
Donald Trump's team insists that he didn't make any mistakes in his hiring decisions — even when he decided to hire a Nazi sympathizer, a racist, and a felon who lied to the FBI.

In 2017, the Trump White House was pressured into firing a Nazi sympathizer, a white supremacist, and a man who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI (who also took foreign payments despite being warned not to, and was widely seen as a national security risk).

Despite these multiple black eyes, Trump officials said on Wednesday they do not believe he made any mistakes in his hiring decisions.

The comments came during a background briefing with reporters that was used to tout the "achievements" of Trump's first year in office.


When asked if Trump made any mistakes with the people he hired to work in the White House, one of Trump's senior aides — who spoke anonymously — replied, "No, the president didn't make a mistake. Why would you think that?"

The remark reveals just how deluded Trump and his inner circle are about the disastrous year they've had thus far, and why — despite Trump's basement-dwelling approval ratings — they remain in a self-created bubble where they can do no wrong.

The highest profile bad hire of the Trump regime has to be former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lasted just 24 days in his position. That is the shortest tenure in that position in the entire history of the United States.

Flynn was pushed out after it was uncovered that he had received payments from foreign governments and had lied about it, despite being warned against accepting foreign payments. Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as they investigated the connections between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia.

The Trump administration was warned about Flynn's compromised position by acting Attorney General Sally Yates. Instead of acting immediately, Trump fired Yates instead, and only got rid of Flynn when he was forced to do so.

"No, the president didn't make a mistake."

Trump also hired Sebastian Gorka, despite his painfully thin resume on his supposed topic of expertise — national security — and his sympathies towards Nazis. Gorka was reportedly a member of Vitézi Rend, a group founded by an anti-Semitic Hungarian leader who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

That was not seen as disqualifying for a White House job, though — at least not in this White House. Trump brought Gorka on as a counterterrorism adviser, elevating him from his previous role as an anti-Islamic Fox News pundit.

He lasted more than half a year but was then forced out after reports surfaced questioning what his actual job was beyond appearing on cable news to launch bigoted tirades.

"No, the president didn't make a mistake."

Trump brought in his former campaign chairman Steve Bannon to serve as his chief strategist. Bannon is best known for his tenure running Breitbart, which he described as a "platform for the alt-right," the white supremacist ideology dominant within the Republican Party under Trump.

Trump was OK with Bannon and his embrace of bigoted anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric — he just didn't like that so much reporting credited Bannon for being the brains behind his presidency.

So, Bannon was squeezed out, and has since gone on to champion the cause of accused pedophile Roy Moore. Bannon campaigned for Moore's unsuccessful Alabama Senate campaign and is still someone with sway within the Republican Party. He reportedly still has Trump's ear.

"No, the president didn't make a mistake."

There are other questionable Trump hires who have not resigned or been forced out of their positions yet. There was the decision to hire his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his daughter Ivanka, serial racist Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, cabinet secretaries like Steve Mnuchin and Ryan Zinke — who fly around in luxury at taxpayers' expense — or like Ben Carson, who seems utterly confused by his position.

Trump's poor handling of government hiring has also shown up in the slate of unqualified and unprepared nominees he has chosen for federal judgeships, with some forced to withdraw after public humiliation.

Perhaps the senior aide was telling the truth when he or she said Trump "didn't make a mistake" with those he has hired.

He has actually made many, many, many, many mistakes.