know, I put myself through your news conferences often, not that it’s fun.”
He hasn’t held once since.
Trump skipped the news conference a president-elect typically gives after winning the White House. Instead, he released a YouTube video of under three minutes. This week, Trump abruptly canceled plans to hold his first post-election news conference, opting instead to describe his plans for managing his businesses in tweets. “I will hold a press conference in the near future to discuss the business, Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest. Busy times!” he tweeted in mid-December.
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FAMILY TIES:
Then: “It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins. It is now abundantly clear that the Clintons set up a business to profit from public office. They sold access and specific actions by and really for I guess the making of large amounts of money,” 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 he was required to file during the campaign, Trump listed stakes in about 500 companies in at least 25 countries.
Ivanka, in particular, has been caught making early efforts to leverage her father’s new position into profits. After an interview with the family appeared on “60 Minutes,” her jewelry company, Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, blasted out an email promoting the $10,800 gold bangle bracelet that she had worn during the appearance. The company later said they were “proactively discussing new policies and procedures.”
Ivanka is also auctioning off a private coffee meeting with her to benefit her brother’s foundation. The meeting is valued at $50,000, with the current top bid coming in at $25,000.
“United States Secret Service will be Present for the Duration of the Experience,” warns the auction site.
Trump on Saturday said he would dissolve his charitable foundation amid efforts to eliminate any conflicts of interest before he takes office next month.
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CLINTON INVESTIGATIONS
Then: “If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception. There has never been anything like it, and we’re going to have a special prosecutor,” Trump said in the October presidential debate.
Now: Since winning office, Trump has said he has no intention of pushing for an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of State or the workings of her family foundation. “It’s just not something that I feel very strongly about,” he told the New York Times.
“She went through a lot. And suffered greatly in many different ways,” he said. “I’m not looking to hurt them.”
(AP)
10 Responses
The only way these liberals will be satisfied they want him to disown his family.. !
So what’s your point?
You want more of Obama the Jew Hater
More AP Fiction for ostriches. Trump said… Trump did… Trump wants… The sore losers are still seething and making up lies and baloney as they go along. Over 70% have switched to Real News after MSM fake election polls, what’s the percentage on YWN who still believes any Fakenews today?
This is total bunk he’s appointing executives because they know how to get things done his way because he doesn’t owe them anything unlike Clinton none of them were diners to his campaign he criticized Clinton on not doing new conferences and not talking to the American people he may not do. new conferences but he’s talking and facing the American people all day another desperate attempt by the ap
Disclaimer: Hillary is worse.
What fools actually believed Trump was this good ol’ selfless, wise and honest savior of the long forgotten about middle class America. He is a politician. Period. And an egomaniac. And a liar like all the rest of Washington’s officials.
People really choose to dumb themselves down to actually listen to this immoral, immature, impulsive, angry and greedy human being and come to the incredibly naive and foolish conclusion that he is a decent man. He is certainly not.
There is a difference between accepting money from Wall Street and marshalling its talent for the benefit of America. I saw this article on Yahoo and it’s more of the same antiTrump drivel peddled by the pitiful press.
ywn shame on you! You forget that President-elect is not the president until he is sworn in on January. Wait 100 days after that and then see if things are not the same. Is anyone happy about what Obama didn’t do at the UN except the Arabs and J street jews. At least Trump made attempts to stop it although unsuccessfully because he isn’t president yet.
The reason Mr Trump is not doing press conferences is because the mainstream media lied about him during the election and still continue to do so, twisting his words. Hilary was just “having time off” nothing more, as the press was always in her favor.
AP is trying soooo hard…
The daylight between them is clear to any child looking at both of them’s actions and dealings.
I Cant take when people excuse Trump ‘NO MATTER WHAT’ with all types of really unbelievable excuse. Lets call a Spade a Spade, Trump is doing the exact same things (and worse in some cases) that he so strongly accused HILLARY, (and all Politicans) of doing. YES, the media is biased against Trump often, but not always!