As the U.S. Capitol was ransacked Wednesday, Trump administration officials watched in horror, fearful not only of the rioting their boss had inspired but of the residual damage that would fall on their careers.
The victims of the chaos, Trump staffers insisted, included Trump staffers themselves.
“The people who this is hardest on, aside from obviously the people in the Capitol and the police and the people who were hurt, are the people who have staked their reputations and their political, financial and career fortunes on defending the president and he’s just made it harder on us,” said one lower-level Trump administration official.
Reputational concern was just one of a variety of emotions that percolated among White House aides in the aftermath of the rioting. Throughout the administration, officials weighed whether to resign after watching the president encourage protestors to march to the Capitol.
Some Trump aides scoffed at those who chose to leave, arguing that to work for Trump is to know and endure scandal.
“I personally think Charlottesville was worse than what happened yesterday and if you didn’t resign after that, it’s kind of a chickenshit move to do it 14 days before the transfer of power,” said a senior Trump administration official. “It shows a lot of selfishness. ‘Let’s make it about me. I’m resigning because I don’t like what happened.’”
Others in the administration had work benefits on their mind. Some wondered whether it was worth it to burn more paid vacation time they could earn. Some were reluctant to depart before their formal off-boarding date because doing so could leave them ineligible for unemployment benefits as they begin a job search.
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And what future employment opportunities would there even be, others wondered.
“This,” one administration official said of Wednesday’s events, “will hurt us in trying to get jobs.”
The lower-level Trump administration official was not impressed by his colleagues who were fleeing the scene, saying that they were engaged in “pearl-clutching trying to save face for future employment.” A more entrepreneurial man—like, say, him—could turn the Capitol siege into an advantage when it came time for future job interviews.
“If anything, I hope to pitch [Wednesday] one day as ‘look if you want to talk about an employee who can continue to produce and continue to have a good attitude in the toughest, highest stakes and highest pressure situations, [that’s me],’” the official said. He stressed that he doesn’t condone violence.
Asked if he planned to resign because of the riots, the official said he’s already submitted his resignation letter, but it’s effective Jan. 20, when all political appointees have to leave anyways.
