The Atlantic

The Downsides of John Kelly's Ascension

It's not a signal that the president is preparing to moderate his White House—it's a signal he's going to the mattresses.
Source: Steven Senne / AP

Donald Trump is not much of a man. He feels sorry for himself, he whines, he gropes women; he bullies the weak. He brags and he lies. As a young man, this self-proclaimed athlete collected five draft deferments rather than wear his country’s uniform. He doesn’t even work out. The motto emblazoned on Trump’s bogus coat of arms should probably be “faithless,” which makes it odd that he has picked as his chief of staff a general steeled in a service whose motto is “ever faithful.” (The Trump coat of arms was reportedly lifted from another family, with the motto “integrity” replaced—inevitably—by “Trump.”)

John Kelly, retired Marine four-star and new White House chief of staff, has been

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